How do scientists measure animals’ intelligence?

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How exactly do scientists measure this intelligence across different species? What methods, tests, or observations do researchers use to assess the cognitive abilities of animals? And especially I am curious about how do they range animals according to their IQ level? How can one compare raccoons (with their physical ability to do something using their fingers) and, for example, pigs?

In: Planetary Science

6 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

They dont. We dont measure intelligence in animals we dont even know what intelligence realy is.

Instead we study how animals act in classic tests that test some aspect of intelligence. Like using tools to get something or solving a maze.

None of this measures intelligence.

IQ test are already controversial and dont work on animals at all. So there is no real measurement for intelligence.

If someone claims “dogs are intelligent animals” that does not mean that they did some scientific IQ test on the dog before, its just a calim.

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