5. CRITICALLY ASSESS WITH REFERENCE TO ALTERNATIVE EVIDENCE Gardner and Gardner (1969) Teaching Sign Language to a Chimpanzee

Majo, Tatu and Dar G&G fostered a number of other chimpanzees all new born, their arrivals were staggered so they grew up like siblings, providing company and role models for each other, they aimed to use language as a dialogue (rather than via operant conditioning) All of them were able to learn sign language and communicated with each other in this way. This research SUPPORTS G&G as it shows Washoe was not unique in being able to learn ASL. This research also DEVELOPS G&G’s research as the chimps communicated with each other Diff learning See Gardner top page 7

Loulis atch?v=55put3MLZcw atch?v=55put3MLZcw Loulis acquired more than 50 signs just by watching the other chimps. This is exactly the same as how human children learn language supporting G&G’s research. Showing it is possible to teach ASL to chimpanzees

Other Apes Nim Chimpsky He concluded that Nim was not using the equivalent of human language. This research DEVELOPS G&G as it suggests Nim was not using the equivalent of human language although he did 125 different signs

Differentiated learning Watch Project Nim

Bonobo chimps Savage-Rumbaugh et al (1986) demonstrated how two bonobo chimps, Kanzi and Mulika to could produce language from the use of lexigrams. Develops G&G as shows other types of apes learning other languages, however humans could not use the lexigrams so this part of the research contradicts G&G

Other evidence For the last 30 years, computers have been able to simulate conversation. In the 1960s, a computer program called ELIZA was able to respond to a user’s input and respond as if it were a psychotherapist. Boden (1977) found that even expert judges were not always able to tell the difference between the responses given by Eliza and those of a real therapist.

Eliza, computer therapist php3 There is a difference between being able to produce language and actually understanding it Perhaps Washoe and Eliza are similar

Eliza Computers can produce language in response to humans but it does not mean they can understand it, maybe it was the same for Washoe, therefore this would contradict G&G’s research

Areas covered Can you/Have you? Enough information to answer any of the Unit 2 questions on Gardner and Gardner TO ABOVE YOUR TARGET GRADE?

Differentiated Learning Further work on language has been conducted on many animals, including Kanzi, a bonobo. Kanzi used a lexigram board, a board with visual symbols representing words and concepts. You can find out more about Kanzi at 1.html/ 1.html/ a radio station with an accompanying funny video of Kanzi. a

Differentiated Learning Follow the progress of Washoe’s children on Facebook Should Chimpanzees Be Given Human Rights? anz/ Ethical Issues Follow this link for a quiz on Gardner and Gardner’s study: