The Open Biology Journal

2008, 1 : 6-8
Published online 2008 February 27. DOI: 10.2174/1874196700801010006
Publisher ID: TOBIOJ-1-6

RESEARCH ARTICLE
 Does 'Relationship Intelligence' Make Big Brains in Birds?

Isabella B.R. Scheiber, * , Brigitte M. Weiβ , Katharina Hirschenhauser , Claudia A.F. Wascher , Iulia T. Nedelcu and Kurt Kotrschal

* Address correspondence to this author at the Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle für Ethologie, Fischerau 11, 4645 Gruenau im Almtal, Austria; E-mail: klf.gruenau@telecom.at

ABSTRACT

Lately, Emery et al. developed a bird-specific modification of the “social brain hypothesis”, termed “relationship intelligence hypothesis”. Although the idea may be valuable, we doubt that it is supported by sufficient evidence and critically discuss some of the arguments raised by the authors in favour of their new idea.