The thread about elephantnose fish has given me a few ideas for testing the intelligence of different fish species.....
I wonder how we would define whether a fish is intelligent or not? We could use a simplified version of a human IQ test very easily (with modifications) to test response to stimulus (ink blots for people), problem-solving abilities (spatial-orientation tests, puzzle logic), and vocabulary (both verbal and written testing in people).
To test stimulus, we have the owner-recognition test. Does the fish react differently to its owner than it does another member of the household? A stranger? Would it react differently if there were more than one person there to confuse the issue further?
To test for problem solving capability, we could set up a maze of glass panels in the tank with a reward at the end, much like a rat maze. We could also put said reward underneath an opaque box with a mechanical means to open it, such as a string, giving the fish a puzzle to solve....this would test for tool usage as well, if the mechanism was not directly in contact with the box. Does the fish remember from one time to another the steps it took to solve this puzzle and get its food?
Vocabulary: Well, this is a little harder to test, since most fish don't know how to talk (Mr. Limpitt being the only one I can think of....). However, body language is still language, and many fish have vocalizations or electrical impulses to convey what needs said. This would be a very in-depth study, but most people can tell by looking at a fish if it is healthy or sick, if it's hungry or angry...a study of fish body language and its complexity is in order.
We would not be able to assign human values to this fish IQ test, but I think that if one had the time and resources, it would be a rewarding project to undertake....
(Incidentally, I am writing this as someone who has taken LOTS of cognative-reasoning and spatial orientation IQ tests over the years....gotta love a school system that can't believe a 2 year old can read and write....)
I wonder how we would define whether a fish is intelligent or not? We could use a simplified version of a human IQ test very easily (with modifications) to test response to stimulus (ink blots for people), problem-solving abilities (spatial-orientation tests, puzzle logic), and vocabulary (both verbal and written testing in people).
To test stimulus, we have the owner-recognition test. Does the fish react differently to its owner than it does another member of the household? A stranger? Would it react differently if there were more than one person there to confuse the issue further?
To test for problem solving capability, we could set up a maze of glass panels in the tank with a reward at the end, much like a rat maze. We could also put said reward underneath an opaque box with a mechanical means to open it, such as a string, giving the fish a puzzle to solve....this would test for tool usage as well, if the mechanism was not directly in contact with the box. Does the fish remember from one time to another the steps it took to solve this puzzle and get its food?
Vocabulary: Well, this is a little harder to test, since most fish don't know how to talk (Mr. Limpitt being the only one I can think of....). However, body language is still language, and many fish have vocalizations or electrical impulses to convey what needs said. This would be a very in-depth study, but most people can tell by looking at a fish if it is healthy or sick, if it's hungry or angry...a study of fish body language and its complexity is in order.
We would not be able to assign human values to this fish IQ test, but I think that if one had the time and resources, it would be a rewarding project to undertake....
(Incidentally, I am writing this as someone who has taken LOTS of cognative-reasoning and spatial orientation IQ tests over the years....gotta love a school system that can't believe a 2 year old can read and write....)
