The Van Buren press., 1901-08-03
INTELLIGENCE OF MONKEYS
In Many Respects the Animal. Ra.
strong Resemblance to
Mankind,

A series OF careful experiments
with monkeys has recently been CON
Quoted by Prof. Edward l.. ThorpdiL.
to ascertain the power and process
by which these animals acouirs
knowledge. He has reached the CON.
clusion, says a scientific paper, tina,
there is no warrant for the popula,
idea that monkeys and other animal,
learn from human example and Nv
the processes followed by man. But
the experimenter says, the fact that
monkeys do not possess the human
types of ideas must not be taken q,
evidence that they are no nearer rela.
tives to us mentally than are the
other lower animals. On the con.
trary, they occupy an intermediate
position in every main psychological
feature between mammals in general
and the human species.
The essentials in an inventory NJ
an animals mental capacities are ia
sense powers, the kinds of move.
ments it can make and their delicacy
complexity and number, its instincts
or the sum of those tendencies to feel
and act which it has apart from ex.
perience or learning and its method
of learning or of modifying its be.
havior to suit the multitudinous cir.
cumstances of life. In each OF these
respects the monkeys show kinship
with man.
In their motor equipment monkeys
possess first of all the muscular co.
ordinations necessary to sustain an
upright position and consequently
the use of the forelimbs. The move.
ments of these forelimbs are more in
number and suited to more complex
and varied tasks than are those Of
lower animals. The attractiveness Of
the monkey cage in geological gar.
den is largely due to the similarity
of the monkeys movements and our
own. The monkey not only has q
body like mans, but he also uses
Il like a man.
Our native tendencies are so meta.
morphosed by the education of civ.
ilized environment that in adult age
they seldom appear in recognizable
form. But il we take human beings
at from six months to three years OF
age or later we find plenty of traits
that appear in the monkeys. In fact
the human instinct which is perhaps
of prime importance in human men.
tality, the instinct, which perhaps 10
the real cause Of many of our most
boosted powers, has its clear proto.
type and homologue in the monkey.
] refer to the instructive enjoyment
of physical and mental activity in
general, to the tendencies to act and
feel as much as possible, regardless
OF any Interior practical consdera.
tions, which we sometimes call de.
structveness or constructiveness and
curiosity.
Even the casual observer, II he has
any psychological insight, will be
struck by the general, aimless, in.
trinsically valuable Ito the animals
feelings physical activities OF a
monkey compared with the special.
lied. definitely aroused, utilitarian
activities OF n dog or cat, Watch the
latter and he does but few things,
does them in response to obvious
sense presentations, does them with
practical consequences OF food, sex
Indulgence, preparation for adult
battles, etc. II nothing that appeals
TO his special organization comes up
he does nothing. Watch a monkey
and you cannot enumerate the things
he does, cannot discover the stimuli
TO which he reacts, cannot conceive
the raison d'etre OF his pursuits.
Everything appeals TO him. He likes
20 be active for the sake OF activity,
The observer who has proper oppor.
tunites and takes proper pains viii
fnd this intrinsic interest to hold
true OF mental activity as well.
Finally, in their method OF learn
ing, although monkeys do not reach
the human stage OF rich life OF
ideas, yet they carry the animal
method Of learning, by the selection
OF impulses and associations OF them
with the different sense Impressions
20 n point beyond that reached BY
any other Of the lower animals In
this, too, they resemble man, for ne
differs from the lower animals NOT
only in the possession OF n new sort
OF intelligence, but also In the tre'
mendous extensions OF that sort
which he has in common with them
A fish learns slowly few simple hap
its. Man learns quickly IN inhnitude
OF habits that may be highly com
pick. Dogs and cats learn more 'han
the Ash, while monkeys learn more
than they, In the number OF things
he learns, the complex habits he can
form, the variety OF lines along
which he can learn them and In ther
pcrmnncnce when once formed INC
monkey iustilcs his inclusion WIN
man in n separate mental genus
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