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mapsco1984 's review for:
Alex & Me
by Irene M. Pepperberg
Picked this book up because of my interest in language acquisition and because we discussed in my neuropsych class the research on animal language, and this was used as an example.
Other than a STUNNING misunderstanding of behaviorist theory and the uses of operant conditioning, as well as the limitations of teaching by modeling (some animals just don't respond to modeling, so it's not an option), this was a pretty good book. Didn't go into as much detail as I wanted, and didn't give me much on Alex's brain and how he could do what he could without a developed frontal lobe and pre-frontal cortex, but it was a quick read. There was some sentimentalism (seriously, you think the bird said he was sorry because he felt remorse? Even humans don't do that as often as we'd like to think. How would he know the abstract emotional/cognitive meaning behind "sorry?" Saying sorry had a FUNCTION and he used it effectively.) but mixed in with the scientific achievements I found interesting -- even if I did interpret them from my own psychology/behaviorist mindset as opposed to the ones she gave.
And -- thank goodness -- there was MUCH less focus on her personal life and travails, unlike the Dewey book, in which the story was 80% about the author, 20% charming stories about Dewey.
Other than a STUNNING misunderstanding of behaviorist theory and the uses of operant conditioning, as well as the limitations of teaching by modeling (some animals just don't respond to modeling, so it's not an option), this was a pretty good book. Didn't go into as much detail as I wanted, and didn't give me much on Alex's brain and how he could do what he could without a developed frontal lobe and pre-frontal cortex, but it was a quick read. There was some sentimentalism (seriously, you think the bird said he was sorry because he felt remorse? Even humans don't do that as often as we'd like to think. How would he know the abstract emotional/cognitive meaning behind "sorry?" Saying sorry had a FUNCTION and he used it effectively.) but mixed in with the scientific achievements I found interesting -- even if I did interpret them from my own psychology/behaviorist mindset as opposed to the ones she gave.
And -- thank goodness -- there was MUCH less focus on her personal life and travails, unlike the Dewey book, in which the story was 80% about the author, 20% charming stories about Dewey.