SI DIGEST 5-11-98

SkeptInq (SkeptInq@aol.com)
Tue, 19 May 1998 16:39:26 EDT 

 Please reply directly to:  apratt@capital.edu

Subj:    Re: SI DIGEST 5-11-98
 Date:  98-05-11 18:07:36 EDT
 From:  apratt@capital.edu (Ann Pratt)
 To:    CSICOP-ANNOUNCE@LISTSERV.AOL.COM


 Hello,

 This note concerns a piece of the material in the announcement
 about SI DIGEST--namely, the ape-language issue.  I teach
 History and Systems of Psychology at Capital University
 (Columbus, Ohio).  Here are a couple of pointers.

 I am, by the way, omitting all references, book titles, and
 so on because I am in a great hurry today.  If anyone wants
 more info, please be in touch.

 1.  Early in the history of "animal intelligence" studies,
 a European psychologist whose name escapes me for the moment
 sent one of his students to check out a talented horse known
 as "Clever Hans."  The student's surname was Pfungst.  After
 systematic observations of the horse's behavior AND his
 trainer's behavior, Pfungst concluded that the horse's
 ability to "count" was grounded in subtle cues provided
 by the trainer.  Interestingly, Pfungst could not be sure
 the trainer was aware of the history of interactions between
 him and the horse.  Maybe he was, maybe not.  It doesn't
 matter, for, as B. F. Skinner said (when taxed with a
 neglect of unconscious functioning in humans) "All behavior
 is unconscious until we are induced to notice the circum-
 stances under which it has been shaped."  Every History of
 Psychology textbook worth its salt includes this story as a
 cautionary tale for psych majors.

 2.  Then there is Sultan, the bright ape with whom
 Wolfgang Kohler worked (should I have said with which??).
 Sultan was reputed to have solved a difficult problem--that
 is, how to reach for a banana at a distance from his cage,
 when he was supplied only with two bamboo sticks, neither
 long enough to reach the banana and drag it in.  The sticks
 were hollow, or hollow enough that the end of one could be
 shoved into the other stick--creating a longer tool that
 did reach far enough to get the banana.  Sultan eventually
 did solve the problem (just above here, I should have said
 that S was "reported" to have solved....).  No psychologist
 that I know of disputes that S did this; what has been in
 dispute is how we should interpret this finding.  The late
 Kenneth Spence, a learning psychologist at the University of
 Iowa, warred with Kohler for a long time over the inter
 pretation issue; Spence developed a plausible explanation
 that did not require Kohler's notion that Sultan had
 exhibited "insight."  I can't recreate the explanation without
 looking stuff up, but again, let me know if you want details.

 3.  Sarah Boynsen, an impressive scholar at the primate
 labs at Ohio State University, is a good resource on
 ape-intelligence and ape-language issues; she has done
 fascinating work on primate cognition and she knows her
 onions when it comes to the history of psychology.  I'd
 like to insert her e-mail address here, but I must
 get out the door NOW to get to a long meeting.

 4.  We are going to see some intriguing data as the
 development of this issue and related ones unfolds.
 There are plenty of unanswered riddles.

 I will reply to e-mail or surface-mail inquiries, or
 phone calls.

 Ann B. Pratt, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of Psychology,
    Capital University, Columbus, OH 43209.
 USE HOME ADDRESS or PHONE:  1076-F Irongate Lane,
    Columbus, OH 43213
    614 864 8769
 OR USE e-mail:    apratt@capital.edu