A psychology student at Georgia State University has come up with a video game so simple, a monkey could play it... In fact, the monkeys played it better than the humans!
“We are a unique species and have various ways in which we are exceptionally different from every other creature on the planet,” said Julia Watzek, the psychology studentat Georgia State who led the study. “But we’re also sometimes really dumb.”
The test involved recognizing geometric shapes, with a reward offered for clicking on a blue triangle. After a few wins, the game changed and the blue triangle would show up before the game had even started. Monkeys still went for the triangle, while humans followed the 'rules' and kept playing the game normally!
The psychology student suggests that the test demonstrates how humans are trained to follow rules, while monkeys are better at thinking 'outside the box'.
“This was a great example of how a really elegant, simple study can be hugely impactful in various contexts,” said Sarah Brosnan, a Georgia State psychology professor who oversaw the study, as well as co-authored the paper. “It’s adding to the larger body of literature on why humans can be so different from other primates.”
Check out all of the details on the Georgia State University News Hub.