Children over the age of five can swift their attention better than chimps

  

Image courtesy of Stilfehler CC BY-SA 3.0

 

Joel Kontinen

What is the difference between children and chimpanzees? When it comes of heredity, people are much smarter than chimps, having genes that control the way they focus on a thing and take their focus off it.

A ¨test in which children were forced to choose rules or instructions for instance by choosing a different way when their route is blocked by roadworks. the test showed that children over the age of five could easily switch their focus from one task to another. 

Source:  

Taylor,  Luke. 2023. Children aged 5 are better at switching their attention than chimps.  New Scientist 18 January.