Posted on 06/14/2016 2:05:53 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Previous work conducted by the Japanese team established that cats predict the presence of invisible objects based on what they hear. In the present study, the researchers wanted to find out if cats use a causal rule to infer if a container holds an object, based on whether it is shaken along with a sound or not. The team also wanted to establish if cats expect an object to fall out or not, once the container is turned over.
Thirty domestic cats were videotaped while an experimenter shook a container. In some cases this action went along with a rattling sound. In others it did not, to simulate that the vessel was empty. After the shaking phase, the container was turned over, either with an object dropping down or not.
Two experimental conditions were congruent with physical laws, where shaking was accompanied by a (no) sound and an (no) object to fall out of the container. The other two conditions were incongruent to the laws of physics. Either a rattling sound was followed by no object dropping out of the container or no sound while shaking led to a falling object.
The cats looked longer at the containers which were shaken together with a noise. This suggests that cats used a physical law to infer the existence (or absence) of objects based on whether they heard a rattle (or not). This helped them predict whether an object would appear (or not) once the container was overturned.
The animals also stared longer at containers in incongruent conditions, meaning an object dropped despite its having been shaken noiselessly or the other way around. It is as if the cats realized that such conditions did not fit into their grasp of causal logic.
(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...
I blame Schrödinger.
Yeah sure. Just an excuse to video cats
OK, we have three cats in the commentary photographs exactly like three of ours. Live long, and pawspurr is “Boots”, “Coots”, and “Scoots” mom. Dipping in the water glass is “Buddy”, and eating the cucumber slices from the facial is “Niver” (short for “conniver”.)
We have seven other cats as well.
Garlic is poisonous to cats and dogs.
Thanks buddy!
Best gif evah!
Huntress kitty provides for her family.
No, they don’t.
All of those videos were of people sneaking up behind the cats and planting a cucumber (it could have been any object) that the cat *knew* was not there before (cats are very observant of their surroundings).
I tried showing my cats cucumbers. The cats sniffed it, batted it, and walked away.
On another topic: one of my cats has become obsessed with the laser-pointer. I wish we’d never brought that thing into the house, because now he is climbing on every piece of furniture, trying to find it in drawers and on shelves - I’m convinced he has seen or heard every possible place we hide it, and keeps looking for it. He is driving us crazy!
We’ve ordered one of those track systems with balls that roll around, and hope that it will distract; but does anyone know of any other good cat toy that might make this crazy kitty forget about the laser-thingie?
With our previous cats, we had a little stuffed thing that made noise whenever it was even slightly touched, and that kept the cats very occupied; but I can’t find anything like that now.
-JT
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