Clever Corvids: a degree of abstract thought (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, March 04, 2016, 21:50 (3186 days ago) @ David Turell

Another take on the same study:-https://www.newscientist.com/article/2076025-ravens-fear-of-unseen-snoopers-hints-they-have-theory-of-mind/-Comments:-"Theory of mind-"Nicola Clayton at the University of Cambridge, UK, says the study is beautifully designed, but so far no single study has shown unequivocally that any animal has theory of mind.-“'It's a case of converging evidence to bear on a problem,” she says. “But this study comes as close as any to showing so.”-"Martin Schmelz at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, says the study refutes a major argument against previous studies and shows exciting social cognitive abilities in ravens for the first time.-“'Ravens in this study are shown to attribute visual access to others, which is certainly one aspect of a theory of mind,” he says. “They don't have a human-like full-fledged theory of mind, but the authors are also not claiming this.'”-Comment: Cognitive, yes. Inference, possible.