... Thousands of definitions exist, but most share common features of the ability to adapt, learn, process information and communicate effectively. Pearce (2000) makes the assumption that animals share certain cognitive processes with humans that contribute to 'general intelligence'. Animals differ in which intelligence they are most advanced in; some may be more emotionally intelligence, some more socially intelligent, and some more spatially intelligent. Therefore, an overall score of intelligence may not truly account for the sophistication of many animals; 'general intelligence' must measure something specific. A general assumption exists that intelligence increases with phylogenetic status; adapting through evolution not only requires physical changes, but inevitably intellectual ones. An animal that is fast enough to escape a predator is unlikely to survive if it cannot identify potential threats and decide the appropriate response. This essay will consider to what extent this assumption is valid, examining the aspects that constitute 'general intelligence' ...

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