Great apes and ravens DON'T plan like humans: Researchers claim they make plans 'without thinking'

Ravens and great apes may not be quite as smart as we think. Researchers have found that while they are able to plan ahead, it does not require thinking. Instead, they can make plans instinctively through prior experiences. 'Some researchers have suggested that planning in great apes and ravens develops through thinking, that they simulate future scenarios and make decisions based on such mental simulations,' said Johan Lind, associate professor in Ethology, at Centre for Cultural Evolution, Stockholm University, author of the study. 'My study shows that planning behaviours and self-control in non-human animals instead can emerge through associative learning.'