Parrot Displays Ability To Comprehend Numerical Concept Akin To Zero :: General Science

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July 11, 2005

Parrot Displays Ability To Comprehend Numerical Concept Akin To Zero

So only humans can count and understand the absence of a numerical set, right? Not so fast says Alex, a "middle aged" African Parrot!

Well, Alex may not have said it exactly that way, but nonetheless, Alex did demonstrate that he has a zero-like concept; it's not identical to ours but he repeatedly showed that he understands an absence of quantity.

- Science Daily (with thanks to Debra)
A Brandeis University researcher has shown that an African grey parrot with a walnut-sized brain understands a numerical concept akin to zero -- an abstract notion that humans don't typically understand until age three or four, and that can significantly challenge learning-disabled children.

(...) Dr. Pepperberg's research findings, published in the current issue of The Journal of Comparative Psychology, add to a growing body of scientific evidence that the avian brain, though physically and organizationally somewhat different from the mammalian cortex, is capable of higher cognitive processing than previously thought.

(...) Historically, the use of "zero" to label a null set has not always been obvious even in human cultures, which in many cases lacked a formal term for zero as recently as the late Middle Ages.

(...) The model rival technique involves two trainers, one to give instructions, and one to model correct and incorrect responses and to act as the student's rival for the trainer's attention; the model and trainer also exchange roles so that the student sees that the process is fully interactive.

(...) This kind of research is changing the way we think about birds and intelligence, but it also helps us break down barriers to learning in humans -- and the importance of such strides cannot be underestimated," said Dr. Pepperberg.

Read the entire article ...

Here is a related reading with a somewhat more extensive discussion on Alex's feat.

(...) Oddly, it seems he may have achieved the feat during a temper tantrum, the scientists say.

(...) Alex performed well on this, with no training, for dozens of trials, the researchers recounted. But then he balked. Alex started ignoring questions, or giving wrong answers, seemingly deliberately. He seemed to enjoy the experimenters' frustrated reactions, they said.

(...) There was evidence, they added, that his stubbornness stemmed from boredom with the rewards he had been getting for right answers. The researchers found some more interesting toys to give as rewards. After two weeks of obstructionism, Alex grudgingly returned to the game, though he occasionally seemed to lapse back.

July 11, 2005

Parrot Displays Ability To Comprehend Numerical Concept Akin To Zero

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