How do scientists know that a goldfish only has a 3 second memory?

Answer 1

Because they keep saying they'd vote for Bush again.

Answer 2

It used to be 'Common Knowledge' that fish did not feel pain, did not sustain familial relationships (other than just living in big schools to confuse predators) and had only a very short memory span.
We thought that 'cold-blooded' was so different to us that it equalled stupid and worthless.

All of these assumptions have now been shown to be false. Researchers have shown that fish feel pain as intensely as we do. They show a sense of curiousness about the world, even a sense of fun. After studying octopus communication, scientists have even seen them lie! And some species of fish have been shown to recall things over many years.

The main problem with goldfish is that they are kept in tiny bowls with little or no company and little or no stimulation.

Try an experiment.

Take an ordinary human. Put it in a cupboard. Allow it no other human contact. Keep the inside of the cupboard pretty blank. Allow no means of communication. Feed and water the human as necessary. The only air that can enter the cupboard is what leaks in around the door. Stick that cupboard in a big window so that it gets very warm. every 4-5 weeks or so (unless you go on your holidays) briefly stick the human into another, smaller, cupboard so that you can clean the faeces out of the first one, then return it.

Come back after 10 years and examine that human's state of mind and memory. You might learn something interesting.

So it is with goldfish.

Answer 3

ITS NOT TRUE ... they can have a bigger / longer memory than 3 seconds its pr oven with a test from myth busters they trained those goldfish by letting them swim trough an aquarium with different openings to get to their food , but there where also less intelligent goldfish they couldn't remember what they had done to get to their food a second ago, say its like with humans you got the clever clocks and the others that probably have some other skills so maybe those scientist you talking about did another test or they have had less intelligent goldfish

Answer 4

I think that statement was initially speculative, based upon the size of thier brains and the activity of the neurons firing off, or something like that.

But actually, someone has done some research quite recently to utterly refute the 'fact' that goldfish have non existant memories....casting an interesting opinion on whether it is fair to keep a goldfish in a tiny bowl...

Answer 5

What is a fish memory? Surely it cannot be comparable to a human memory in terms of thoughts and feelings. However, fish (and there is probably a wide variation between species) may only be able to remember things that were necessary for survival such as where food was located and the shape and size of predators.

Answer 6

They don't have only 3 second memories its a lie i own goldfish and the truth is obvious. They also say fish don't have feelings so that when you filet them alive they can't feel it, No they just don't have vocal cords so they can't scream out in pain and the monster doing it doesn't have to feel bad about what they have done.

Answer 7

I only feed my goldfish once a day but as soon as I open the top of the tank they come up to be fed.so they must have a 24 hour memory at least.

Answer 8

I have always disagreed with that finding because my goldfish always knew when i approached his/her tank that he/she was going to get fed - if he/she only had a 3 second memory how would he/she know he/she was going to get fed and get excited about it (i've put he/she cos i never got close enough to look at the bits to prove one way or another) and i believe that only a few months ago they dispelled this fact as being untrue anyway

Answer 9

this experiment took place in a remote aquarium in the middle of nowhere( top secret, place cannot be revealed) they let the fish read a book and then ask whats the story, the fish could only remember 3 sentences, which in fish memory is equivalent to 3 seconds!

Answer 10

I've always wondered that along with scientists saying dogs are color blind...How could they find something like that out, you know? What, did they do brain surgery on some poor fish and put his brain into a humans? :) lol Or did they do some kind of freak eye transplant? They probably have the longest memory ever to be recorded and they probably see colors we'll never know about! lol

Answer 11

Goldfish have much better memories than we credit them with. The 3 second (or 10 second memory) story is just a myth:-

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200605/s1645894.htm