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Related Concept Videos

Cognitive Learning01:21

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
Problem-Solving01:29

Problem-Solving

Effective problem-solving consists of two steps: 1. identifying the problem and 2. selecting the appropriate problem-solving strategy (i.e., a plan of action used to find a solution). Humans use four problem-solving strategies:
Impact: Problem Solving01:26

Impact: Problem Solving

In an experiment conducted during a Mars mission, a rover propels a projectile with an initial velocity, and the projectile rebounds after colliding with the Martian surface. To ascertain the maximum height attained by the projectile after this collision, the known restitution coefficient and acceleration due to gravity are employed.
By designating the launch point as the origin and utilizing kinematic equations, the vertical component of the projectile's velocity at the point of impact is...
Ampere-Maxwell's Law: Problem-Solving01:17

Ampere-Maxwell's Law: Problem-Solving

A parallel-plate capacitor with capacitance C, whose plates have area A and separation distance d, is connected to a resistor R and a battery of voltage V. The current starts to flow at t = 0. What is the displacement current between the capacitor plates at time t? From the properties of the capacitor, what is the corresponding real current?
To solve the problem, we can use the equations from the analysis of an RC circuit and Maxwell's version of Ampère's law.
For the first part of the problem,...
Normal and Tangetial Components: Problem Solving01:24

Normal and Tangetial Components: Problem Solving

Consider a man with a mass of 70 kg seated in a chair connected to a pin support through a member BC. If the man maintains an upright position, the task is to determine the horizontal and vertical reactions of the chair on the man when the member makes a 45° angle with the horizontal. At this moment, the man has a speed of 5 m/s, increasing at a rate of 1 m/s².
Decision Making: Traditional Method01:14

Decision Making: Traditional Method

The process of hypothesis testing based on the traditional method includes calculating the critical value, testing the value of the test statistic using the sample data, and interpreting these values.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is decided based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to this claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses, out of which a null hypothesis would be a...

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Related Experiment Video

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The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups
14:14

The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups

Published on: May 13, 2022

Insightful problem solving in an Asian elephant.

Preston Foerder1, Marie Galloway, Tony Barthel

  • 1Biopsychology and Behavioral Neuroscience Program, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, New York, United States of America.

Plos One
|August 31, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Elephants demonstrate insightful problem solving, using tools like cubes to reach food. This challenges previous findings, suggesting task design may have hindered earlier studies on elephant cognition.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Ethology
  • Animal Behavior
  • Comparative Psychology

Background:

  • Insightful problem solving, or spontaneous solutions, is common in humans and some animals.
  • Elephants, despite their intelligence, have not previously demonstrated insight in cognitive studies.
  • Previous studies may have used task designs that interfered with elephants' natural abilities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate insightful problem solving in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).
  • To determine if elephants can use tools to solve problems without trial and error.
  • To re-evaluate previous findings on elephant cognition and problem-solving limitations.

Main Methods:

  • Presented three Asian elephants with out-of-reach food requiring tool use.
  • Observed spontaneous problem-solving behaviors without explicit trial and error.
  • Tested behavioral flexibility and generalization of tool use techniques.

Main Results:

  • A 7-year-old male elephant spontaneously used a cube to reach overhead food.
  • The elephant demonstrated behavioral flexibility, using the cube and other objects as tools.
  • The elephant generalized tool use and even stacked objects, indicating insightful problem solving.

Conclusions:

  • Asian elephants exhibit insightful problem-solving abilities.
  • Previous failures to observe insight may be due to task design, not cognitive limitations.
  • Tool use studies in elephants should consider the role of the trunk in sensory perception and manipulation.