Irene Pepperberg

The Cambridge Handbook of Animal Cognition

Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2021 · 39 citations

This handbook lays out the science behind how animals think, remember, create, calculate, and remember. It provides concise overviews on major areas of study such as animal communication and language, memory and recall, social cognition, social learning and teaching, numerical and quantitative abilities, as well as innovation and problem solving. The chapters also explore more nuanced topics in greater detail, showing how the research was conducted and how it can be used for further study. The a…

Comments on “Comparing the productive vocabularies of Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) and young children”

Animal Cognition · 2024-11-24 · 3 citations

Roubalová et al. (Anim Cogn 27(45), 2024) have written an intriguing paper in which they compare the acquired human speech patterns of Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) raised as companion animals to those of typically developing human toddlers (Homo sapiens) predominantly raised by stay-at-home mothers; birds and humans were ostensibly matched for vocabulary size. The authors' data collection and analyses are impressive and I applaud their efforts; however, I take exception to their assumption…

A study of executive function in grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus): Experience can affect delay of gratification.

Journal of comparative psychology · 2023-08-10 · 3 citations

with somewhat different experimental histories performed when required to wait for more food-a difficult task for avian species. One laboratory-raised parrot, Griffin, had previously succeeded when asked to wait for a better reward and on other tasks purportedly involving some level of EF skills but failed to wait for a larger reward. After succeeding on a task designed to improve impulse control, he consistently waited for a larger reward, more nuts, for up to 15 min-far longer than most avian…

Putting the best foot forward: Limb lateralization in the Goffin’s cockatoo (Cacatua goffiniana).

Journal of comparative psychology · 2024-09-19 · 2 citations

), a tool-using and technically proficient species used as a model of parrot cognition. First, we investigated the postural origins theory, originally proposed in primates to explain handedness. According to this theory, the hand that was used by ancestral primates to cling to trees developed finer motor control. Using a series of problem-solving tasks, we tested the possibility that the parrot's postural foot, which is similarly used to grasp tree branches, could be more motorically skilled. Al…

Exploring the utility of robots as distractors during a delay-of-gratification task in preschool children

Frontiers in Robotics and AI · 2023-04-05 · 2 citations

The development of executive function (EF) in children, particularly with respect to self-regulation skills, has been linked to long-term benefits in terms of social and health outcomes. One such skill is the ability to deal with frustrations when waiting for a delayed, preferred reward. Although robots have increasingly been utilized in educational situations that involve teaching psychosocial skills to children, including various aspects related to self-control, the utility of robots in increa…