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Big Social Group Makes Lemurs Cannier
大的社群讓狐猴更狡猾。
Good news for big-time networking primates: other primates that live in large social groups have more street smarts than their comrades with smaller social circles. So finds a study in the journal PLoS ONE.
對社交型靈長類來說，有好消息了。對那些生活在大社群里的靈長類來說，他們比小社交群里的動物更具智慧。公共科學圖書館期刊上一篇研究顯示。
Researchers tested the circumstances under which lemurs would pilfer food from people. The study included ring-tailed lemurs, which come from large social groups, as well as lemurs from small-groups, like the mongoose lemur. The lemurs all had the same brain size, so would be presumed to have similar raw intelligence.
研究人員測試了狐猴偷竊人類食物的情景。研究包括節尾狐猴，來自大社群，還有從小社群來的狐猴，比如獴狐猴。狐猴的大腦一般大，假定它們的先天智力一樣。
Humans sat in a room with either a plate of food on the table in front of them or behind them. A third group of people was blindfolded, with the plate in front of them.
人們坐在一間屋子里，前面的桌子上有一盤食物，一組是正對著桌子，一組背對著桌子。還有第三組是蒙著眼坐在桌前。
Lemurs from large social groups tended to steal the food if the person's back was to it. Lemurs from smaller social groups went for the food as frequently regardless of its position. And no lemurs appeared to understand the purpose of a blindfold.
來自大社群的狐猴會選擇偷背對桌子的那一組的食物。而來自小社群的狐猴則不考慮人做的方式。兩組均不明白蒙眼的目的。
The researchers interpret the results as showing that social factors can influence a species' smarts. So you could be outwitted by a birdbrain, if he has a lot of friends.
研究人員解釋，結果顯示社交因素能影響一個種群的智慧。所以如果有個笨蛋有很多朋友，那么你很可能被他蒙騙了。
—Amy Kraft
