Questioning robustness of a human proto-symbolic capacity: associative symmetry.

The article discusses a study that investigates the cognitive capacity known as associative symmetry, which is typically associated with human symbolic cognition and thought to distinguish humans from non-human animals. The research involved 165 human adults and aimed to replicate previous findings while assessing the robustness of associative symmetry through new testing methods. The results indicated that minor changes in testing protocols significantly affected the evidence supporting associative symmetry, suggesting that task-related biases and minimal verbal instructions play a crucial role in outcomes. The findings challenge the notion of associative symmetry as a unique feature of human cognition and question the existence of a cognitive gap between humans and other species. [Extracted from the article]