Scientist noted for her studies in animal cognition
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Animals rescue people all the time, but not like this. In this episode, first aired more than a decade ago, Jim Eggers is a 44-year-old man who suffers from a problem that not only puts his life at risk—it jeopardizes the safety of everybody around him. But with the help of Sadie, his pet African Grey Parrot, Jim found an unlikely way to manage his anger. African Grey Parrot expert Irene Pepperberg helps us understand how this could work, and shares some insights from her work with a parrot named Alex.And one quick note from our producer Pat Walters: Jim considers Sadie to be a “service animal,” a designation under the Americans with Disabilities Act that protects the rights of individuals with disabilities to bring certain animals into public places. The term service animal sometimes is legally limited to include only dogs and miniature horses. Jim disagrees with those limitations, but the local bus company, regardless of definitions, said they'll make an exception for Sadie.
“Birdbrain” may be an insult, but birds are far smarter than they're often given credit for. Irene Pepperberg, PhD, talks about her five decades of research with gray parrots, how she teaches parrots to communicate with English words, how birds' mathematical and other abilities compare with young children, how the field of animal cognition has evolved over the decades and what it can teach us about intelligence in general. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why do parrots talk? Guest: Dr. Irene Pepperberg, Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Seg 1: Why do parrots talk? Guest: Dr. Irene Pepperberg, Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University Seg 2: Scotts Thoughts: How do you get a job these days? Guest: Scott Shantz, CKNW Contributor Seg 3: View From Victoria: Speculation about a Federal and Provincial election year We get a local look at the top political stories with the help of Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer. Seg 4: Why nuclear energy is not the answer Guest: Dr. M.V. Ramana, Professor and Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security at UBC and Author of “Nuclear Is Not The Solution” Seg 5: Why does it feel like every labour union is striking? Guest: Simon Black, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Labour Studies at Brock University Seg 6: How is Vancouver planning to prevent future random violent attacks? Guest: Ken Sim, Mayor of Vancouver Seg 7: Why did the NDP end its deal with the Liberals? Guest: Peter Julian, NDP House Leader Seg 8: Will restricting criminals from changing their names keep BC safe? Guest: Adrian Dix, BC's Minister of Health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
**The 2023 Listener Tournament registration is now LIVE. If you are a supporter of our show through maximumfun.org, you should have already received an email with a link to register. (If you haven't, please contact Stacey @ maximumfun.org). The deadline to register is July 16. **It's time to drop in and chat with a friend down under on a brand new episode of Go Fact Yourself!Steph Tisdell is an First Nations Australian comedian, who incorporates her Yidinjy heritage and perspective into her work. Why? Because, in her words, they are “the funniest race in the world.” She'll explain. Plus, she tells us how her latest work aims to improve the representation of her fellow aboriginal people in an area of show business that is especially lacking: Stunties.Andy Saunders is a First Nations Australian comedian whom Tisdell has called, “a guide, a mentor and an uncle.” He and his wife Deb famously appeared on “The Block,” a TV show about competing to renovate homes. Andy credits his time on the show with giving him great exercise and helping him get recognized. You can see more of the couple's home design expertise on their YouTube show “Deb & Andy DNA of Design.”Areas of ExpertiseSteph: Orchids, parrots, and Dr. Phil.Andy: Surfing, the movie Avatar, and time travel.What's the Difference: Pool CueWhat's the difference between pool and billiards?What's the difference between a line and a queue?Appearing in this episode:J. Keith van StraatenHelen Hong Steph TisdellAndy SaundersWith guests expertsDr. Irene Pepperberg: award-winning animal psychologist and behavioristKathy “Gidget” Zuckerman: surfer who inspired movies, TV shows and professional surfers.Theme Song by Jonathan Green.Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.Associate Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.Making sure you contact us if you were selected to listen to a Zoom show by YOU
We humans are social animals—and that takes work. As we move through the world, we have to navigate around other people's desires, needs, and beliefs. Much of this work happens in conversation—through our words, our glances, our gestures. It happens in countless different situations, according to different norms and systems. Human social interaction is, in short, a multi-layered, delicate dance. But it's also not the only kind of social interaction out there. Apes, dogs, and other social species also have to negotiate with others and sometimes with humans. There's not just one species of conversation, in other words—there are many. My guest today is Dr. Federico Rossano, Associate Professor of Cognitive Science and Director of the Comparative Cognition Lab at the University of California, San Diego. Throughout his career, Federico has studied social interaction from a number of different angles, in a range of different settings, and across different species—including humans, bonobos, orangutans, and most recently dogs. Here, we discuss the field of conversation analysis and how Federico got started in it. We talk about his early work on how people use gaze in conversation, and how the use of gaze differs across cultures. We discuss how Federico ported some of the tools of conversation analysis over to study social interaction in apes. We also talk about his new line of research on how dogs use soundboards to communicate with their human caretakers. This work has been attracting a lot of buzz and also a bit of pushback, so we dig into the controversy. Along the way, we touch on: Umberto Eco; platypuses; how much work it takes to simply come across as ordinary; the concept of the human interaction engine; the Clever Hans effect; the impossible task; and why many scientists are so skittish about animal language research. This episode is not just about different forms of conversation. It is itself a different form of conversation—at least for us. This was our first ever in-person interview, something we expect to do a bit more of going forward. Alright friends, on to my real-life, 3d, face-to-face chat with Dr. Federico Rossano. Enjoy! A transcript of this episode will be available soon. Notes and links 4:00 – The classic 1964 paper, ‘The Neglected Situation,' by Erving Goffman. 6:00 – An obituary for the novelist and semiotician, Umberto Eco, who died in 2016. His best-loved novel, perhaps, is The Name of the Rose. He's also the author of a book of essays called, Kant and the Platypus: Essays on Language and Cognition. 17:30 – The classic paper, ‘On doing “being ordinary”', by Harvey Sacks. 20:00 – A brief introduction to Conversation Analysis. 32:00 – Dr. Rossano's work on gaze is summarized in his 2012 chapter, ‘Gaze in Conversation.' His work on questions in Italian is here. 35:30 – The quote from Georg Simmel is as follows: “[T]he totality of social relations of human beings, their self-assertions and self-abnegation, their intimacies and estrangements, would be changed in unpredictable ways if there occurred no glance of eye to eye.” 39:50 – Dr. Rossano's work on gaze across cultures is described here. 43:00 – Dr. Rossano did his postdoctoral work with Michael Tomasello, who joined us for a previous episode. 47:00 – Dr. Rossano's work on bonobo interaction is here and here. 56:00 – Dr. Rossano's original work on food sharing in orangutans is here. A more recent paper on food sharing is here. 1:05:00 – The idea of the “human interaction engine” was first proposed by Stephen Levinson in 2006. 1:10:30 – See the recent theme issue on ‘Revisiting the human “interaction engine”'. Dr. Rossano's contributions to the issue are here and here. 1:18:00 – Dr. Rossano's work on dogs has been done in coordination with the company FluentPet. FluentPet makes the pet-friendly buttons (aka soundboards) made famous by Bunny, the “talking dog of TikTok.” 1:23:30 – For an insider's view of what happened in the original “animal language” studies, see a paper by Irene Pepperberg here. 1:27:30 – A recent review by Dr. Rossano and colleagues about the use of “augmented interspecies communication devices” like the soundboards he and colleagues are currently studying. 1:38:30 – The “impossible task,” a widely used task in comparative psychology, was first described in 2009. 1:44:45 – A recent podcast discussed the “animal language” debates in detail. Dr. Rossano was featured on the show. 1:57:30 – A paper in which Charles Goodwin discussed the case of his father, Chil, is here. Dr. Rossano recommends: Sequence Organization in Interaction, by Emanuel Schegloff Lectures on Conversation, by Harvey Sacks Roots of Human Sociality, edited by Stephen Levison and Nick Enfield Origins of Human Communication, by Michael Tomasello Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to UCLA. It is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala. Subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com. For updates about the show, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: @ManyMindsPod.
Bird Brains are different. Professor Irene Pepperberg has been probing their psychology for decades. She is the author of the NY Times bestseller 'Alex and Me', the story of her 30-year experiment with a grey parrot. Alex the parrot
Picked at random from a pet store, a humble grey parrot named Alex went on to fundamentally alter the way humans think about animal cognition. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max explore how animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg and her parrot pal Alex spent three decades proving it's actually pretty impressive to be 'bird brained.'See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Can birds be as intelligent as chimpanzees or dolphins? Can they communicate and use language like a child would? Can they even outsmart undergraduate students? A line of research started more than 40 years ago continues to reveal new findings about parrots' intelligence and even their ability to use English speech to communicate with humans. Irene Pepperberg, an APS Fellow and adjunct research professor at Boston University, pioneered the study of bird cognition back in the 70s and still studies the cognitive and communicative abilities of grey parrots, comparing their abilities with those of great apes, dolphins, and young children. In this conversation with APS's Ludmila Nunes, she speaks about research on parrots' cognitive, their conservation and preservation in the wild, and much more. Learn more about this and other research at psychologicalscience.org.
And we're back. We're rested, we're rejuvenated, and we're ready for Season 4 of Many Minds! We're also, frankly, a bit hot. As I am recording this there is a heat dome parked over California and there is sweat under my headphones. But, more to the point, we've got a great episode to kick the new season off. My guest today is Dr. Irene Pepperberg. For more than forty years now, Irene has been doing groundbreaking research on parrots, with a focus on how they think and communicate. She is best known for her work with an African Grey parrot named Alex. Alex learned English words for numbers, shapes, colors, and more; he asked questions and talked to himself; he sometimes even invented words of his own. He was, in short, pretty remarkable. In this conversation, Irene and I talk about Alex, as well as his successors in the lab, Griffin and Athena. We talk about these animals' histories and personalities and their most impressive feats. We discuss how parrots are like human children in some ways—and unlike them in others. And while we talk a lot about verbal abilities, we also discuss visual working memory, delayed gratification, and optical illusions. Finally, we touch on the power of symbols, parrot communication and cognition in the wild, and the future of animal communication research. One quick production note: there are just couple of patches of fuzzy audio here. Please do stick with it though—things get smooth later on and this conversation is just too chock full of cool stuff, really wouldn't want you to miss it. Alright friends, a very warm welcome back, and on to my chat with Dr. Irene Pepperberg. Enjoy! A transcript of this episode will be available soon. Notes and links 3:00 – For some reflections on the early days of “animal language studies,” see Dr. Pepperberg's recent paper ‘Nonhuman and nonhuman-human communication: Some issues and questions.' 5:00 – Dr. Pepperberg is the author of two influential books about her research with Alex. The first is The Alex Studies: Cognitive and Communicative Abilities of Grey Parrots; the second Alex & Me, which was a New York Times bestseller. 6:15 – One of the original studies on parrot vocal abilities by Dietmar Todt. For more on the “modelling” technique that Dr. Pepperberg adapted, see her recent paper. 9:00 – Read an article that the New York Times published about Alex upon his death in 2007. 10:00 – Photos of Alex, Griffin, and Athena can be found on the Alex Foundation website. 17:00 – For an example of Dr. Pepperberg's classic work teaching the parrots to talk about shape and color, see here. For one of her more recent studies on shape learning, see here. 19:00 – For an example of Dr. Pepperberg's classic work teaching the parrots to talk about numbers, see here. For a review of numerical concepts in the parrots, see here. 24:00 – Alex originally learned “none” in the context of learning the concepts of same and different. For the original paper, see here. 28:30 – For Dr. Pepperberg's recent work on delayed gratification, see here and here. For a recent effort to “revisit” the classic Marshmallow Task in human children, see here. 33:00 – For a recent study by Dr. Pepperberg and colleagues on “inference by exclusion”, see here. 35:30 – A popular article about recent research showing that baby parrots babble. For discussion of babbling in baby bats, see our earlier interview with Dr. Mirjam Knörnschild. 37:00 – An older article in Scientific American describing some of David Premack's work teaching apes to use symbols. 38:00 – A recent paper by Dr. Pepperberg and colleagues involving a “shell game on steroids” (to test “visual working memory manipulation”). 41:00 – A recent paper by Dr. Pepperberg and colleagues looking at the parrots' ability to reason about probabilities. 43:30 – For the “transformative power of symbols” idea as it applies to humans, see here. 45:00 – See Dr. Pepperberg's recent article reviewing her research on visual perception in parrots, including work using optical illusions. 48:00 – A recent research article comparing birds' and primates' brains. 51:00 – For Dr. Pepperberg's recent reflections on the past and future of “animal language studies,” see here. 54:00 – A short animated video explaining the “gavagai problem,” which is associated with the issue of the “indeterminacy of translation.” You can read more about Dr. Pepperberg's work and collaborators—human and parrot!—at the Alex Foundation website. Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute (DISI) (https://disi.org), which is made possible by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to UCLA. It is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd (https://www.mayhilldesigns.co.uk/). Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala (https://sarahdopierala.wordpress.com/). You can subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. **You can now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here!** We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com. For updates about the show, visit our website (https://disi.org/manyminds/), or follow us on Twitter: @ManyMindsPod.
How complex does animal communication get? How much information is encoded in dog barks, the clicks of sperm whales, or the chirps of small birds? In this conversation I speak with Irene Pepperberg, who is an expert on animal communication and cognition, best known for her work with African grey parrots. We discuss the remarkable abilities of her birds, from large vocabularies and complex verbal understanding, to counting and puzzle solving, to even competing with young children on certain cognitive tests. We also touch on deeper questions about how animals might see the world, the link between intelligence and personhood, the morals and ethics of doing science with highly intelligent animals, as well as the morals and ethics that animals themselves might have. ►Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/HQvfs94IZYI ►For more information about Irene's work, or if you would like to support her research: https://alexfoundation.org/ SOCIAL: ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/EscapedSapiens ► Website: https://www.escapedsapiens.com/ ► Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EscapedSapiens
Cada dia é uma possibilidade de escrever a sua história. Quando você olha pra trás, você se orgulha ou se envergonha do que passou? E quando olha pra frente você tem planos ou vive no automático? Diferente de um cachorro, somo seres biográficos. Temos a capacidade de entender, dominar e agir sobre as circunstâncias da vida.Nesse episódio conversamos sobre a diferença de uma vida biológica e uma vida biográfica. Luciano nos trouxe exemplos de situações que o ser humano se difere dos outros animais e falou sobre como podemos ser os autores das nossas biografias. Livros citados no episódio: - Alex e eu | Irene Pepperberg | clique aqui agora para garantir o seu- Em busca de sentido | Victor Frankl | clique aqui agora para garantir o seuFicou com alguma dúvida sobre esse ou outro assunto relacionado à educação? Manda pra gente, podemos te ajudar!Não deixe de seguir também o nosso perfil - @luciano.mnogueira | @gabiii_r | @camoespinochio no Instagram para ficar por dentro de mais conteúdos.
With the help of an African Grey parrot named Alex, Irene Pepperberg, Ph.D. has conducted years of research that helped the world understand the unique and amazing communication abilities of Grey parrots. In this podcast, Dr. Pepperberg shares the results of more than four decades of her research into the cognitive and communitive capabilities of Grey parrots. Press play to learn How Dr. Pepperberg's research influenced how scientists perceive avian intelligence Why Pepperberg used the model/rival technique to train Alex About Alex's ability to identify shapes, colors, and sizes, and count objects The pros and cons of having an African grey parrot as a pet Dr. Pepperberg completed her studies in chemistry at Harvard University in the 70s. While finishing her degree, Pepperberg became interested in the use of sign language and computer interfaces and studied the available data on interspecies communication. Her ultimate objective was to establish two-way communication with a Grey parrot that was similar to ongoing efforts with chimpanzees and dolphins. An African Grey parrot named Alex joined Pepperberg in her research on animal cognition and communication skills. With training by Pepperberg, Alex developed the ability to express more than 100 vocal labels for objects, colors, and actions. He understood the concepts of materials, same and different, relative size, and absence/none. His decades of work and achievements with Dr. Pepperberg demonstrated that Grey parrots have an intellect much greater than what was originally perceived. Dr. Pepperberg believes that Alex had the intelligence of a five-year-old child and the speech abilities of an 18-month to two-year-old child. She continued to train him using a modeling technique to demonstrate to Alex the things she wanted him to learn such as counting, colors, and shapes. One person would model the desired behavior with another individual and they would exchange roles as Alex observed their interactions. They would occasionally answer a question incorrectly to demonstrate to Alex that only the right answer was acceptable. Sadly, Alex passed away unexpectedly in 2007. In the scientific world, the work done by Dr. Pepperberg has increased the awareness of bird intelligence. She continues to develop research possibilities in pitch perception and visual optic illusions. With the assistance of Griffin, an African Grey parrot who was hatched in 1995, Pepperberg plans to complete her studies on delayed gratification to add to existing data in the field of language learning of animals To learn more visit: alexfoundation.org Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/30PvU9C
This episode, I offer amends, and correction. Also, if ghosts and spirits do exist, where are they, and where are we? A few books & movies, form theory. The movie Somewhere In Time - we start the conversation. _______________ REFERENCE NOTES: "upon further reflection" corrections corner: Ashley Judd: Ruby in Paradise - movie In her voice: https://twitter.com/ashleyjudd?lang=en __________ Heart of Darkness by Conrad, about the Congo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_of_Darkness __________ Frida - movie __________ Casino regulations in the states versus foreign country __________ Kobayashi Maru = "A test of one's character or a solution that involves redefining the problem and managing an insurmountable scenario gracefully." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobayashi_Maru _______ Doc martens, Starina, American Angel dresses ______ Dr. Irene Pepperberg, Harvard, & Alex the parrot. Cognition and Communication research, in parrots. https://alexfoundation.org/about/dr-irene-pepperberg/ ____________ Bid Time Return, by Richard Matheson. The movie Somewhere In Time is based on this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bid_Time_Return ________ The Attic ghost. I touch what he was like, but have to pause, because my heart starts pounding. _________ Moll Flanders. written by Daniel Defoe. Actress Alex Kingston, BBC version, best. Daniel Defoe apparently avoids naming his characters, sometimes. "The Elder Brother" is the one who gloats over Molle in prison. Robert's the brother who married Flanders. CORRECTION - misspoke the name of the song. Rachmaninoff: I mispronounce the name. Peganini. _____ /Romantic relationship addiction: ______________ POD DESCRIPTION: This is the House on Valencia Street. This is a place where ghosts & psychics, with PTSD, exist, & I'm talking about it. Share time with a rare survivor, walking back to haunted rooms and space being claimed from long ago. This is from the survivor's perspective, communicated as I see fit, in a way that feels right, for me. I do not offer advice here, I share what worked for me. I am not a professional therapist, this is just one case study, one perspective. Please seek professional help, if mental health issues need attention. Language is explicit, Content / Trigger Warning: ghosts, psychic ability, rape, incest, foster care, murder, emancipation, BDSM, therapy, lightning strikes, personal responsibility, Buddhism, recovery, codependency, domestic violence - and inappropriate humor, most likely. Picture inset: This is me, so many years ago, standing in front of my mother's Impala, and the House on Valencia Street. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mohmah/support
On this week's episode we talk to Dr. Irene Pepperberg. She is an associate at the department of physiology at Harvard. Also on this week's episode, Senator Bernie Sanders and House of Representatives member Pramila Jayapal propose new legislation that may make it free for eligible students to go to public and community college. Elsewhere on the show, the verdict is in in the trial for former police officer Derek Chauvin who kneeled on George Floyd's neck for nine minutes and twenty nine seconds. The jury in the case ruled Chauvin guilty on all charges set against him. This is our first episode that will be airing on KGVM, a community radio station in Bozeman, Montana. If you're in the Gallatin County area, listen to us on the radio at 95.9 FM on Thursdays at 5:30. Ezra --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/newsnerds/message
Written in 2005, this book is an oldie, but pack-filled with so much wisdom from an expert on animal welfare. Improve your own animals' lives by starting with yourself, with big ideas such as Keep Moving and Letting the Bad Become the New Normal. Check out ZooFit's Zoo-notable Blog: https://www.zoofit.net/zoo-notable-animals-in-translation/ Learn more about Temple Grandin: https://www.templegrandin.com/ Learn more about Dr. Irene Pepperberg's research with Alex and African Gray parrots- https://alexfoundation.org/about/dr-irene-pepperberg/ Support ZooFit! Join the ZooFit Tribe on Patreon for bonus material, special offers, and exclusive deals: https://www.patreon.com/zoofit --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Learning & Behavior Special Issue interviewee with honoree Irene Pepperberg. https://wp.me/p8IxYp-1Qo (Go here to read the transcripts, images, and links). The Psychonomic Society (Society) is providing information through this podcast as a benefit and service in furtherance of the Society's nonprofit and tax-exempt status. The Society does not exert editorial control over such materials, and any opinions expressed in the podcast are solely those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the Society. The Society does not guarantee the accuracy of the content contained in the podcast and specifically disclaims any and all liability for any claims or damages that result from reliance on such content by third parties.
Jennifer Ackerman reveals that birds' social lives often rival our own. Harvard's Irene Pepperberg describes the humor and intelligence of her famous African grey parrot. Erik Swanson, of East Coast Falcons, uses raptors to solve the Jersey Shore’s seagull problem. Marcus Smith explains the aviary origins of well-known English phrases.
This week we'll learn about a fascinating parrot and some more weird praying mantises! Thanks to Page and Viola for the suggestions! Further watching: Nova Science Now: Irene Pepperberg and Alex Alex: Number Comprehension by a Grey Parrot The Smartest Parrots in the World Further reading: Why Do Parrots Talk? Ancient mantis-man petroglyph discovered in Iran Alex and Irene Pepperberg (photo taken from the "Why do parrots talk?" article above): Two African grey parrots: The "mantis man" petroglyph: The conehead mantis is even weirder than "ordinary" mantis species: Where does Empusa fasciata begin and the flower end (photo by Mehmet Karaca)? The beautiful spiny flower mantis: The ghost mantis looks not like a ghost but a dead leaf: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we’re going to look at two completely unrelated animals, but both are really interesting. Thanks to Page and Viola for the suggestions! We’ll start with Page’s suggestion, the African gray parrot. We haven’t talked about very many parrots in previous episodes, even though parrots are awesome. The African gray parrot is from Africa, and it’s mostly gray, and it is a parrot. Specifically it’s from what’s called equatorial Africa, which means it lives in the middle of the continent nearest the equator, in rainforests. It has a wingspan of up to 20 inches, or 52 cm, and it has red tail feathers. The African gray parrot is a popular pet because it’s really good at learning how to talk. It doesn’t just imitate speech, it imitates various noises it hears too. It’s also one of the most intelligent parrots known. Some studies indicate it may have the same cognitive abilities as a five year old child, including the ability to do simple addition. It will also give its treats to other parrots it likes even if it has to go without a treat as a result, and it will share food with other parrots it doesn’t even know. Despite all the studies about the African grey in captivity, we don’t know much about it in the wild. Like other parrots, it’s a highly social bird. It mostly eats fruit, seeds, and nuts, but will also eat some insects, snails, flowers, and other plant parts. It mates for life and builds its nest in a tree cavity. Both parents help feed the babies. That’s basically all we know. It’s endangered in the wild due to habitat loss, hunting, and capture for sale as pets, so if you want to adopt an African grey parrot, make sure you buy from a reputable parrot breeder who doesn’t buy wild birds. For every wild parrot that’s sold as a pet, probably a dozen died after being taken from the wild. A good breeder will also only sell healthy birds, and will make sure you understand how to properly take care of a parrot. Since the African grey can live to be up to sixty years old, ideally it will be your buddy for basically the rest of your life, but it will require a lot of interaction and care to stay happy and healthy. One African grey parrot named Alex was famous for his ability to speak. Animal psychologist Dr. Irene Pepperberg bought Alex at a pet shop in 1977 when he was about one year old, not just because she thought parrots were neat and wanted a pet parrot, but because she wanted to study language ability in parrots. Pepperberg taught Alex to speak and to perform simple tasks to assess his cognitive abilities. Back then, scientists didn’t realize parrots and other birds were intelligent. They thought an animal needed a specific set of traits to display intelligence, such as a big brain and hands. You know, things that humans and apes have, but most animals don’t. Pepperberg’s studies of Alex and other parrots proved that intelligence isn’t limited to animals that are similar to us. Alex had a vocabulary of about 100 words, which is average for a parrot, but instead of just mimicking sounds,
Hay algunos científicos que llegan a ser muy conocidos y queridos por el público en general. Son casi como un rockstar. Bueno exagero un poco. Pero en este episodio te hablaré de uno muy muy especial. Que no es humano, sino un ave. Y porque lo comparo a un científico? Porque su colega más cercana, la Dra Irene Pepperberg psicóloga y etóloga, así lo consideraba. Para ella, este pájaro fue su colega durante una investigación que duró 30 años. Ya que gracias a él ,hizo una gran contribución en lo que se va descubriendo acerca de la mente animal. Me invitarías un café virtual? ;) https://ko-fi.com/mentes_asombrosas Fuente de información: Libro Alex y yo. por Irene Pepperberg.
Alex was an African Grey Parrot who for 30 years formed part of a crucial study conducted by Irene Pepperberg to better understand avian cognition, vocabulary, and intelligence! It was the first and longest avian study in history! Visit Irene's foundation to learn more about the amazing work they do! animalspodcast.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ltaca/support
Jennifer Ackerman reveals that birds' social lives often rival our own. Harvard's Irene Pepperberg describes the humor and intelligence of her famous African grey parrot. Erik Swanson, of East Coast Falcons, uses raptors to solve the Jersey Shore’s seagull problem. Marcus Smith explains the aviary origins of well-known English phrases.
Over the course of 30 years Dr. Irene Pepperberg studied and trained Alex. He became absolutely the smartest parrot ever studied, and solidified the fact that birds are, or can be extremely intelligent.
Donald Goldsmith describes the quest for extraterrestrial life. Sarah Igo of Vanderbilt University questions whether we really want privacy. Ariana Curtis of the Smithsonian reveals how museums can tell stories more accurately. Harvard's Irene Pepperberg on parrots' surprising intelligence.
When was the last time you stopped and really listened to birdsong? Ever wonder what they’re singing about? We chat to Kenn Kaufman and Dr. Irene Pepperberg about the extraordinary complexity to the avian arias, how they’re produced, what they mean, and how vocal acrobatics can reveal a surprising hidden intelligence. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound, and hosted by Dallas Taylor. Follow the show on Twitter & Facebook. Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Consolidate your credit card debt today and get an additional interest rate discount at lightstream.com/20k. Try ZipRecruiter for free at ziprecruiter.com/20k. Check out The Growth Show wherever you get your podcasts. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/birdsong
In 2007, Dr. Irene Pepperberg said goodnight to her avian research subject, Alex, an African Grey Parrot. “You be good,” he replied. “I love you.” “I love you, too,” Dr. Pepperberg said, to which Alex asked, “You’ll be in tomorrow?” “Yes, I’ll be in tomorrow.” Alex died the next morning, prompting an international outpouring of … Continue reading Ep. 4 – Dr. Irene Pepperberg on revolutionizing what humans think of bird brains →
~~~~ TAKE THE SURVEY! (Please) ~~~~ Today we tackle the age-old question: what if animals could talk? Or, more precisely, what if we could actually understand what animals are saying? Guests: Con Slobodchikoff, professor at Northern Arizona University, CEO of Zoolingua, and author of Chasing Dr. Doolittle: Learning the Language of Animals. Irene Pepperberg, professor of psychology Harvard University, author of Alex and Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence-and formed a Deep Bond in the Process Alexandra Horowitz, professor at Barnard, head of dog cognition lab, author of Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know Ashley Shew, professor at Virginia Tech, author of Animal Constructions and Technological Knowledge Keri Cronin, professor at Brock University, author of Art for Animals: Visual Culture and Animal Advocacy, 1875-1914 Further Reading: The “Clever Hans Phenomenon” revisited Lost in Translation: Koko the gorilla and language research The Alex studies: cognitive and communicative abilities of grey parrot Reddit AMA: I am Dr. Irene Pepperberg, research associate at Harvard in the field of avian cognition...ask me anything Animal language studies: What happened? Learn to sniff like a dog. “‘Can’t You Talk?’: Voice and Visual Culture in Early Animal Welfare (more reading at Flash Forward's main site) Learn more about Twenty Thousand Hertz here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For over half a century, innovative scientists have tested the abilities of animals to learn to communicate using human systems, such as American Sign Language with chimps and gorillas. One could go back even farther in time, to the start of the 20th century, when the German mathematics teacher Wilhelm von Osten trained his Russian trotting horse Hans to answer questions, do simple math, and discriminate consonant vs. dissonant musical chords, all by nodding his head, tapping a hoof, pointing his nose, or picking up objects in his mouth. More recently, one of the most remarkable of such animal communication programs is that run by Irene Pepperberg. Irene has spent the past four decades teaching African grey parrots to talk – and not just to talk, but also to answer complex questions about the nature and number of objects. Irene’s purpose is to test the limits of communication between humans and animals. Irene is the author of many articles and several books, including the New York Times best-seller “Alex & me. How a scientist and a parrot discovered a hidden world of animal intelligence – and formed a deep bond in the process”.
In episode 2, we test Irene Pepperberg on animal cognition and symbolic communication. Dr. Pepperberg worked with Alex the African Grey Parrot for 30 years, until his untimely death, and continues to work with other African Greys (Athena and Griffin) to explore the limits of their congnitive abilities. Long story short: she still hasn’t reached the edge. The more we look, the more fascinating avian capabilities we find. Irene is an unconvential scientist in many ways, from her wrist bangles (which you’ll hear) to her background in theoretical chemistry (!), and she’s great at telling her story. Enjoy!
This week, on Bookmark, Uma speaks to animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg about the hidden world of animal intelligence and how it can help better understand ourselves and the world around us.
This week, on Bookmark, Uma speaks to animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg about the hidden world of animal intelligence and how it can help better understand ourselves and the world around us.
In episode 2, we test Irene Pepperberg on animal cognition and symbolic communication. Dr. Pepperberg worked with Alex the African Grey Parrot for 30 years, until his untimely death, and continues to work with other African Greys (Athena and Griffin) to explore the limits of their congnitive abilities. Long story short: she still hasn’t reached … Continue reading "The Turing Test #2: Irene Pepperberg"
Dr. Irene Pepperberg knows more about bird brains than just about anyone in the world. Her groundbreaking work with Alex, an African Gray Parrot who talked back and answered questions about abstract concepts, changed the way we think about consciousness. Comedians Ken Reid, Obehi Janice, and Julia Claire learned more. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Produced by Pretty Good Friends.
Source: Effective Altruism Global (original video).
Over the past year, a number of stories have surfaced in the news that involve the killing of animals (Harambe, a gorilla who was killed after a child entered his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Cecil, an iconic African lion who was killed by a recreational game hunter, for example). These stories offer unique opportunities for religion reporters to consider a variety of issues relevant to their beats. One such question is how do the moral and cognitive abilities of humans and animals compare? And, what does it mean if these abilities show similarities? In this dinner discussion, Dr. Irene Pepperberg will introduce her revolutionary work with African Grey parrots to touch on these types of questions. RNA member Kelsey Dallas will respond with remarks designed to help journalists think through how they might report on the issues raised by research like Pepperberg’s. Presenter: Irene Pepperberg, Research Associate, Harvard University, Adjunct Associate Professor, Brandeis University. Discussant: Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News National. Dinner is sponsored by AAAS, https://www.aaas.org/DoSER
Lemurs and parrots accompany maths writer Alex Bellos as he explores the foundations of our ability to understand numbers. What are the fundamental numerical skills we share with other animals? What accounts for our species’ unique abilities to do calculations which other creatures cannot? Alex meets Teres the lemur as the Madagascan primate undergoes a maths test. He also tells the amazing story of Alex, the African grey parrot, and meets professor Irene Pepperberg who guided her feathered pupil to extraordinary mathematical achievements. (Photo: Lemurs. Credit: Andrew Luck-Baker)
This week's episode of HWYW delves deep into the science of animal behavior, and it should awe and inspire. DR. IRENE PEPPERBERG, author of Alex & Me and the subject of EMILY WICK's new documentary, Life With Alex, joins us to chat about her late, great colleague, Alex the African Grey Parrot. Dr. Pepperberg has more wisdom to impart about animal intelligence than any past guest (SORRY ANDY KINDLER!) and we were thrilled to talk to her about the obstacles she faced starting out as a female scientist in the late 1960s, how Alex the Parrot would be a dick when Dr. Pepperberg went away on vacation, and how the parrot's language center in its brain rivals that of the chimpanzee's. Plus: a plea to update HowWasYourWiki.com so it sets apart Chris Spooner from Dee Dee Ramone, some ideas about Melissa Leo's unique Emmy outfit, how a perm can change a life, and what specific incarnation of Jesus Christ Jimmy Jazz the cat would be, if he were that particular messiah.
A research scientist forms 30-year bond with an unlikely subject. Irene Pepperberg, an Adjunct Associate Professor at Brandeis University and Research Associate and Lecturer at Harvard, studies cognittion and communication in Grey parrots. Her book, Alex and Me, a New York Times bestseller, describes life with her most famous subject. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Remember Alex the African Grey Parrot with an IQ higher than the last US President? His guardian, Dr. Irene Pepperberg explains the pros and cons to owning a parrot...or should we say, the parrot owning you. Dr. Pepperberg's best-seller 'Alex and Me' explains how she trained the world-renown bird. A disagreement about dogs at a wedding left four people shot, including the bride and groom. Britt Savage reports on a dog-fight that turned into a human-fight in Arkansas. Party Animal Vinnie Penn is never in a good mood. This time he's irked that his dog got a Valentine's Day card...and he didn't. There sure is a lot of noise surrounding the pet supplement Dinovite. The company's omnipresent testimonial campaigns have people asking, 'does it really work?' Listeners chime in. Say you find a lost dog, decide to keep it, have it neutered, and then the original owner comes looking. They're not happy to find out their dog has been fixed. What will the law say? Dr. Jim says Laser Surgery is now available for our pets. How will we pay for these new technologies? Is pet insurance now important? Separation Anxiety is the biggest behavior problem dog-guardians face. Dr. Debbie has solid advice on tackling this issue. The Animal Radio® Vet also has insight on hip dysplasia, a pretty common ailment in some dogs. More at AnimalRadio.com.
In this week’s episode Robin sits down with noted scientist and author, Dr. Irene Pepperberg. Dr. Pepperberg shares anecdotes about her work and her time spent with Alex the African Grey. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast -Alex and Me -- A Chat With Dr. Irene Pepperberg - with Barbara Heidenreich and Robin Shewokis on PetLifeRadio.com
Ed Martin performs an Issues Autopsy on the late election. Who dunnit? Then, The Law....Bastiat....some sound. Calling someone a bird brain is an insult to birds, says Irene Pepperberg in "Alex and Me". Dramatic video and an exploding wind turbine...more internet folklore from Cresco, Iowa?