Chimpanzees learn rock-paper-scissors

originally posted by: sayzaar
Only needed 307 electric shock treatments

I don't believe that chimps understand that scissors cuts paper etc. Basically they would not know if they won or lost, or even if it's about winning and losing. They are simply going through the motions,nothing more.

They could be taught that choosing rock when their opponent has scissors earns them a reward, and so on for all the other pairs. Border collies can be taught using the same device. In fact, border collies can learn the meanings of 1000s of different words, assigning them to different real-world objects.

Grey parrots have actually been talk to speak -- not just to mimick -- by being taught the relationship between words and real-world objects.

If only those in congress and the senate could learn "rock, scissors, paper", we could actually see some benefits to the American people who pay them to be there.. Alas, they remain as untrainable.