Alex, the African Grey Parrot, was likely one of the most demonstrably intelligent non-human animals in the world when he died prematurely in September of 2007. A final paper on his mathematical prowess has just been published, showing that the bird was likely capable adding sets of numbers in his feathery little head.
Alex came to the University of Arizona from a pet store in 1977 as part of an experiment in language comprehension. At that time, it was thought that only primates (like humans and apes) and other big-brained animals had the mental oomph required to understand the concepts underlying language: parrots could mimic sounds, but as far as the parrotsthemselves were concerned, the sounds didn’t have any meaning.
This turned out to be totally, completely wrong. Alex proved himself capable of equating language with abstract concepts. He knew colors, numbers, shapes, objects, and materials. He understood what “similar” and “different” and “none” meant, effectively comprehending “zero.” He could express thoughts and feelings in English, asking for things that he wanted, and he used words that he knew in original combinations to get his point across, at one point asking researchers (out of nowhere) what color he was, and then immediately learning the word “grey.”
via DVICE
February 22, 2012
