Comment by MoonGhost

> An animal can 100% recall and associate memories, such as mentioning the name of a playmate to a dog (=tail wagging). However, it seems like they can neither remember nor project ”what happens next” and continue to build on it.

There are videos of dogs stopping kids from falling in the water. They definitely can project 'what happens next'. I.e. what kid is doing, why, and what's going to happen. More over dog brings the toy kid wanted from the water. In other words animals are not as primitive and stupid as some want them to be to fit in their theories. BTW, parrots often are really talking, not just reproducing random words.