Monkeys Can Memorize

According to an article published in Forbes by Alex Berezow in 2014, the belief that humans were unique because we could think is being turned upside down.

It has been long thought that one of the characteristics that makes humans unique is our ability to learn and manipulate symbols for communication; however, this notion is starting to slowly unravel. 

Koko the gorilla knows sign language, and Alex the parrot was probably the most well-spoken bird to have ever existed. Also, a chimpanzee was trained to use Arabic symbols to add up sums as large as 4, and monkeys were taught to add dots together.

But that’s all child’s play; monkeying around, if you will. Now, PNAS reports that a team of Harvard and Yale researchers has trained rhesus macaque monkeys to recognize two sets of symbols, with 26 symbols in each set. And the monkeys demonstrated an ability to add them together!

The monkeys were given a touch-screen device that was divided in two halves. In the first stage of the experiment, the monkeys had to determine which side had the greater amount. First, they had to examine dots. 

Second, they had to examine Arabic numerals (1-9) or letters (which represented numbers 10-25). Finally, they had to examine Tetris-like symbols which represented numerical values.

To keep the monkeys playing, they were given drops of liquid treats that corresponded to the value they chose, regardless of whether they picked the right answer. (For example, if the choice is between 4 and 8 and the monkey picked 4, he would get four drops.) 
 
Obviously, larger values mean more treats, so the monkeys had an incentive to learn how to recognize the larger value.

I see 3 issues happening here:

The first is this concept of using reinforcement to learn

The second is that human are not as unique as we thought

How we have been taught to think is flawed

Education and Power level then tilt the playing fields.

High IQ's lay the foundation for potential leaps in knowledge and no one can doubt that but without the proper personalities those high IQ's could just simply amount to nothing more than a “class clown” or a “disruptive influence” on society or both.

I believe that those with high IQ's must be directed.

On the other side of the coin is EQ which deals with the emotions and it is said that these types of people make good leaders as most good leaders when analyzed possess high amounts of this EQ. And, while that too is all fine and good, it must also be directed.

John Lennon once said: “Life happens when we are making other plans,” hence the need for direction.

If someone has either or both a high IQ and EQ then they have a high degree of probability that their gifts could be tapped appropriately. But, there are no guarantees.

We are a group of culturally diverse individuals living in various locations all over our world where much of the land is separated by water and mountains. And, the two commodities that make us great in our own unique ways are either EDUCATION or POWER or in some cases both.

We can compete with the “big boys,” if we have one or the other or both, and this is exactly what the “big boys” do not want to have happen on our world.

Who are these “big boys,” you ask?

And, my response (a little touchy and sarcastic) is, “does it matter?” And that, you must admit is very close to who cares...

So, what is wrong with our educational system(s) here in American and no doubt elsewhere when scientist with all their high IQ's can teach monkeys to learn what no one prior to this time thought they could learn, and we cannot properly teach our own children to learn without a struggle that is typical futile in nature?

What is wrong with we are doing or not doing?

In Biblical times, the people talked in parables and UNDERSTOOD and when we teach those same parables in our Sunday Schools, the kids just look at us in disbelief asking for clarification as to what it means and how it relates now.

Of course, this is not everybody in every Sunday School class.... but, the point is that it is happening more than you think or realize.

If they cannot understand the Biblical parables what chance do they have of understanding problem solving, critical thinking, or complex linear equations or algorithms?

So here is my question again: How can monkey be taught to learn and we teachers have trouble getting our students to learn?

And, we cannot say that if we had better students, it would change because if we had better students we would then need better teachers because the better students would not be satisfied with what was there.

The sad part here is that many educators will never believe the totality of that statement as it pertains to them.

And, that leaves POWER...

If you are a believer in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education then you could make a solid case for the concept that Power is derived from those with a high level of STEM education under their belts, whether or not that also have high IQ's and/or EQ's.

Yes, most of us would agree with that, but...

Power is derived from force and especially brute force when applied correctly. Power always defeats a lesser force who may have an uncanny desire to survive.

All we have to do here is read a little about military conquests going back several centuries and moving forward to today's date.

It is true that smaller armies have held larger armies at bay for unbelievable amounts of time that no one would have imagined could have happened... but, in the end, the larger force or POWER wins all the time.

If we can teach monkeys to think, do you think we could teach them to fight for us one day? I doubt that would ever happen, but more realistically would be the notion that we will one day develop warrior robots to fight for us.

And, when and if we ever get to that place in life, we will have much more time to spend training monkeys to learn to out think us.