The cognitive Approach- Savage Rumbaugh

Question 1

What was the aim of the study?

Answer 1

To study the human language capabilities in two pygmy chimpanzees (Kanzi + Mulika) compared to two common chimpanzees (Sherman +Austin.)

Question 2

What does the study investigate?

Answer 2

This study investigates if Bonobo’s could spontaneously understand symbols, shown on a lexigram and therefore, ‘communicate,’ with people. Training them to speak is impossible as they do not have the necessary vocal chords.
It was shown that some pygmy chimps could understand the spoken word, whereas common cannot.

Question 3

What was the Iv ?

Answer 3

Species of chimps

Question 4

What was the DV?

Answer 4

Their language acquisition

Question 5

What is a pan paniscus?

Answer 5

Pygmy chimpanzees (Kanzi + Mulika)

Question 6

What is a Pan Troglodytes

Answer 6

Common Chimps(Sherman +Austin.)

Question 7

What was the sample?

Answer 7

Kanzi = 30-47 months in the study period.
Mulika = 11-21 months 
Matata = Mother 
COMMON CHIMPS 
Sherman = No age given
Austin= No age given
Both part of earlier training programme
Washoe= produced sign language for another experiment

Question 8

What type of study was this?

Answer 8

• Longitudinal study
• In depth
• Case study, gathered over 10 year span

Question 9

What are Bonobo chimps usually depicted as?

Answer 9

A brighter and more sociable species.

Question 10

In the previous study what were the common chimps results?

Answer 10

Able to use representational learning symbol usage - only demonstrated after extensive training 1 year 1/2

Question 11

What was involved in the procedure?

Answer 11

> The Bonobo chimps had no formal training, unlike the common, and used the symbols spontaneously. The lexigram in the indoor enclosure, took reading of everything produced.
Outdoors the record was made by hand and entered into the computer each day.
Each utterance was classified as either (1) correct or incorrect (2) Spontaneous or imitated or structured.

Question 12

Why were Kanzi and Mulika tested ?

Answer 12

To ensure their performance was not due to contextual cues or inadvertent glances, like Washoe’s was discovered to be.

Question 13

What were the four tests done to ensure that Kanzi and Mulika’s understanding was truthful?

Answer 13

1. ) Photograph to lexigram
2. )Spoken English to photograph
3. )Spoken English to lexigram
4. ) Synthesised speech to lexigram.

Question 14

How many words did Kanzi learn?

Answer 14

46

Question 15

How many words did Mulika learn?

Answer 15

37

Question 16

What were the results ?

Answer 16

> Spontaneous Utterances consistently account for more than 80% of Kanzi’s single word and combination utterances
Prompted,imitated, or partially imitated utterances accounted for only 11% of Kanzis total corpus.
Mulika’s rate of spontaneous utterance production is slightly lower and the rate of imitated utterances somewhat higher.
Kanzi and Mulika’s symbol usage had been accurate the majority of the time

Question 17

What were the results of the formal tests?

was also a control!!

Answer 17

• When Sherman and Austin did the formal tests, they were initially confused as once they selected something e.g. a banana , they expected to receive it.
• Kanzi and Mulika did well on the formal tests, they were able to pick a lexigram symbol for any picture and human voice, however they struggled with the synthesised voice , but even the experimenters did.
• The formal testing took place when Kanzi was three, he was challenged to take a blind visitor around the enclosure. They had to name any area of the enclosure, in spoken english, and Kanzi would direct them. He was able to do this easily. Mulika was not given this test as she did not like to travel without Kanzi.

Question 18

What were the results of the formal tests?

Answer 18

• When Sherman and Austin did the formal tests, they were initially confused as once they selected something e.g. a banana , they expected to receive it.
• Kanzi and Mulika did well on the formal tests, they were able to pick a lexigram symbol for any picture and human voice, however they struggled with the synthesised voice , but even the experimenters did.
• The formal testing took place when Kanzi was three, he was challenged to take a blind visitor around the enclosure. They had to name any area of the enclosure, in spoken english, and Kanzi would direct them. He was able to do this easily. Mulika was not given this test as she did not like to travel without Kanzi.

Question 19

How does the study relate to the nature versus nurture debate?

Answer 19

Sherman and Austin learnt through
imitation and reinforcement - nurture.

But Kanzi’s difference suggests that her 
species can spontanous acquire language 
– suggesting a maturation process (but 
somewhat slower than humans) - 
nature

Question 20

What were the strengths of Savage-Rumbaugh?

Answer 20

• Both qualitative + quantitative data
• The study helps us understand our closest
  evolutionary relations. This and subsequent
  work in the field of apes has great scientific
  value – in understanding our own origins. It
  also helps to highlight the importance of
  conserving their home habitat.
• Longitudinal study = in depth data
• High ecological validity = roaming (however not natural environment.)
• Data gathered under rigorous controls.
  > Formal tests less likely to be subject bias
  >Data=qualitative/quantitative = Concurrent Validity

Question 21

What were the weaknesses of Savage-Rumbaugh?

Answer 21

• Ethical nature can be questioned as it seems cruel to test animals in such a formal way.
• Generalisation of small population - not normal bonobo

Question 22

What is concurrent validity?

Answer 22

New measure test scores are correlated with those from an established valid test.

Question 23

General Discussion

Answer 23

> Common chimpanzees showed no understanding of spoken English and were more likely to generalise and use symbols interchangeably within categories - this was also observed with Washoe (Gardner and Gardner)
In contrast, Kanzi and Mulika could discriminate between items within a category.(juice/coke)

Question 24

How many non initiative word combinations were produced by Kanzi?

Answer 24

Over 2500

Question 25

Outdoor environment ?

Answer 25

55 acres of forest , 17 food locations, must travel to set food location for a specific food type e.g. bananas in a tree house, peaches to look at
Kanzi learned where all the food was located
He could select a food from photos on the ground + could guide someone there.

Question 26

Differences between S/A and K/M

Answer 26

S+A required much training
K+M acquired language with greater ease
K+M were able to respond to spoken English without contextual cues.
K+M spontaneously learned to differentiate between specific words (e.g. juice and coke.)
K could direct someone else to do something
(request A to act on a B.)

Question 27

Differences between S/A and K/M

Answer 27

S+A required much training
K+M acquired language with greater ease
K+M were able to respond to spoken English without contextual cues.
K+M spontaneously learned to differentiate between specific words (e.g. juice and coke.)
K could direct someone else to do something
(request A to act on a B.)

Question 28

What was the control?

Answer 28

4.5 hours of interaction was video taped without the researchers knowledge
100% agreement on symbols used by Kanzi
One disagreement over spontaneous use

Question 29

How old was Kanzi when he first used the lexigram keyboard?

Answer 29

2 1/2

Question 30

What symbols could Kanzi identify by using lexigrams without training?

Answer 30

apple and banana

Question 31

How many food locations were there in Kanzi’s outdoor environment?

Answer 31

17

Question 32

what was Kanzi’s symbol use recorded as?

Answer 32

correct. incorrect, spontaneous, imitation.

Question 33

How was Kanzi’s symbol use recorded outdoors?

Answer 33

by notes from the observer.

Question 34

Give two pieces of evidence that Kanzi understood language?

Answer 34

• Understood spoken language

- Could identify words on the lexigram that people spoke to him without prompt .

Question 35

One way researchers recorded Kanzi’s symbol acquisition?

Answer 35

On a lexigram /keyboard whilst researcher watched them