THE ALEX STUDIES: COGNITIVE AND COMMUNICATIVE ABILITIES OF GREY PARROTS PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Irene Maxine Pepperberg | 448 pages | 07 May 2002 | HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS | 9780674008069 | English | Cambridge, Mass, United States The Alex Studies: Cognitive and Communicative Abilities of Grey Parrots PDF Book Since this is one parrot there is only so much that can be said about grey parrots or birds in general, but the approach given by the scientists in this study offer a different sense of what language is -- especially in how they teach Alex by modeling the language for him and then inviting him to participate. The fall season shepherds in the beginning of a new school season, a time to begin or resume routines and learn new things. Quotes from The Alex Studies Of course, increasing the intensity of the interaction may not always increase learning: overly nurturant models may inhibit learning by preventing a student from experimenting on his or her own and overly aggressive models may arouse fear or counter-aggression strong enough to block processing of any input. Feb 21, Morgan rated it liked it. Didn't finish it. Intensity - the extent to which tutors arouse a response in a student - is determined from direct observations of interactants e. Aug 16, Jacob rated it it was amazing. This is an extremely academic book, deep, readable but not really entertaining. But he also does some surprising things with words. She saved all of that for Alex and Me, which is where such things belong. That being said, the author's apparent and completely understandable concern for academic acceptance also meant that apart from all the details of the actual research, we're also given some information about the scientific frameworks that the research is supposed to fit into and this is where it became a little bit too much for me. The information about Alex remains fascinating, but this time I was somewhat put off by the use of jargon. And that's sort of what happened. I might have preferred a more anecdotal book, but I loved how authoritative the book could be. Since the early s, most studies on animal—human communication have focused on great apes and a few cetacean species. This deliberate action addresses much of the questions that arise when animals are taught language, even sign language, as it is is not completely clear that the animals are aware of the meaning making aspect of language when they are trained to behave on cue to certain actions and situations by their trainers. Can a Parrot Understand Relative Concepts? He even knew which qualities were colours and which were matters, e. Here in this book, Pepperberg makes the very compelling argument that language is participation first -- and that animals are capable of limited participation in language if they are given the right presentation to enter it. Feb 21, Maureen rated it liked it. And it was interesting also, to follow her analysis of why the methods used for training Alex were so successful, when other experimenters failed to get birds to communicate with people the way Alex could. I definitely appreciated that the vaguest, perhaps least interesting studies were at the back of the book, and that the author was always clear about things which were theorized but not known, and was very careful in exactly what conclusions she drew from each study. Snowdon Pepperberg has elegantly summarized her 20 years of success showing that an African Grey Parrot can match the cognitive and communicative competence of great apes. But a very tedious read Does a Parrot Have Categorical Concepts? We were examining the effect of another parrot's presence during training and were limited to using a colleague's pet-one that did not talk and would attend only if we used her favorite food, apples. Since the early s, most studies on animal-human communication have focused on great apes and a few cetacean species. Alicia rated it liked it May 16, African Greys are excellent mimics, and many of the videos on you-tube show mostly rote memorization. That said, I found The Alex Studies an absorbing and thought-provoking read. I am interested in such topics, and yet I will restate the fact that I am glad I read Alex and Me first, as I think that makes The Alex Studies much more interesting and comprehensible. Language is the subject of most of the book. First: The Alex Studies. Alex not only learned a human based communication code but could use it functionally and referentially, form class categorizations, understand absence of information, and count, among many other remarkable achievements. During the second week of training, however, Alex looked at the fruit, said, "Banerry Before testing Alex, we reacquainted him with the procedures because he had not had such tasks in several years. As a reseacher interested in the topc or replicating her studies, it's a must see; I gained a lot out of it in this sense. More Details The above 2 quotes from the 2 books, when taken together, reflect a certain condescending arrogance that I think is not only incredibly jejune but also extremely harmful. I want banerry," and snatched a bite. We answered his query "What's that? Jul 28, dragonhelmuk rated it liked it. Temporarily Out of Stock Online Please check back later for updated availability. Fall Reading List. Without further information about how such a term is used, however, we cannot designate it as referential. This book represents the long-awaited synthesis of the studies constituting one of the landmark experiments in modern comparative psychology. Instead, particularly towards the end of this book I noticed some disappointing consistent underlying attitudes that managed to find a way to covertly seep into each book which ultimately unified the emotive and scientific sides that the author tried to separate, and lowered my initial rating of this book from a 4 to a 3 — but I'll get to those at the end of this review. She is an adjunct professor of psychology at Brandeis University and a lecturer at Harvard University. The Alex Studies: Cognitive and Communicative Abilities of Grey Parrots Writer The only trouble with the book is it was a bit dense. Aug 10, Alex Lee rated it it was amazing Shelves: , psyche , science , favorites. She is well known for her comparative studies into the cognitive fundamentals of language and communication, and was one of the first to try to extend work on language learning in animals other than humans exemplified by the Washoe project to a bird species. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Sonja Yoerg rated it really liked it Dec 19, But a very tedious read Tgift, really fun but dense book about Alex the parrot and the codes he learnt to communicate with humans. This is a very interesting book, one I have had on the self for a long time without reading. Fall Reading List. Can a parrot understand complex concepts and mean what it says? By sort of subtraction, my veterinarian assumed that it was heart arrhythmia because there was nothing obvious. Sep 02, Jennifer rated it really liked it. Can We Really Communicate with a Bird? She is well known for her comparative studies into the cognitive fundamentals of language and communication, and was one of the first to try to extend work on language learning i Irene Maxine Pepperberg is a scientist noted for her studies in animal cognition, particularly in relation to parrots. African Greys are excellent mimics, and many of the videos on you-tube show mostly rote memorization. On his first trial, we presented a cashew a favored item but hid a less desired Bird Diet nugget during a successive invisible displacement. If you are looking for more than a series of scientific papers which read rather dryly, then perhaps this book isn't for you. The way I see it: 1 Just because certain birds can do certain things, does that mean they do do them? One attraction of the story for me involves a certain identification with this woman and her quest in life. After asking about the vegetable we were eating and its color, he began to ask for "carrot" and acquired functional use of that label and of "orange. He even knew which qualities were colours and which were matters, e. Community Reviews. Refresh and try again. Need to reread it. Buy Elsewhere Bookshop. The book is exactly what it purports to be by its title: a study of the cognitive and communicative abilities of grey parrots, and one should expect nothing more or less of it. The experiments Alex participated in seem to show at a fundamental level that non-mammal species Tgift, really fun but dense book about Alex the parrot and the codes he learnt to communicate with humans. After such an interaction, attempts to continue training are usually fruitless. The Alex Studies: Cognitive and Communicative Abilities of Grey Parrots Reviews Before testing Alex, we reacquainted him with the procedures because he had not had such tasks in several years. Can a parrot understand complex concepts and mean what it says? It was written while he was still alive, so it's not fully up to date. Table of Contents Preface 1. Books by Irene M. By sort of subtraction, my veterinarian assumed that it was heart arrhythmia because there was nothing obvious. The book is exactly what it purports to be by its title: a study of the cognitive and communicative abilities of grey parrots, and one should expect nothing more or less of it.