SDSU Template, Version 11.1

SDSU Template, Version 11.1

LONG-TERM MEMORY OF AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE IN A CHIMPANZEE (PAN TROGLODYTES) _______________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of San Diego State University _______________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies _______________ by Summer Lee Brooks Spring 2012 iii Copyright © 2012 by Summer Lee Brooks All Rights Reserved iv DEDICATION Dedicated to Booee, the chimp who would “sell his soul for a raisin.” Knowing him has been a true honor that I will never forget. I will especially treasure the memories of his obsession with playing chase until I was exhausted, and his very mannerly laugh where he covers his teeth with his lips. He doesn’t know it, but he made my dreams come true. When I was five years old, I read Patterson’s (1985) book “Koko’s Kitten.” To a five year old, it made perfect sense that a gorilla could converse with humans in American Sign Language (ASL), and care for an orphaned kitten. How little did anyone know that “Koko’s Kitten” would direct the course of my life! From that moment I wanted to be like Penny Patterson, and talk to apes in sign language. My interests in ASL, animal cognition and the ape language studies can all find their roots in “Koko’s Kitten.” As I grew academically and professionally, my interest always came back to the ape language studies and my fascination with the notion that humans can converse with animals. By the time I was in college, I had read Fouts’ (1997) book “Next of Kin,” and was amazed that the ability to talk with animals extended beyond Koko the gorilla. Fouts’ book is where I learned about Booee and the other ASL chimpanzees. When I found that Booee was residing only a few hours away, I knew I had to meet him… the chance of a lifetime! I was chosen for a primate behavior and enrichment internship at the sanctuary where he resides, and Booee and I became great friends. Having the opportunity to interact with a signing ape has been a culmination of all my lifelong interests. And I am so privileged that Booee was the ape I came to know. He is the sweetest, silliest and most charming chimpanzee I have had the pleasure to meet. I am forever indebted to him, not only because he agreed to participate in my long-term memory study, but because he made my life-long dream come true. Booee died December 10, 2011, five days before final submittal of this thesis. v ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS Long-Term Memory of American Sign Language in a Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) by Summer Lee Brooks Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies San Diego State University, 2012 For hundreds of years, humans have dismissed the possibility that animals possess long-term memory capabilities. This study examines the long-term memory of American Sign Language (ASL) by a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). The study of long-term memory in apes may help evolutionary psychologists to understand how humans have evolved to have cognitive abilities that are unequaled by other species. Booee, the participant in this study, was involved in the ape language experiments of the 1970s. His study concluded in 1982, and since that time he has not regularly conversed in ASL. In the current study, Booee was presented with five items from his former ASL vocabulary list. When asked for an item in ASL, he was expected to point to the item. Items were presented in groups of four. The hypothesis of this study was that Booee would point to the correct item at significantly above the chance level of 25%. As a control measure, he was also presented with five items for which he had never learned the signs. When asked to point to these items (also in groups of four), it was expected that he would answer correctly at chance. This might demonstrate that he remembered the ‘old’ signs, and possesses long-term memory capabilities. Data analysis showed that his correct answers for both "old" and "new" signs were consistently at chance level. Although the data did not support the hypothesis, informal observations of Booee's sign production may demonstrate that he does possess long-term memory of ASL. Long-term memory research in animals is scarce. It has only been in the last 15 years that serious progress has been achieved. Adding to the scientific literature on long-term memory in animals will encourage other researchers to examine this phenomenon, and will help evolutionary psychologists to better understand the memory capabilities of our closest relatives, and ourselves. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT ...............................................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................. viii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................. ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ..............................................................................................4 Definition of Memory ..............................................................................................4 Long-Term Memory ................................................................................................4 Summary ..................................................................................................................5 The Evolution of Memory .......................................................................................6 Animal Memory .......................................................................................................7 Animal Long-Term Memory Studies.......................................................................8 Ape Language Research ........................................................................................10 Washoe ...................................................................................................................11 Fouts’ Ape ASL Studies ........................................................................................13 Booee .....................................................................................................................16 3 METHODS ..................................................................................................................22 Participants .............................................................................................................22 Study Site ...............................................................................................................23 Research Design.....................................................................................................24 Preparation .............................................................................................................25 Apparatus ...............................................................................................................25 Training ..................................................................................................................26 Change in Research Design Based on Training Trials ..........................................27 Data Collection ......................................................................................................28 Pilot Study ..............................................................................................................28 vii Experimental Data Collection ................................................................................29 4 RESULTS ....................................................................................................................31 5 DISCUSSION ..............................................................................................................36 Conclusion and Recommendations ........................................................................37 Ethical Considerations ...........................................................................................38 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................42 APPENDIX A BOOEE’S SIGN VOCABULARY..............................................................................47 B DESCRIPTIONS OF “OLD” AND “NEW” SIGNS...................................................49 C EXAMPLE OF DATA SHEET ...................................................................................51 viii LIST OF TABLES PAGE Table 1. “Old” Signs: Times Asked, Times Correct and Total Answers ...............................32 Table 2. “New” Signs: Times Asked, Times Correct and Total Answers ..............................33 Table 3. All Signs: Times Asked, Times Correct and Total Answers ....................................34 ix LIST OF FIGURES PAGE Figure 1. Cage configuration. ..................................................................................................23 Figure 2. Apparatus. .................................................................................................................26 x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks to: My parents, without whose love, support and guidance I could never have achieved many of my accomplishments in life. My aunts Helen, Mary Anne and Donna, who are my constant cheerleaders. My grandfather, Justiniano

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