Can Cats Play Three Card Monte?

What may seem as a testament to animal cognition, this video boils down to a simple three-card monte game; as such it is an employer of misdirection and slight of hand. The commentors to the video state that the cat "understands what is happening and can play the game", or "he is finding the ball" both are false. Let us take into consideration the following:

1. There is a bell inside the cups, the cat never even needs to see what's inside. A misdirection in a sense that you think the cat is playing three card monte, when all it is doing is listening for a sound that can be heard anytime the cup is touched.

2. You never see the inside of the cups. There could simply be cat-nip or food taped on the inside. A form of slight of hand could be taking place.

3. Multiple takes were probably done until the desired results occurred.

4. The cat could have simply been conditioned to tap the "correct" shell.

5. Domesticated animals take cues from their owners and humans in general. For all the viewer knows, the owner is looking right at the correct cup, or giving off another subtle cue without even realizing she is doing it!

This video is a little more impressive as it challenges the previous criteria a little more, however the cat completes the task two out of three times. Also, the skeptic in me wants to know once again what is in that paper ball, as at the end of the video the cat knocks it down and goes for it. It all seems reminiscent of the tic-tac-toe chicken.

People tend to stare longer at things they find interesting. For example, a child without established object permanence will stare longer when an object "appears" (peek-a-boo). It would be interesting to see if when slight of hand is applied against a cat, whether or not the cat would stare longer (or at all for that matter). I just wonder which shelter would let me play three card monte with their cats for hours on end, never mind which shelters have cats well trained enough to watch. So, can cats play three card monte? I am skeptical of it, but not dismissive. A study in a controlled environment with many cats would yield an answer. If anyone  knows of studies that tested similar criteria, don't hesitate to drop a line.

More on The Eyes: Pupillometrics

I wrote an article on NLP and visual accessing cues that got a lot of positive feedback from readers. I thought I would write another quick article on the eyes. This is about a cool little thing you can try out with anyone.

Simply put; when we see things we like, our pupils dilate in order to take in more light, and so that we can also better see what we are looking at. When our pupils dilate, we are also looking at a person, picture, or object more closely; which causes the pupil-dilation (exactly like a camera lens). A book on dating or attraction my tell you that pupil dilation is a sign of attraction, and it is, but this is not always the case.

The study of pupil size is called pupillometrics. And there have been all sorts of studies done on the subject, you can probably try out a few with your friends! A hungry person's pupils will dilate when they are shown food. A woman's pupils will dilate when shown pictures of a child. A ornithologist's eyes will probably dilate if you show them a picture of a bird.

This is one of the reasons poker players wear sunglasses. See a hand you like, and your eyes are going to give you away without you even knowing what's happening. There are of course false tells. Many types of mushrooms will cause your pupils to dilate, and in the past people would eat certain strains to appear more attractive; as big pupils do not only mean attraction, but also may case somebody to reciprocally feel attracted to somebody whose looking at them with dialed eyes. Whoa, talk about behavior that is hardwired into our brains. Although I wouldn't say that this is an effective strategy for card playing...

Visual Accessing Cues

One of the most fascinating things I have learned through NLP is that eye movement is a window into our mind. I once read up on the following technique in a PDF file about body language. I did not take the chapter with too much weight because the idea of being able to have an idea of what people are thinking seemed ridiculous to me.

Basically you can tell whether or not someone is lying to you based off of where they look when they are telling you something. These are called "Visual Accessing Cues". I'll let Samuel L. Jackson briefly explain:

Well... he is kind of right. Here is a more detailed chart:

Click for the full, legible image

People look to the right and left when remembering auditory information, and look down when they are reflecting. Pay attention to this the next time you are having a conversation with someone.

Now this is only useful if you are able to remember that chart up there. Things may get confusing considering the eye position changes if someone is standing next to you as opposed to opposite you. On top of that if they are left handed then everything is switched! Ahhhhh!!!!

Fortunately someone actually made an IPhone app where you can practice this. I actually tried it out and the next time someone I was talking to said "My friend once told me that..." I was keen on the fact that she glanced to my left and wrote with her right hand. Try the program out, it is free for the time being and this is a skill that is bound to help you every time you interact with someone.


If you like this article, you might also be interested in Using Visual Accessing Cues for Better Memorization.