Intelligence of apes and other rational beings

345 Pages·2003·2.62 MB·English

by  Duane M. Rumbaugh

Current Perspectives in Psychology

Intelligence
of Apes
and Other
Rational
Beings
Duane M.Rumbaugh and David A.Washburn
YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS NEW HAVEN AND LONDON
Frontispiece: A young adult gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at the San Diego Zoo,
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ca. . Photo by Duane M. Rumbaugh.
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Copyright © by Duane M. Rumbaugh.
All rights reserved.
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any
 
form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections and of the U.S. Copyright
Law and except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from
the publishers.
Set in Adobe Garamond type by The Composing Room of Michigan, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America by Vail-Ballou Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rumbaugh, Duane M., –
Intelligence of apes and other rational beings / Duane M. Rumbaugh and
David A. Washburn.
p. cm. — (Current perspectives in psychology)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ).
---
ISBN (cloth : alk. paper)
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. Apes—Psychology. . Animal intelligence. . Psychology, Comparative.

I. Washburn, David A., –. II. Title. III. Series.
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QL .P R
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—dc

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the
Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on
Library Resources.
         
To the contributions and memories of Austin H. Riesen, Henry Nissen,
Harry F. Harlow, Maurice P. Smith, and Allan M. Schrier

Contents
Series Foreword Alan E.Kazdin ix
Foreword William A.Mason xi
Preface xiii
I—THE NEED FOR A RATIONAL BEHAVIORISM
CHAPTER 1
Introduction 3
CHAPTER 2
Adaptation 21
CHAPTER 3
Sculpting of Tendencies 31
CHAPTER 4
Learning,the Foundation of Intelligence 37
CHAPTER 5
Limitations of Respondents and Operants 44
II—A JOURNEY TOWARD RATIONAL BEHAVIORISM
CHAPTER 6
First Lessons from Primates 51
CHAPTER 7
Primate Research at the San Diego Zoo 59
CHAPTER 8
Interesting Events at the San Diego Zoo 78
III—STUDIES OF APE LANGUAGE AND RATIONAL BEHAVIORS
CHAPTER 9
The LANA Project,1971 87
viii Contents
CHAPTER 10
The Assembling of Language:Sherman and Austin 114
CHAPTER 11
Kanzi! 128
IV—INVESTIGATING RATIONAL BEHAVIORISM ACROSS SPECIES
CHAPTER 12
Asking Questions so That Animals Can Provide
the Right Answers 147
CHAPTER 13
When Emergents Just Don’t Emerge 167
CHAPTER 14
Animals Count 178
V—RATIONAL BEHAVIORISM:A SYSTEM FOR INSTINCTS,
RESPONDENTS,OPERANTS,AND EMERGENTS
CHAPTER 15
Brain Business:Cause-Effect Reasoning 193
CHAPTER 16
Processes Basic to Learning and Reinforcement:
A New Perspective 209
CHAPTER 17
Harlow’s Bridge to Rational Behaviors 237
CHAPTER 18
Rational Behaviorism 249
CHAPTER 19
Overview and Perspective 267
Epilogue 288
References 291
Recommended Reading 310
Index 317
Series Foreword
Current Perspectives in Psychology presents the latest discoveries
and developments across the spectrum of the psychological and behav-
ioral sciences. The series explores such important topics as learning,
intelligence, trauma, stress, brain development and behavior, anxiety,
interpersonal relationships, education, child-rearing, divorce and mar-
ital discord, and child, adolescent, and adult development. Each book
focuses on critical advances in research, theory, methods, and applica-
tions and is designed to be accessible and informative to nonspecialists
and specialists alike.
In The Intelligence of Apes and Other Rational Beings,Duane M.
Rumbaugh and David A. Washburn show that learning by apes—and
even by animals usually considered to have little or no intelligence—
can illuminate our own processes of cognition. That humans and other
animals have much in common is only the point of departure for the
authors’ portrayal of the richness of learning, perception, and commu-
nication skills across the animal kingdom. Relying on their own re-
search as well as that of colleagues and others in the field, they provide
a comprehensive overview of both theoretical and empirical advances
with regard to cognition, perception, emotion, and behavior in both
humans and animals.
Multiple species have been studied and have revealed fascinating
evidence of elaborate intelligence and rational processes. Rational and
creative processes among animals have been elaborated in clever ways
both in nature and in experimental settings. The authors provide exam-
ples of animals managing competition, understanding numbers, and
even learning computer tasks. They describe the processes by which an-
imals come to understand and negotiate their everyday lives. Surpris-
ingly, these processes include language, communication, problem solv-
ing, and creativity beyond the limitations long assumed for animal
learning and behavior. The engaging stories and studies of animals that
illustrate these processes convey how astute observation and one-to-one
interactions with animals complement experimental research.
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