Also sometimes really dumb
“We are a unique species and have various ways in which we are exceptionally different from every other creature on the planet, but we're also sometimes really dumb.”
Julia Watzek
Watzek was the lead author of a paper published in Scientific Reports illustrating how capuchin and rhesus macaque monkeys were significantly less susceptible than humans to "cognitive set" bias when presented a chance to switch to a more efficient option. The research results supported earlier studies with fellow primates, baboons and chimpanzees, who also showed a greater willingness to use optional shortcuts to earn a treat compared to humans who persisted in using a familiar learned strategy despite its relative inefficiency.
“I think we're less and less surprised when primates outsmart humans sometimes,” Watzek said.
Monkeys outperform humans when it comes to cognitive flexibility, Science Daily, 15 October 2019