Posted on 11/01/2012 10:46:45 PM PDT by neverdem
Alex, an African grey parrot who died 5 years ago and was known for his ability to use English words, also understood a great deal about numbers. In a new study in this month's Cognition, scientists show that Alex correctly inferred the relationship between cardinal and ordinal numbers, an ability that has not previously been found in any species other than humans. After learning the cardinal numbers—or exact values—of one to six, Alex was taught the ordinal values (the position of a number in a list) of seven and eight—that is, he learned that six is less than seven, and seven is less than eight. He was never taught the cardinal values of seven and eight—but when tested on this, he passed with flying colors, apparently inferring, for instance, that the sound "seven" meant six plus one. In the video above of one of these experiments, comparative psychologist Irene Pepperberg of Harvard University asks Alex to pick out the set of colored blocks that equal the number seven. Play the video to hear his answer.
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(Excerpt) Read more at news.sciencemag.org ...
Even knows more math than Obama!
LOL!
He’s an African gay.
Who? Obama or the other bird brain?
Was he ever able to perform when a) his handler or handlers did not hold the tray and b) when they were not in the room?
Call me back when you've got a video of a parrot doing arithmetic with a pencil clamped in his little beak. :)
Union/Democrat mentality. The urgency of now pales in comparison to the complete control goals of the future.
Recall that Obama’s government turned away foreign oil skimming technology assistance(actual ships that would help cleanup). Mired in all that ‘government red tape’ that Obama is so willing to dispense with in this his desperate bid to stay in office.
My Golden Retriever could count to three just from my wiping off her feet before she came into the house. She could never learn four and always broke away and rushed in with one muddy foot.
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