This paper presents results of almost 30 years of study of the cognitive and communicative activities of Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus), conventionally regarded as mindless mimics. These studies have demonstrated that Grey parrots can solve various cognitive tasks and acquire and use English speech in ways that often resemble those of very young children. Examples include the concepts of ...
This paper presents results of almost 30 years of study of the cognitive and communicative activities of Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus), conventionally regarded as mindless mimics.
For 25 years, I have taught Grey parrots meaningful use of English speech (e.g., to label objects, colors, shapes, categories, quantities, and absence). Using this code, my old est subject, Alex, exhibits cognitive capacities comparable to those of marine mammals, apes, and some
As we can see from the illustration, African Grey Parrot Learning And Cognition Research has many fascinating aspects to explore.
new study shows that African grey parrots can perform some cognitive tasks at levels beyond those of 5-year-old humans. The results not only suggest that humans arent the only species capable of making complex inferences, but also point to flaws in a widely used test of animal intelligence.
On the 25th anniversary of Animal Cognition we think this warrants a detailed review of parrot cognition research over the last 4 years. We aim to capture recent developments and current trends in this rapidly expanding and diversifying field.
I summarize knowledge about Grey parrot sensory capabilities and their possible effect on cognitive studies, and examine generalizations about behavioural training techniques - particularly how humans early evaluations of parrot capacities were prejudiced by not understanding how parrots learn vocalizations and concepts.
