[Campbell Biology P.1195] Based on the honeybee maze experiments described in the text, which... | Practice Question

Based on the honeybee maze experiments described in the text, which conclusion can be drawn regarding honeybee cognition?

  • A: Honeybees can only distinguish colors, not patterns.
  • B: Honeybees demonstrated an ability for abstract thinking by distinguishing 'same' and 'different'.
  • C: Honeybees are incapable of learning complex visual information like human faces.
  • D: Honeybees require a food reward for all types of learning.

Explanation

The honeybee maze experiments, particularly how bees transferred their 'same' or 'different' learning from the color maze to the bar maze where there was no food reward , provided 'strong experimental support for the hypothesis that honeybees can distinguish on the basis of “same” and “different.”' This ability to generalize an abstract concept sameness/difference across different stimuli types is a hallmark of abstract thinking.