Here’s an interesting article I read today about metacognition in rats.  I’m not completely convinced about the legitimacy of the test but the idea of it is quite fascinating.  It harkens back to my belief that one of the main reasons people believe in intelligent design is that they couldn’t possibly accept that they came from monkeys or from some other “lower” animal.  Basically it’s just a giant superiority complex, much like you can observere in caste societies.

Here’s the link to the full article and I’ve added a little taste below.

People experience metacognition, or gauging their own knowledge, on a daily basis; anyone who’s ever had a sinking feeling during an exam knows it well. But attempts to detect metacognition in animals have met with little success, in large part because animals can’t tell researchers what they’re thinking. Scientists must instead rely on behavioral clues: Monkeys place lower bets on their answers when given a difficult test, for example, and dolphins waver when asked to distinguish between two similar sounds. Thus far, however, smaller-brained animals, such as pigeons, have shown no signs of metacognition in the lab.

Would rats be any different?

Source: The Rodent Who Knew Too Much — Telis 2007 (308): 1 — ScienceNOW