Title The Alex studies : cognitive and communicative abilities of grey parrots / Irene Maxine Pepperberg.

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Location	Call No.	Status
University of Saint Joseph: Pope Pius XII Library - Standard Shelving Location	598.71 P424A	Check Shelf

Description	x, 434 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Bibliography	Includes bibliographical references (pages 347-408).
Summary	"Can a parrot understand complex concepts and mean what it says? Experiments performed primarily on pigeons in Skinner boxes demonstrated capacities inferior to those of mammals; these results were thought to reflect the capacities of all birds, despite evidence suggesting that species such as jays, crows, and parrots might be capable of more impressive cognitive feats." "Twenty years ago Irene Pepperberg set out to discover whether the results of the pigeon studies necessarily meant that other birds - particularly the large-brained, highly social parrots - were incapable of mastering complex cognitive concepts and the rudiments of referential speech. Her investigation and the bird at its center - a male Grey parrot named Alex - have since become almost as well known as primate studies and their subjects and no less a topic of fierce debate in the field of animal cognition. This book represents the long-awaited synthesis of the studies constituting one of the landmark experiments in modern comparative psychology."--Jacket.
Contents	1. Introduction: In Search of King Solomon's Ring -- 2. Can We Really Communicate with a Bird? -- 3. Can a Parrot Learn Referential Use of English Speech? -- 4. Does a Parrot Have Categorical Concepts? -- 5. Can a Parrot Learn the Concept of Same/Different? -- 6. Can a Parrot Respond to the Absence of Information? -- 7. To What Extent Can a Parrot Understand and Use Numerical Concepts? -- 8. How Can We Be Sure That Alex Understands the Labels in His Repertoire? -- 9. Can a Parrot Understand Relative Concepts? -- 10. What Is the Extent of a Parrot's Concept of Object Permanence? -- 11. Can Any Part of a Parrot's Vocal Behavior Be Classified as "Intentional"? -- 12. Can a Parrot's Sound Play Assist Its Learning?
Subject	African gray parrot -- Behavior.
	Cognition in animals.
	Animal communication.
	Animal Communication. (DNLM)D000819
	African gray parrot -- Behavior. (OCoLC)fst01750330
	Animal communication. (OCoLC)fst00809125
	Cognition in animals. (OCoLC)fst00866500
	Papegaaien.
	Cognitieve vaardigheden.
	Communicatieve vaardigheden.
	Verhalten (DE-588)4062860-7
	Intelligenz (DE-588)4027251-5
	Kognitive Kompetenz (DE-588)4164465-7
	Tiersprache (DE-588)4140571-7
	Graupapagei (DE-588)4021893-4
Other Form:	Online version: Pepperberg, Irene M. (Irene Maxine). Alex studies. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, ©1999 (OCoLC)623214228
ISBN	067400051X (hc. ; alk. paper)
	9780674000513 (hc. ; alk. paper)

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Title The Alex studies : cognitive and communicative abilities of grey parrots / Irene Maxine Pepperberg.

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