Three ingredients for becoming a creative tool user

摘要: The bird approaches the transparent vertically oriented tube and looks down its opening with apparent interest. Then it at from side walks around to look into one scrutinizing eye once more. There is a worm located bottom of tube, beyond bird’s reach. After few seconds, steps away picks up stick beak inserts tube’s opening. Once inside, grabs tool again applies downward pressure on so that dislodges platform keeping inside tube. drops free be picked by bird, which quickly flies away. Observations like this pose double challenge researchers in field comparative cognition. first explain why some species can come innovative solutions while others facing same situation do not so. For instance, pigeons presented task as crows left their own devices may incapable producing solution, even after hours exposure problem. One possible explanation for outcome crow species, unlike pigeons, have strong predisposition using tools since has offered an adaptive advantage. In fact, all likelihood New Caledonian ( Corvus moneduloides ), well known propensity dexterity making extract embedded food substrates. fascinating thing above description about crow, but distantly related cousin, rook frugilegus ). Rooks, crows, usually use way, they laboratory, Bird Emery (2009) discovered. This revelation poses second researchers: How are rooks solving problem? What cognitive mechanisms responsible observed behavior what experiences necessary clever solution emerge? Since endowed associative learning mechanisms, key question explained where interspecific differences from. Nowhere acute area animals.