Hi Bert & All,
Quote:
Originally Posted by avandonk
These animals over many years have worked out my movements to the point where if I have been to the butchers in the case of the magpies and currawongs they are waiting for fresh minced steak at the back door. The older magpies come inside and sit on the kitchen table demanding food much to my dogs dismay!
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So did they learn this all by themselves? No! In fact unwittingly you (as an intelligent being) have been
teaching them -- and it took them "many years" to learn to repeat a simple behavioural pattern.
By the rewards given out, you have unwittingly taught them when to expect a possible reward, how to act if they want a reward or to increase the probability of a reward. If there was no teacher, how long would it have taken them to learn and display that behaviour? Answer: Likely never. How many of these birds have been independently able to teach this information to other birds (that are strangers to you), so that they come along display a pattern of behaviour to provoke a reward. I can confidently predict the answer is none.
Quote:
Originally Posted by avandonk
Even these birds have an ability to learn and adapt.
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Yes of course they do -- but given their limited (and limiting) physiology and quite small brains, they need a teacher to learn this type of behaviour! Otherwise their learning capacity and learning speed is extremely limited.
Quote:
Originally Posted by avandonk
We are not that special.
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Yes you are, we are the only "conscious" teachers on the planet! That makes us very special indeed.
Best,
Les D