Enlarge / A standard cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, within the Marine Assets Middle on the Marine Organic Laboratory, Woods Gap, MA. A brand new research finds the cuttlefish can delay gratification—a key function of the well-known “marshmallow take a look at.” (credit score: Alexandra Schnell)
Sure species present a outstanding skill to delay gratification, notably nice apes, corvids, and parrots, whereas different species don’t (similar to rodents, chickens, and pigeons.) Add the cuttlefish to the previous class.
Scientists administered an tailored model of the Stanford marshmallow take a look at to cuttlefish and located the cephalopods may delay gratification—that’s, wait a bit for most well-liked prey slightly than settling for a much less fascinating prey. Cuttlefish additionally carried out higher in a subsequent studying take a look at, in keeping with a brand new paper printed within the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. It is the primary time such a hyperlink between self-control and intelligence has been present in a non-mammalian species.
As we have beforehand reported, the late Walter Mischel’s landmark behavioral research concerned 600 youngsters between the ages of 4 and 6, all culled from Stanford College’s Bing Nursery Faculty. He would give every youngster a marshmallow and provides them the choice of consuming it instantly in the event that they selected. But when they might wait 15 minutes, they might get a second marshmallow as a reward. Then Mischel would depart the room, and a hidden video digital camera would tape what occurred subsequent.
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