Baboons & Monkeys Are As Our Children In Maths [VIDEO]

A new research conducted by Rochester University has just concluded that Baboons and Rhesus Monkeys which are part of the primitive species are good at mathematics as our children.

According to Daily Mail, the study was conducted on primitive species, Tsimane' people, who live in a remote area in Bolivian forest and children. The study was basically carried out to ascertain the origin of numerical understanding in humans. The results are mystifying!

Dr. Jessica Cantlon, an associate professor in Cognitive Studies at Rochester University, along with fellow researchers have published the study in the Journal of Nature Communications. It is widely known that Adults and children have mathematical skills who can count even without formal education.

He further stated that "As children get older, they are more likely to represent numerical information as opposed to other quantitative information. Similarly, when Tsimane' adults had more math education, they were more likely to represent numbers as opposed to other dimensions."

But, this study is aimed at understanding the nonverbal numerical estimation of the chosen subjects. The subjects are Children, Tsimane' people, and Baboons & Rhesus monkeys. The test was done in an array of dots in different quantities and surface area, but same in size and color.

As per the Nature Communications, the monkeys were given an array of dots in different quantities in different surface areas. Primitive species are able to recognize the different quantities if they are in the ratio of 2:1. It means they are able to distinguish the difference in dots if they are 8 to 16 or 10 to 20. But, they failed to distinguish between 8 to 10 dots. The pychophysical pattern which is derived from Weber's Law, the hallmark of numerical discrimination accuracy, holds good for animals too.

The tests are conducted in the US with touch screen monitors for primates and children. For Tsimane' people, the tests were done on laminated printouts due to their non-exposure to such devices. The research concluded that humans emerged as best in nonverbal symbolic perception through cognitive skills even without formal education.