Chimp vs Human! | Memory Test | BBC Earth

the scientists at japan's primate research institute the pri where ayumu is based have devised intelligence tests for chimps one test is for what's called working memory the brain's ability to temporarily store and use information the numbers one to nine are randomly scattered across a touch screen the chimp looks at them for as long as is needed to memorize the layout then as soon as one is touched the other numbers are hidden and must now be remembered we volunteered chris the director of this program to demonstrate this test he's a college graduate and a crossword addict but how good is his working memory when chris reckons he has memorized the layout he touches one when the others are hidden he must try to recall two to nine in ascending order it takes me ages to remember where they're all placed and then i think i've got it it's really very very difficult in 30 attempts chris only once reached nine without making a mistake as soon as they're blanked over it's like my mind's been blanked over as well when are you moose at the same test he correctly remembered the numbers almost 90 percent of the time ayuma gets it right almost every time and i've got it right once chris fears he's let his species down but even when the pri played a yumu against their best human students who were given regular practice sessions ayumu still beat all humans other chimps at the pri have also sat the exams among these apes computer skills are as normal as the ability to swing from the trees though none of his rivals beat a yumu a few came close and average chip results turned out to be higher than amongst humans so does that efficient working memory mean chimps are cleverer than humans we track down a scientist who studies chimps in the wild dr nick newton fisher i think it's interesting the results that suggest that chimps may have particular cognitive abilities that are different and maybe in some aspects better than humans because chimpanzees are not small primitive furry humans they are a species that we share a common ancestor with maybe five or six million years ago but they've evolved along their own individual path are they better at doing chimp things and we're better at doing human things and something some chimp things may not simply be climbing up and down trees and eating figs some of those chimp things might be mental abilities as well that's chimps one humans nil you

Channel: BBC Earth

Views: 2,052,794

Keywords: smart chimpanzee, how smart are chimpanzees, chimpanzee memory test, chimpanzee smart, chimpanzee intelligence test, smart chimp, monkey memory test, intelligent chimpanzee, smart chimps, chimp memory test, clever chimpanzee, chimpanzee intelligence, monkey intelligence test, chimp intelligence, chimp vs human, chimpanzee vs human, Professor Tetsuro Matsuzawa, working memory, bbc, extraordinary animals, bbc earth, chimpanzee

Id: zsXP8qeFF6A

Length: 3min 43sec (223 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 25 2013