THE ALEX STUDIES - COGNITIVE AND COMMUNICATIVE ABILITIES OF GREY PARROTS
by Irene Pepperberg (See other books by author)

Summary: Twenty years ago Irene Pepperberg set out to discover whether the results of the pigeon studies necessarily meant that other birds--particularly the large-brained, highly social parrots--were incapable of mastering complex cognitive concepts and the rudiments of referential speech. This book represents the long-awaited synthesis of the studies constituting one of the landmark experiments in modern comparative psychology. Author Irene Pepperberg was the keynote speaker at the 2005 APDT Conference.

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Can a parrot understand complex concepts and mean what it says? Since the early 1900s, most studies on animal-human communication have focused on great apes and a few cetacean species. Birds were rarely used in similar studies on the grounds that they were merely talented mimics--that they were, after all, "birdbrains." Experiments performed primarily on pigeons in Skinner boxes demonstrated capacities inferior to those of mammals; these results were thought to reflect the capacities of all birds, despite evidence suggesting that species such as jays, crows, and parrots might be capable of more impressive cognitive feats. Twenty years ago Irene Pepperberg set out to discover whether the results of the pigeon studies necessarily meant that other birds--particularly the large-brained, highly social parrots--were incapable of mastering complex cognitive concepts and the rudiments of referential speech. Her investigation and the bird at its center--a male Grey parrot named Alex--have since become almost as well known as their primate equivalents and no less a subject of fierce debate in the field of animal cognition. This book represents the long-awaited synthesis of the studies constituting one of the landmark experiments in modern comparative psychology. *Note: Author Irene Pepperberg was the keynote speaker at the 2005 APDT Conference.

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Back Cover

Preface, Page 1

Page 161

• NEXT OF KIN - MY CONVERSATIONS WITH CHIMPANZEES
• ZOOMILITY - KEEPER TALES OF TRAINING WITH POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
• IMPRINT TRAINING OF THE NEWBORN FOAL - A SWIFT, EFFECTIVE METHOD FOR PERMANENTLY SHAPING A HORSE'S LIFETIME
• WHAT PHILOSOPHY CAN TELL YOU ABOUT YOUR DOG
• ALEX & ME - HOW A SCIENTIST AND A PARROT UNCOVERED A HIDDEN WORLD OF ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE

• CANINE BODY LANGUAGE - A PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDE
• DOGS - A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF CANINE ORIGIN, BEHAVIOR, AND EVOLUTION
• BONES WOULD RAIN FROM THE SKY - DEEPENING OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH DOGS
• FIGHT! - A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO THE TREATMENT OF DOG-DOG AGGRESSION
• HELP FOR YOUR FEARFUL DOG - A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO HELPING YOUR DOG CONQUER HIS FEARS