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Encyclopedia > Koko (gorilla)
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Koko (born July 4, 1971, in San Francisco, California) is the name of a lowland gorilla taught by Dr. Francine 'Penny' Patterson and other scientists at Stanford University to communicate with more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language[1], and understand approximately 2,000 words of spoken English[2]. She has lived most of her life in Woodside, California, but plans for a move to a sanctuary in Maui, Hawaii, are nearing attainment. She was also the inspiration for Amy the "talking" ape in the Michael Crichton novel Congo. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... San Francisco redirects here. ... Type Species Troglodytes gorilla Savage, 1847 Species Gorilla gorilla Gorilla beringei The gorilla, the largest of the primates, is a ground-dwelling herbivore that inhabits the forests of Africa. ... Dr. Francine Penny Patterson (b. ... Stanford redirects here. ... It has been suggested that ASL Grammar be merged into this article or section. ... Woodside (pop. ... Maui is also the name of the mythological demigod of various Polynesian cultures, including that of ancient Hawai‘i; see Maui (mythology). ... Michael Crichton, pronounced [1], (born October 23, 1942) is an American author, film producer, film director, and television producer. ...


Koko is short for the name Hanabi-Ko, meaning "fireworks child" in Japanese (a reference to her date of birth, the Fourth of July). Fourth of July redirects here. ...

Contents

Use of language

Some scientists assert Koko's use of signs, and her actions consistent with her use of signs, indicate she has mastered the use of sign language[1]. Others contend she does not understand the meaning behind what she is doing, but learns to complete the signs simply because the researchers reward her for doing so (indicating that her actions are the product of operant conditioning)[3][4]. However, the latter position is not consistent with the observation that Koko uses the language freely and in novel ways, even when there is no foreseeable gratification[5]. Another concern that has been raised about Koko's ability to express coherent thoughts through the use of signs is that interpretation of the gorilla's conversation is left to the handler, who may see improbable concatenations of signs as meaningful. Two sign language Intepreters working as a team for a school. ... Operant conditioning is the use of consequences to modify the occurrence and form of behavior. ...


Dr. Patterson has documented Koko inventing new signs to communicate novel thoughts. For example, she asserts that nobody taught Koko the word for "ring", therefore to refer to it she combined the words "finger" and "bracelet", hence "finger-bracelet". Similarly, she invented "drink-fruit" (melon), "water-bird" (swan) and "animal-person" (gorilla).


Criticism from some parts of the scientific community centers on the fact that while publications often appear in the popular press about Koko, scientific publications are fewer in number (though they have certainly been published[6][7]).


Such debate requires careful consideration of what it means to 'learn' or 'use' a language (see animal language for further discussion). This debate has been ongoing since the first ape sign language experiments with the chimpanzee Washoe in the 1960s. Other well-known signing apes include chimpanzee Nim Chimpsky and the orangutan, Chantek. Gorillas and bonobos (pygmy chimpanzees) are relatively adept with certain forms of communication, whereas common chimpanzees and orangutans tend toward mastery of manual skills, including brachiation. Animal language is the modeling of human language in non human animal systems. ... Type species Simia troglodytes Blumenbach, 1775 distribution of Species Pan troglodytes Pan paniscus Chimpanzee, often shortened to chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of apes in the genus Pan. ... Washoe (around September of 1965[1] - October 30, 2007) was a chimpanzee who was the first non-human to learn American Sign Language. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969. ... This article is about the biological superfamily. ... Nim Chimpsky (November 21, 1973 – March 10, 2000) was a chimpanzee who was the subject of an extended study of animal language acquisition (codenamed 6. ... This article is about the primate. ... Chantek Chantek (born December 17, 1977, at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Atlanta, Georgia) is a male orangutan who has mastered the use of a number of intellectual skills, including sign language, taught by anthropologist Dr. Lyn Miles. ... For other uses, see Bonobo (disambiguation). ... Binomial name (Blumenbach, 1775) distribution of Common Chimpanzee. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...


Koko's training began at the age of one. Dr. Patterson has assessed Koko's vocabulary at over 1,000 signs, which places her among the most proficient non-human users of language [1][unreliable source?].


Michael and Ndume

Michael, a gorilla who lived with Koko for several years, also developed a broad vocabulary of signs, over 600, but did not become as proficient as Koko before his death in 2000. Michael's caregivers believe that he witnessed and remembered his mother's death at the hands of poachers, but was unable to clearly express the event. In the PBS Nature special Koko: Conversation with a Gorilla a group of Michael's signs is interpreted to be an attempt to convey a description of his mother being shot as he watched. While it was intended that Koko and Michael might produce a baby gorilla and teach it to sign, the two saw each other as siblings and did not mate. Michael (b March 17, 1973, Cameroon, Africa - d. ... For other uses, see Death (disambiguation). ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...


Another gorilla, named Ndume, was selected by Koko from a group of videotapes shown to her by her "Mother" Penny, who played several tapes showing male apes of her species, in what may be described as an attempt at "video-dating." Despite these efforts, Koko and Ndume have also not become mates.


Koko's cats

Although not unique, Koko is one of the few non-humans known to keep pets of a different species. She has cared for several cats over the years and Koko's relationship with All Ball was featured in the 1987 book Koko's Kitten (Scholastic Press, ISBN 0-590-44425-5), which was written by Dr. Patterson. This article is about modern humans. ... This article is about animals kept for companionship. ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... Koko cuddling All Ball All Ball was the pet cat of Koko, the famous gorilla living in Woodside, California, who uses and understands American sign language. ...


Other gorillas known to have cared for pets include Toto. Toto (1931 - 1968) was a gorilla that was adopted and raised very much like a human child. ...


Koko in the media

Many documentaries have been made on Koko, including Koko: A Talking Gorilla (1977). On April 27 1998, Koko held an "online chat" live on AOL. [2] It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Chat room. ... For other uses, see AOL (disambiguation). ...


In August 2004, Koko was in the news again due to a toothache. She communicated that she was in pain, and according to her handlers was able to indicate her pain level on a scale of 1 to 10. [3]


Robin Williams did a set about his encounter with Koko in his Live on Broadway special. This article is about the American actor and comedian; for other people named Robin Williams, see Robin Williams (disambiguation). ...


Sexual harassment

Koko has been involved in several sexual harassment lawsuits.[8] At least three former employees, all female, have claimed that they were pressured into showing their breasts to Koko. They alleged that Dr. Patterson encouraged the behavior, often interpreted Koko's signs as requests for nipple display, and let them know that their job would be in danger if they "did not indulge Koko's nipple fetish." Koko has been known to playfully grab both male and female nipples without warning or provocation. Dr. Patterson claims that Koko uses the word "nipple" to refer to humans.[9] Sexual harassment is harassment or unwelcome attention of a sexual nature. ... Dr. Francine Penny Patterson (b. ...


All claims of harassment have been permanently dropped as of 21 November 2005 after the foundation and the parties involved reached a settlement.[10]


Jody Weiner, Koko's lawyer, writes about Koko and sexual harassment in Kinship With Animals.[11]


See also

It has been suggested that ASL Grammar be merged into this article or section. ... Koko cuddling All Ball All Ball was the pet cat of Koko, the famous gorilla living in Woodside, California, who uses and understands American sign language. ... Chantek Chantek (born December 17, 1977, at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Atlanta, Georgia) is a male orangutan who has mastered the use of a number of intellectual skills, including sign language, taught by anthropologist Dr. Lyn Miles. ... For other uses, see Grimms Fairy Tales. ... Dawn Prince-Hughes Dawn Prince-Hughes, Ph. ... Dr. George Schaller at a lecture in Beijing Zoo on Aug. ... Dian Fossey (January 16, 1932 – December 26, 1985) was an American zoologist who completed an extended study of eight gorilla groups. ... Research into non-human great ape language has involved teaching gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans to communicate with human beings and with each other using sign language, physical tokens, and lexigrams; see Yerkish. ... Dame Jane Goodall, DBE, PhD, (born 3 April 1934 as Valerie Jane Morris Goodall) is an English UN Messenger of Peace, primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist. ... Kanzi (born October 23, 1980), a bonobo, is one of the most most famous and accomplished linguistic apes, in research led by E. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh. ... Lana (born 1970) is a female chimpanzee, the first to be used in language research using lexigrams. ... Trinomial name Gorilla berengei berengei Matschie, 1914 The Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei[1]) is one of two species of Eastern Gorillas. ... This article is about a parrot. ... Oliver, the Humanzee. Oliver was a performing Common Chimpanzee who was once promoted as a missing link, or a Humanzee (a human-chimp hybrid). ... Panzee and Panbanisha are two apes with whom research is being carried out in the United States. ... In the field of animal cognition, the premise of David Premacks and Ann James Premacks 1983 book, The Mind of an Ape ISBN 0-393-01581-5 is that It is possible to teach language to an ape. ... Alex (1976 - September 6, 2007[1]) was an African Grey Parrot and the subject of a thirty-year (1977-2007) experiment by animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg, initially at the University of Arizona and later at Harvard and Brandeis University. ...

References

  1. ^ a b Fischer, Steven R. (1999). A History of Language. Reaktion Books, 26-28. ISBN 186189080X. 
  2. ^ Wise, Steven M. (2003). Drawing the Line: Science and the Case for Animal Rights. Basic Books, 216. ISBN 0738208108. 
  3. ^ Candland, Douglas Keith (1993). Feral Children and Clever Animals: Reflections on Human Nature. Oxford University Press US, 293-301. ISBN 0195102843. 
  4. ^ Blackmore, Susan J. (2000). The Meme Machine. Oxford University Press, 88. ISBN 019286212X. 
  5. ^ Steinberg, Danny D.; Natalia V. Sciarini (2006). An Introduction to Psycholinguistics. Pearson Education, 109-110. ISBN 0582505755. 
  6. ^ Patterson, FG. (1981). "Ape Language". Science 211 (4477): 86-88. 
  7. ^ Patterson, FG. (1978). "The gestures of a gorilla: language acquisition in another pongid.". Brain and language 5. 
  8. ^ Benham, Kelley. "Bad gorilla, Koko! Bad gorilla!", St. Petersburg Times, 2005-03-10. 
  9. ^ Are gorillas using sign language really communicating with humans?. The Straight Dope (2003-03-28).
  10. ^ Sweetingham, Lisa. "Women drop sexual harassment suit against gorilla's caretaker", CourtTV, 2005-11-25. 
  11. ^ (2006) in Michael Tobias, Kate Solisti: Kinship With Animals. Tulsa: Council Oak Books. ISBN 1571781897. 
  • Patterson and Gordon, All Apes Great and Small: African Apes, Chapter 11. ISBN 0-306-46757-7
  • See also extensive References section at Animal language.

Logo of the St. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 69th day of the year (70th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 87th day of the year (88th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Courtroom Television Network LLC, more commonly known as Court TV, is an American cable television network owned by Time Warner and Liberty Media that launched on July 1, 1991. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Animal language is the modeling of human language in non human animal systems. ...

External links

Todays San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. ... is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Online video

Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ...

  Results from FactBites:
 
Gorilla Foundation - Gorilla Intelligence and Behavior (621 words)
Koko, a female lowland gorilla born in 1971, and Michael, a male lowland gorilla born in 1973, use sign language and understand spoken English.
Koko's participation in this study began when she was one year old, and Michael's at the age of three and one-half.
Koko has a tested IQ of between 70 and 95 on a human scale, where 100 is considered "normal." Michael, the male silverback gorilla who grew up with Koko, had a working vocabulary of over 600 signs.
Koko (gorilla) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (949 words)
Koko (born July 4, 1971, in San Francisco, California) is the name of a captive, acculturated gorilla trained by Dr.
Koko is short for the name Hanabi-Ko, meaning "fireworks child" in Japanese (a reference to her date of birth, July 4).
Gorillas and bonobos (a species of chimpanzee) are relatively adept with certain forms of communication, whereas common chimpanzees and orangutans tend toward mastery of manual skills, including brachiation.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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