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What Do Jays Know About Other Minds and Other Times?

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Neurobiology of “Umwelt”

Part of the book series: Research and Perspectives in Neurosciences ((NEUROSCIENCE))

As humans, our thoughts are not “stuck in time.” Indeed, it is our ability to mentally dissociate ourselves from the present that allows us to recall the past and plan for our future (mental time travel). We can also reason about what others might be thinking (mental attribution) and thus dissociate ourselves from other selves. Many psychologists have argued that these two forms of mental projection into other times and other minds are unique to humans and that the six-layered prefrontal cortex is the necessary platform for such intelligence. Recent studies challenge these assumptions, however, and some of the most convincing evidence comes not from our closest relatives, the great apes, but from a surprisingly smart, large-brained bird, the western scrub-jay.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, High Street, Cambridge CB3 8AA UK, Cambridge, UK

    Nicola S. Clayton

  2. School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, London, 3NS, UK

    Nathan J. Emery

Authors
  1. Nicola S. Clayton
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  2. Nathan J. Emery
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Correspondence to Nicola S. Clayton .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. CNRS UMR 9950 Collège de France, 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, Paris Cedex 05, 75231, France

    A. Berthoz

  2. Fondation IPSEN, Pour la Recherche Thérapeutique, 65, quai georges Gorse, Boulogme Billancourt, 92650, Cedex-France

    Yves Christen  & Yves Christen  & 

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Clayton, N.S., Emery, N.J. (2009). What Do Jays Know About Other Minds and Other Times?. In: Berthoz, A., Christen, Y. (eds) Neurobiology of “Umwelt”. Research and Perspectives in Neurosciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85897-3_10

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