A small cerebral cortex does not indicate an inability to process information. The structure of the brain and relationship of brain size to the overall size of the animal are also significant.
Crows have a significantly smaller cerebral cortex than humans, but have elaborate behaviors. For example, populations of American Crows drop large nuts on roads so cars will run over the nuts, breaking them open. Some crows also walk in crosswalks with pedestrians to retrieve the open pieces. Crow behaviors indicate a high level of cognition, an awareness of their environment.
