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| Using Hierarchical Complexity to Determine How "Smart" Animals Are |
| Tuesday, May 26, 2009 |
| 9:30 AM–10:50 AM |
| North 132 BC |
| Area: DEV; Domain: Theory |
| Chair: Darlene E. Crone-Todd (Salem State College) |
| Discussant: Kirsti Rinkus (University of California at Irvine) |
| Abstract: A problem in comparative psychology is the lack of a good systematic method for comparing how "smart" different animals are. In this symposium we propose a general model for approaching this problem . The first presentation introduces the Model of Hierarchical Complexity and describes its utility in this area. Within the model, tasks can be ordered as to their hierarchical complexity. Stages of the animal may be determined by successful completion of the ordered task in a non-arbitrary manner. An animal species is characterized by the highest stage of performance observed with any amount of training on it best task series. The second presentation examines various animals performing sentential stage 5 actions . The task performance of African grey parrots and crows are used to illustrate the usefulness of the Model of Hierarchical Complexity in determining “how smart” they are. The third presentation examines animals performing preoperational stage 6 sequences. The task performance of Rhesus Monkeys is compared to that of preschool children. Concluding the symposium, there will be a general discussion of the usefulness of the Model of Hierarchical Complexity for comparing animal behavior and it’s possible relevance to future endeavors in this area. |
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| Using Hierarchical Complexity to Determine How "Smart" Animals Are |
| MICHAEL LAMPORT COMMONS (Harvard Medical School), Patrice Marie Miller (Salem State College) |
| Abstract: A problem in comparative psychology is the lack of good way to compare how "smart" different animals are. Here, we set forth a general and powerful means. The Model of Hierarchical Complexity (MHC) posits that tasks can be ordered as to their hierarchical complexity. The Model also may measure the stages of animal behavior on this absolute scale. It does so by taking the actions that animals and humans engage in, and ordering them. Stage of performance has the same number and name as the corresponding order of hierarchical complexity of the task it correctly completes. An animal species is characterized by the highest stage of performance observed with any amount of training on it best task series. Some animals perform up to the concrete stage, about what 8 to 10-year-old children do. Examples at the sentential stage 5 and preoperational stage 6 show how the Model of Hierarchical Complexity can be used to show how “smart” different animals are. |
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| Sentential Stage 5 |
| MICHAEL LAMPORT COMMONS (Harvard Medical School), Patrice Marie Miller (Salem State College) |
| Abstract: African grey parrots utter and understand two-word sentences indicating a meaning that cannot be expressed with one word (Pepperberg, 2000). This includes numbers, signs, and utterances that may be said in order. When Alex counted two objects, "one, two" such multi-word utterances reflect a non-arbitrary organization of nominal labels and words. In fact, Alex said numbers up to 6 in order. Weir, Chappell & Kacelnik (2002) observed New Caledonian crows performing a sentential stage 5 sequence of two nominal stage 4 representations. The first nominal stage 4 action is seeing the bend in the tube as an obstacle to using a straight wire. This requires a sensory-motor stage 3 conceptual action of the crow seeing the wire as a pusher of food out of the tube. The crow then looks at the bend in the tube and then bends a wire. Making the bent tool is the second nominal stage 4 task, representing the concept of the bend. Sticking the bent wire into the bent tube and snaking it around the bend is the next action. Reaching the food and getting it is the last action. The non-arbitrary organization of the nominal stage actions into a more complex action places it at the sentential order of complexity. |
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| Preoperational Stage 6 |
| PATRICE MARIE MILLER (Salem State College), Michael Lamport Commons (Harvard Medical School) |
| Abstract: Preoperations takes actions that are at the sentential order and organizes them. In some animals or preschoolers this may be seen when they apply ordinal rules to novel numerosities of objects in a line, that is counting, as seen in children and monkeys. In children, the objects in rows may be counted. The last count may be called 5, five, cinco, etc. Brannon & Terrace (1999) trained Rhesus Monkeys to respond to the larger number of symbols (e.g. square, circle in a two line display; displays of different numbers of objects ranged from 1 to 4. Also, at the preoperational order, chimps have been observed to put nuts onto flat stones, called anvil stones, and hit them with smaller stones, called hammer stones, to crack them. This was categorized as being at the preoperational order because it is a (story-like) sequence that is tied to reality: get a stone that would seem to work as a hammer stone, get a stone that would seem to work as an anvil stone, put nut on the anvil stone and whack it with the hammer stone. |
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