[MrPoe]

I started rewatching S1 again, and noticed small things. The first walker we see - the little girl - stops and picks up a teddy bear. Walkers in the city use rocks and bricks to bash windows in. Have the show runners addressed this at any time? Maybe "fresher" walkers have a bit more "mind" in them?

 

[Ansceniiiic]

I'm not sure if it was addressed officially, but Frank Darabont had his own vision for the behaviour of walkers..i.e having past memories and being smarter, similar to the zombies in Land of the Dead. After he was fired and Glenn Mazzara took over, he reverted them back to being stupid and how they act in the comics. It was just a case of different showrunners with different ideas/directions, so I wouldn't read into a lot of things that happened in season one. 

[Serenity@sea]

Yes, Darabont used the prototype of a Romero zombie. I also think he gave them more humanity for dramatic effect, like Jenny (Morgan's wife) going to their home and turning the doorknob.

 

We have a few threads on this subject, if you'd like to do some reading, Mr. Poe.

[Vrill]

I think "Fresh" Walkers have a tiny inkling of intelligence left. But as they rot over the weeks/months etc, they become more and more mindless. 

 

At least that is how I take it.

 

Notice how when someone initially turns, they seem to have a bit of power and overall "burst" to them? But the Walkers you see out in the wild that have been roaming for months are weak, fragile and die easily.