Many hypotheses and theories have been put forward about the development of human intelligence. Many things that, as many believe, can only be done by humans, are actually available to some other animals. However, this did not help them to get on the same level of development with us. The ability of a person to constantly improve his skills and abilities, taking into account the experience of his predecessors, allowed him to stand out from the natural world.
Where did intelligence come from? Does anyone other than a person possess it? And what is it anyway? They have been trying to answer these questions for more than a century. And, probably, they will argue for a very long time.
Intelligence is a complex form of behavior. The factors that influenced its formation can be thought of endlessly. “Labor made a man out of a monkey” - this is a phrase learned by heart in childhood. Of course, the structure of the human hand is unusual for the animal world. Thanks to the opposed finger, many manipulations became possible. But it is not only a person who can work, make tools of labor. So, it is known that chimpanzees are able to make structures from stones. Many monkeys can crack a nut with stones. This became known back in the 1840s. thanks to American missionaries who saw this in West Africa. They tried to teach the monkeys and speech. Primates have no sound activity. The structure of their larynx and mouth prevents them from speaking. However, the experiments carried out have borne some fruit. The fact,that gestures are of great importance to monkeys. They actively use them in communication. And when scientists tried to teach monkeys to pronounce words, they, trying to do it, depicted something with their hands. They decided to use it, because there is a special language for the deaf and dumb. So, in the 1960s. In the United States, psychologists Alain and Beatrice Gardner took up the education of the female chimpanzee Washoe. She was shown many objects and at the same time folded her arms in different positions. The monkey liked this, and she happily began to use this language to communicate with people. She turned out to be a capable student. After 5 years, she managed to master 160 words.there is a special language for the deaf and dumb. So, in the 1960s. In the United States, psychologists Alain and Beatrice Gardner took up the education of the female chimpanzee Washoe. She was shown many objects and at the same time folded her arms in different positions. The monkey liked this, and she happily began to use this language to communicate with people. She turned out to be a capable student. After 5 years, she managed to master 160 words.there is a special language for the deaf and dumb. So, in the 1960s. In the United States, psychologists Alain and Beatrice Gardner took up the education of the female chimpanzee Washoe. She was shown many objects and at the same time folded her arms in different positions. The monkey liked this, and she happily began to use this language to communicate with people. She turned out to be a capable student. After 5 years, she managed to master 160 words.
Such experiments soon became popular. One of the most striking examples is the training of the female gorilla Coco, conducted by Francine Patterson at Stanford. She managed to learn to express her emotions. One day she decided to joke, not without coquetry calling herself a “good bird” who can fly. But then she admitted that this was not true. In total, she knew over 1,000 words. In addition, about 2,000 could be perceived by ear. After this, you will still think how far the monkeys are from us. Maybe they can still catch up with us in development?
But still it is impossible to speak about speech here. After all, speech is an abstraction. A word is a symbol of an object or action. Something with which you can transfer the accumulated experience. The signs existing in animals for communicating with each other have a finite number. And the human language is able to form new structures, since it consists of phonemes from which syllables are formed, then words and phrases. This hierarchical structure of speech is revolutionary in nature and is inextricably linked to intelligence.
True, the direct connection between speech and thinking was questioned. In particular, in pedagogical science there is a statement, the supporter of which was the famous scientist L. S. Vygotsky that there is a pre-verbal stage in the development of thinking. Along with this, the first words that a child utters are only a repetition of what adults say. That is, they are not yet meaningful. Therefore, the question of the effect of speech on intelligence is very difficult. In addition, it must be remembered that a person perceives a significant part of information through non-verbal methods: gestures, etc.
An important point affecting the development of intelligence is the complex social organization within the group. A well-established social system allows you to better organize the search for food, protect your home, etc. And in primates, it is developed at an extremely high level. We can talk about the pre-cultural stage of their development. After all, they are able to convey the accumulated individual experience!
Chimpanzees form true "families". In total, they raise 7 - 8 children during their lives. Agree that this figure is comparable to that of a person. At the same time, they bring up both very young and teenagers. Moreover, the male and female live together, and do not interact only during the mating season, as many animals do. The main word is for the female. She can choose one of two strategies: either a cute or a caring father.
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Of course, the availability of leisure also played a role. After all, when there is free time, you can do something that is not immediately necessary, but which is just interesting, to reflect …
However, in addition to speech, all other abilities are presented, albeit in the most rudimentary form, not only in humans. Although other animals are not devoid of the ability to communicate with each other using various symbols, only humans are able to develop their speech. The ability to constantly improve, to train your brain at will, and not at the urgent requests of experimenters - this is our difference from the rest of the animal world. Man, in his physical characteristics, was very little suited to life in nature. He had no choice but to fight for survival with the help of his intellect.