Alex, the famous grey Amazon parrot, passed away unexpectedly last week at the age of 31. As a psych major in college, I saw numerous videos about this remarkable bird and his many talents in my cognitive psychology classes. He knew 100 English words and could count and distinguish colors and shapes. In my favorite clip, someone sprayed him with a water bottle, to which he squawked happily "shower!" He was thought to have the mental capabilities of a five year old. An online video of Alex is available from Scientific American Frontiers.
Dr. Irene Pepperburg purchased Alex from a pet store and began teaching him for her cognitive research at several universities, most recently Brandeis University and Harvard. His achievements seemed to indicate that he was able to learn and communicate with humans rather than just mimic what he heard. However, there is some controversy about just what his abilities meant. For more on the fascinating topic of Alex and animal cognition in general, check out the following titles:
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2 comments:
I saw the article in the newspaper but didn't have time to read it, so I enjoyed the Alex blog.
It is good that you got to read this story here and enjoy it. Thank you for reading our blog!
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