The cognitive Approach- Savage Rumbaugh Flashcards
What was the aim of the study?
To study the human language capabilities in two pygmy chimpanzees (Kanzi + Mulika) compared to two common chimpanzees (Sherman +Austin.)
What does the study investigate?
This study investigates if Bonobo’s could spontaneously understand symbols, shown on a lexigram and therefore, ‘communicate,’ with people. Training them to speak is impossible as they do not have the necessary vocal chords.
It was shown that some pygmy chimps could understand the spoken word, whereas common cannot.
What was the Iv ?
Species of chimps
What was the DV?
Their language acquisition
What is a pan paniscus?
Pygmy chimpanzees (Kanzi + Mulika)
What is a Pan Troglodytes
Common Chimps(Sherman +Austin.)
What was the sample?
Kanzi = 30-47 months in the study period. Mulika = 11-21 months Matata = Mother COMMON CHIMPS Sherman = No age given Austin= No age given Both part of earlier training programme Washoe= produced sign language for another experiment
What type of study was this?
- Longitudinal study
- In depth
- Case study, gathered over 10 year span
What are Bonobo chimps usually depicted as?
A brighter and more sociable species.
In the previous study what were the common chimps results?
Able to use representational learning symbol usage - only demonstrated after extensive training 1 year 1/2
What was involved in the procedure?
> The Bonobo chimps had no formal training, unlike the common, and used the symbols spontaneously. The lexigram in the indoor enclosure, took reading of everything produced.
Outdoors the record was made by hand and entered into the computer each day.
Each utterance was classified as either (1) correct or incorrect (2) Spontaneous or imitated or structured.
Why were Kanzi and Mulika tested ?
To ensure their performance was not due to contextual cues or inadvertent glances, like Washoe’s was discovered to be.
What were the four tests done to ensure that Kanzi and Mulika’s understanding was truthful?
- ) Photograph to lexigram
- )Spoken English to photograph
- )Spoken English to lexigram
- ) Synthesised speech to lexigram.
How many words did Kanzi learn?
46
How many words did Mulika learn?
37
What were the results ?
> Spontaneous Utterances consistently account for more than 80% of Kanzi’s single word and combination utterances
Prompted,imitated, or partially imitated utterances accounted for only 11% of Kanzis total corpus.
Mulika’s rate of spontaneous utterance production is slightly lower and the rate of imitated utterances somewhat higher.
Kanzi and Mulika’s symbol usage had been accurate the majority of the time
What were the results of the formal tests?
was also a control!!
- When Sherman and Austin did the formal tests, they were initially confused as once they selected something e.g. a banana , they expected to receive it.
- Kanzi and Mulika did well on the formal tests, they were able to pick a lexigram symbol for any picture and human voice, however they struggled with the synthesised voice , but even the experimenters did.
- The formal testing took place when Kanzi was three, he was challenged to take a blind visitor around the enclosure. They had to name any area of the enclosure, in spoken english, and Kanzi would direct them. He was able to do this easily. Mulika was not given this test as she did not like to travel without Kanzi.
What were the results of the formal tests?
- When Sherman and Austin did the formal tests, they were initially confused as once they selected something e.g. a banana , they expected to receive it.
- Kanzi and Mulika did well on the formal tests, they were able to pick a lexigram symbol for any picture and human voice, however they struggled with the synthesised voice , but even the experimenters did.
- The formal testing took place when Kanzi was three, he was challenged to take a blind visitor around the enclosure. They had to name any area of the enclosure, in spoken english, and Kanzi would direct them. He was able to do this easily. Mulika was not given this test as she did not like to travel without Kanzi.
How does the study relate to the nature versus nurture debate?
Sherman and Austin learnt through
imitation and reinforcement - nurture.
But Kanzi’s difference suggests that her species can spontanous acquire language – suggesting a maturation process (but somewhat slower than humans) - nature
What were the strengths of Savage-Rumbaugh?
- Both qualitative + quantitative data
- The study helps us understand our closest
evolutionary relations. This and subsequent
work in the field of apes has great scientific
value – in understanding our own origins. It
also helps to highlight the importance of
conserving their home habitat. - Longitudinal study = in depth data
- High ecological validity = roaming (however not natural environment.)
- Data gathered under rigorous controls.
> Formal tests less likely to be subject bias
>Data=qualitative/quantitative = Concurrent Validity
What were the weaknesses of Savage-Rumbaugh?
- Ethical nature can be questioned as it seems cruel to test animals in such a formal way.
- Generalisation of small population - not normal bonobo
What is concurrent validity?
New measure test scores are correlated with those from an established valid test.
General Discussion
> Common chimpanzees showed no understanding of spoken English and were more likely to generalise and use symbols interchangeably within categories - this was also observed with Washoe (Gardner and Gardner)
In contrast, Kanzi and Mulika could discriminate between items within a category.(juice/coke)
How many non initiative word combinations were produced by Kanzi?
Over 2500
Outdoor environment ?
55 acres of forest , 17 food locations, must travel to set food location for a specific food type e.g. bananas in a tree house, peaches to look at
Kanzi learned where all the food was located
He could select a food from photos on the ground + could guide someone there.
Differences between S/A and K/M
S+A required much training
K+M acquired language with greater ease
K+M were able to respond to spoken English without contextual cues.
K+M spontaneously learned to differentiate between specific words (e.g. juice and coke.)
K could direct someone else to do something
(request A to act on a B.)
Differences between S/A and K/M
S+A required much training
K+M acquired language with greater ease
K+M were able to respond to spoken English without contextual cues.
K+M spontaneously learned to differentiate between specific words (e.g. juice and coke.)
K could direct someone else to do something
(request A to act on a B.)
What was the control?
4.5 hours of interaction was video taped without the researchers knowledge
100% agreement on symbols used by Kanzi
One disagreement over spontaneous use
How old was Kanzi when he first used the lexigram keyboard?
2 1/2
What symbols could Kanzi identify by using lexigrams without training?
apple and banana
How many food locations were there in Kanzi’s outdoor environment?
17
what was Kanzi’s symbol use recorded as?
correct. incorrect, spontaneous, imitation.
How was Kanzi’s symbol use recorded outdoors?
by notes from the observer.
Give two pieces of evidence that Kanzi understood language?
- Understood spoken language
- Could identify words on the lexigram that people spoke to him without prompt .
One way researchers recorded Kanzi’s symbol acquisition?
On a lexigram /keyboard whilst researcher watched them
