A Group Of Monkeys Has Beaten A Group Of Humans At PC Game

A group of monkeys have outsmarted a group of humans to beat a video game in the name of science.

Julia Watzek, a graduate psychology student at Georgia State University, set up capuchin and rhesus macaque monkeys against undergraduate students at a computer game to see who performed the better. Surprisingly, the monkeys won.

Credit: Pixabay

The game, which involved clicking the correct shape in a myriad of other shapes, saw the participants rewarded when selecting the right answer. Monkeys got banana pellets whereas humans were given an audible cheer.

“We are a unique species and have various ways in which we are exceptionally different from every other creature on the planet. But we’re also sometimes really dumb,” said one of the co-authors of the study, Watzek, in a statement [via LiveScience].

Credit: Pixabay

When a “cheat” was introduced into the game, the monkeys were quick to understand and take full advantage to make sure they scored their banana pellets. The study found that the cheat was used by about 70% of the monkeys the first time it was available, and over 20% of them continued to use the “cheat” where possible.

In contrast, just one of 56 humans used the “cheat” when it first appeared, and none continued to use the strategy after that, instead favouring to stick to the “correct” method of scoring.

Credit: Pixabay

“I am really surprised that the humans, a sizable portion … just keep using the same strategy,” Watzek told Live Science.

The authors of the research paper suggest this proves that humans are inherently likely to lean towards following given instructions, rather than using the more creative side of the brain.

Check out some of the images from the experiment in the tweet below.

My only question is: when is Ninja going to go head-to-head against a group of monkeys in a Fortnite match?

Featured Image Credit: Pixabay