Notes by Howard Gardner
If you thought that logical mathematical thinking was limited to human beings, you need to revise your beliefs. In this mind-expanding study, the researchers report that species other than human beings are able to master an abstract numerical rule; a rule that governs the way that a series of numerical displays is ordered. Moreover, and I find this amazing, this skill is found not only among nonhuman primates but also among pigeons. Scholars will debate whether birds or monkeys are able to master this rule in the same way, drawing on the same representations and strategies or whether this skill has evolved twice, along quite distinct evolutionary pathways.
To read the article in its entirety, click here.