Katrina #16: Memory of a Goldfish
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| https://www.livescience.com/goldfish-memory.html |
There is a common saying: “Memory of a goldfish.” We often associate goldfish with poor memory; popular belief even claims that goldfish only have a 3-second memory.
However, goldfish actually have memories much longer than the 3-second memory we think they have. They are often used as the model for studying fish cognitive abilities like memory and learning and a wealth of studies indicate that goldfish have a good memory. One such study demonstrated this in which researchers fed the fish only on one side of the tank. The goldfish were able to quickly learn and adapt to this change, remembering to go to that side of the tank even if they were not fed at times.
Another study exhibited similar results where the goldfish were taught that pushing the red paddle would lead to getting food while pushing the blue paddle didn’t result in anything. In a short period of time, the goldfish again displayed their skill and good recall when they were able to learn from this change, pressing only the red paddle. In fact, even after the experiment, the goldfish still showed preference over the color red.
Evidence has also suggested that goldfish are able to recognize and remember how other goldfish look even after a long time of separation. Some findings even point to goldfish being able to recognize their owners apart from others.
Ultimately, goldfish are creatures with notable skill whether public perception agrees with it or not. Before we continue to belittle our pet goldfish, we should think twice about it because they might have already remembered our faces and are plotting something against us.
Hey Katrina! Personally, I don’t know too much about fish in general, let alone goldfish, but this is fascinating. I’ve never really perceived them to be that intelligent, but I’m glad to have learned otherwise. This characteristic does make sense because given that most fish, or animals in general, must develop some sort of survival instinct if they want any chance at thriving in the wild, or even in a controlled environment. If goldfish can recognize each other, it would be interesting to see if they could memorize our faces. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey Katrina! I feel like I’ve read about this before but ironically I have forgotten. The fact that goldfish are so intelligent is quite shocking though, especially considering how incredible that level of pattern recognition and association is in animals. I suppose this is just a further level of don’t judge a book by its cover.
ReplyDeleteHi Katrina! This is a really cool finding. I wonder how we began to perceive goldfish as animals that aren't that smart. I didn't even think that goldfish would be able to recognize each other, so I'm glad to learn that they are actually more capable than I thought! I've heard a conception somewhere that when goldfish swim a lap around their bowl, it is like they are seeing the world for the first time. Now that I know they actually have much better memories, this very likely isn't true.
ReplyDeleteKatrina, what a different yet interesting blog post. When given the topic of memory the last thing my mind would drift to is to discuss the memory and brain power of fish, so I really would like to know how to choose this topic. I think we all have this perspective that fish are, in not so formal way to put it, stupid. They are the easiest and first pet every kid has growing up. So, reading that they actually have a greater brain power than many of us, including me, thought so is very cool and intriguing to learn about.
ReplyDeleteHi Katrina, that's pretty interesting, I didn't know that goldfish actually had a good memory. Now I'm curious as to where this term was coined from. Did someone just assume that the memories of goldfish sucked? I also feed bad for goldfish now, since most people think they are utterly stupid and can't remember anything.
ReplyDeleteHi Katrina! I have actually never heard of the saying “memory of a goldfish” before or the conception that goldfishes have short memories. I found the studies on goldfish memory that you included in your blog to be very fascinating. I used to have a goldfish and I also realized that my goldfish would always swim over to a specific side of the fish tank where it is normally fed every time I feed it. I had no idea goldfishes had such great memories that they could recognize patterns and faces. I learned so much about the memory of a goldfish from your blog. From now on, I will definitely stop belittling goldfishes.
ReplyDeleteHi Katrina, this blog is so fantastic. It is so endearing to know that goldfish can recognize their friends and their owners. I myself own a goldfish named Jeon Jungjook because I listen to Blackpink, but I do agree that our goldish deserve much more than what we give them credit for. I wonder if my goldfish can recognize me whenever I pass by. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey Katrina, the memory of a goldfish really has been held to a public belittlement over the years. I have often witnessed the mention of a goldfish's memory being analogous to horrible memory, and I simply accepted the fact after hearing it so repetitively. I never really fact-checked the idea, and on the surface, it seemed believable as the goldfish honestly does not seem like the most intelligent creature in the world. However, after reading this article, I can see that I have been tricked into viewing the wonderful species of the goldfish as a species of little intellect, and I truly send my apologies to all the goldfish I had thought of as dumb in the past.
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