Is it true or false that goldfish have a memory of only 7 seconds?

Is it true that goldfish have a memory of only 7 seconds? In fact, if "fish have a memory of 7 seconds" is taken as a scientific conclusion, many questions arise. Can memory ability be measured precisely to the second? If fish have an average memory of 7 seconds, then wouldn't some of the dumber fish have a memory of only 2 or 3 seconds? When these "dumb" fish take a bite of food, would they instantly forget what they are holding in their mouths?

Is it true that goldfish have a memory of only 7 seconds?

Of course it is not true. Most people believe that goldfish have a memory of only 7 seconds, but in reality the goldfish memory span is not just a few seconds long.

Goldfish have a memory span of at least 3 months

In 2003, the School of Psychology at the University of Plymouth conducted an experiment on goldfish memory span, and the results proved that goldfish have a memory span of at least 3 months and are able to distinguish the shapes, colors and sounds of different objects. The experimental method was to fix a lever in the water; this lever was in the water for only 1 hour each day, and the goldfish were trained to push this lever during that specific time. If the goldfish could remember this time and push the lever, they would receive food as a reward.

The result was that the trained goldfish quickly learned to push this lever at the exact time in order to obtain food. A series of similar studies also proved that goldfish can easily be trained; they can eat food at specific times and develop a conditioned reflex to a sound signal.

Why don't goldfish swim to the edge of the fish tank?

Goldfish do not swim to the edge of the fish tank not because they can see the tank, but because they have a pressure-sensing system called the lateral line, which keeps them from bumping into the tank walls. Some blind cave fish use their unique lateral line system to swim freely in environments without light.

The origin of the claim that goldfish have a memory of only 7 seconds

In other countries around the world, the saying that fish have a memory of only 7 seconds (or 3 seconds) is also widely circulated. According to research by Ward of the University of Sydney, this saying comes from an advertisement, but perhaps because too much time has passed, the exact source is now difficult to find. Ward also believes that when early zoologists tested fish memory ability, they used methods that were too complex. These tasks, which are suitable for intelligence testing in humans, are obviously too difficult for fish, so the experimental fish left rather poor records, which may also be one of the reasons this rumor arose.

In short, all research on fish memory shows that fish memory lasts far longer than 7 seconds. The saying "fish have a memory of only 7 seconds and will never feel bored," though beautiful, is just a legend.