memory
Charlton Heston freaks out
Monkeys have better memories than college students
Here’s some encouragement going into final exams: chimpanzees have better short-term memories than we do.
This time, five numbers flashed on the screen only briefly before they were replaced by white squares. The challenge, again, was to touch these squares in the proper sequence.When the numbers were displayed for about seven-tenths of a second, Ayumu and the college students were both able to do this correctly about 80 percent of the time.
But when the numbers were displayed for just four-tenths or two-tenths of a second, the chimp was the champ. The briefer of those times is too short to allow a look around the screen, and in those tests Ayumu still scored about 80 percent, while humans plunged to 40 percent.
Now when I’m preparing for finals, in the back of my mind I’ll know that a chimpanzee would be doing a better job than me. Chimps, 1. College students, 0.
Happy studying.
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