单选题 An upsurge of new research suggests animals have a much higher level of brainpower than previous thought. Before defining animals" intelligence, scientists defined what is not intelligence. Instinct is not intelligence. It is a skill programmed into an animal"s brain by its genetic heritage. Rote conditioning or cuing, in which animals learn to do or not to do certain things by following outside signals is also not intelligence, since tricks can be learned by repetition, but no real thinking is involved. Scientists believe insight, the ability to use tools, and communications using human language are effective measures.
When judging animal intelligence, scientists look for insight, which they define as a flash of sudden understanding. When a young gorilla could not reach fruit from a tree, she noticed crates scattered about the lawn, piled them and then climbed on them to reach her reward. The gorilla"s insight allowed her to solve a new problem without trial and error. The ability to use tools is also an important sign of intelligence. Crows use sticks to pry peanuts out of cracks. The crow exhibits intelligence by showing it has learned what a stick can do. Likewise, otters use rocks to crack open crab and, in a series of complex moves, chimpanzees have been known to use sticks to get at favorite snack-termites. Many animals have learned to communicate using human language. Some primates have learned hundreds of words in sign language. One chimp can recognize and correctly use more than 250 abstract symbols on a keyboard and one parrot can distinguish five objects of two different types and can understand the difference between numbers, colors, and kinds of object.
The research on animal intelligence raises important questions. If animals are smarter than once thought, would that change the way humans interact with them? Would humans stop hunting them for sport or survival? Would animals still be used for food or clothing or medical experimentation? Finding the answer to these tough questions makes a difficult puzzle even for a large-brained, problem-solving species like our own.