Rats Know More Than We Give Them Credit For
Imagine being presented with a difficult question and having the chance to say, “I’m not sure.” Research suggests rats may recognize that feeling, too.
In a study published in Current Biology, rats were trained to distinguish between short and long sounds. They could take the test for the possibility of receiving a larger food reward or decline it and receive a smaller, guaranteed reward.
When the sounds were especially difficult to tell apart, the rats were more likely to decline. They also performed better on difficult tests they chose to take than on those they were required to complete.
The findings provide evidence of metacognition, sometimes described as “thinking about thinking.” In other words, the rats appeared able to recognize their own uncertainty and make decisions based on how confident they were.
But the importance of this study extends beyond what it may tell us about animal cognition.
Rats are intelligent, social, curious individuals. They form relationships, communicate with one another, solve problems, play, and make choices about the world around them. Yet in laboratories, they are frequently reduced to data points and research tools. They are also excluded from many of the basic protections provided to other animals used in federally regulated research.
It is important to acknowledge that these findings came from an experiment in which rats themselves were used as research subjects. That creates an ethical tension we should not overlook. Research may reveal more about the complexity of animals, but those discoveries should also prompt us to question the systems that confine and use them.
At NAVS, we believe animals should not have to demonstrate human-like intelligence to deserve compassion. Their ability to experience the world, pursue their own interests, and make meaningful choices is reason enough to protect them.
Still, findings like these challenge the assumptions that make it easier to dismiss rats as unthinking or disposable. The more closely we look, the clearer it becomes that rats have rich inner lives of their own.
Perhaps the question is no longer whether rats know more than we once believed. It is what we will do with that knowledge.
Read the study and learn more about other animals in science here.
