Chimpanzee and bonobo production of combined word forms

[r0g3r]

Her favorite song is "Ode to Joy?" Impeccable taste for any primate species, including human.

[vbyuer]

How come at 7:38 Kanzi grabs the jelly even before he's told to do that?

The audio doesn't seem to be out of sync, so he must've been taught the exact command before, which means that the narrator isn't exactly telling the truth.

[PhD4NonhumanPrimates]

@vbyuer This is an interesting question and it demonstrates the difference between the now rather moldy Behaviorist thinking and more sophisticated approaches to what you and I and everyone already knows and does. Kanzi was not "conditioned" for these responses, he's deeply embeded in a human culture and his personality developed within that context. At the moment you note, he simply decided that he wasn't going to wait ... and why would he want to; there's no punishment waiting.

[vbyuer]

@PhD4NonhumanPrimates

Sorry, but I'm not sure if you got my point there. What I'm implying is that Kanzi had not received the information about the need to pour water in the jelly at the point when he was already reaching for the jar.

There is no way he would do that, unless that was something that they had already done before. And if it was something that they had already done before, it does not correspond to the words of the narrator, who said that he hasn't been trained to do any of that.

[PhD4NonhumanPrimates]

@vbyuer The more I look at this video, the more I do detect some audio quirks ... Dr. Sue is speaking to Kanzi and occasionally her mouth does not sync exactly with her words, there are times when Kanzi vocalizes that don't seem to match up, and I noticed that the Coke makes a "splashing sound" that seem out of sync with the pouring.

[PhD4NonhumanPrimates]

@vbyuer The other thing to keep in mind is that Dr. Sue may have put into the mix things that Kanzi had certainly done before with those that he had not, in order to establish a control and experimental set. One would then time how long it took Kanzi to act on previous learning and compare that to new situations. Thanks for pointing out that moment - I'll have to ask her!

[arbyarby]

I appreciate seeing this video, but you really shouldn't have a copyright watermark on it; all of this footage is (as you indicated in the end credits) from other people's work, and they hold the copyright to it. Editing together video does not give you copyright over previously produced work.

[PhD4NonhumanPrimates]

@arbyarby I understand your perspective, but please go to the main page of this channel and you'll understand a bit more. There actually are specific legal reasons that this is done - perhaps the best way to describe it is that it's a bit like how rap artists may use the back beat of one song, parts of the chorus from another, dub in a few things of their own ... it becomes an original composition - but in my case, there is much more involved.

Take care

[arbyarby]

@PhD4NonhumanPrimates I regret that I hadn't seen the attention you'd already paid to this issue before I posted; I had been looking specifically for Kanzi footage and never went to your main page. Fair use is one of those gray areas, but you've made a good argument. I will note that musicians have to pay to use recognizable samples, but of course they are all about making money and have no educational claims! Good luck and/or congratulations on your degree, and thanks for your professionalism.

[Barbaste]

It is actually Chomsky (an enemy of empirical science) who denies the possibility of animals having language, but he also denies any Darwinian evolutionary origin of language, which is like denying the Big-Bang theory, only because you don't like it. Even Pinker thinks that's crazy!

[UrbaneGent]

Thank you for posting this - I really appreciate it. It is so hard to find older studies (except for Kanzi). Why is Kanzi so overweight, that is something I find so interesting.

[PhD4NonhumanPrimates]

Kanzi is a remarkable person, but like many humans who don't really get out much, a few extra calories really add up fast. Though the Great Ape Trust has built a wonderful living environment for their apes, it will never be quite like the jungle forests of their native lands for the ability to continually roam and climb ... and the food really is much nicer in Iowa.