{"id":35343,"date":"2022-07-13T15:32:08","date_gmt":"2022-07-13T20:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/?p=35343"},"modified":"2025-10-08T13:42:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T18:42:02","slug":"inside-dr-pepperbergs-lab-alexs-numerical-abilities-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/inside-dr-pepperbergs-lab-alexs-numerical-abilities-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Dr. Pepperberg’s Lab: Alex\u2019s Numerical Abilities \u2014 Part II"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"African
Figure 1. Alex being shown a tray of objects for a comprehension task; the question would be, e.g., \u201cWhat color 5?\u201d Courtesy of Dr. Irene Pepperberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, if you\u2019ve read our June article<\/a>, you know that Alex understood how to vocally produce the appropriate number label when questioned \u201cHow many X?\u201d about a particular set of objects \u2014 even when they were a subset of a huge collection. His use of symbols definitely gave him an advantage over other nonhumans who lacked such symbols. But true understanding of number \u2014 and of counting \u2014 is a much more complex behavior, as we shall see!<\/p>\n

Specifically, although it might seem from the previous studies that Alex truly understood the meaning of his symbolic number labels, we couldn\u2019t be sure that such was the case. Previous studies with apes and their use of symbolic labels demonstrated that a separation could exist between production and comprehension (see Savage-Rumbaugh et al., 1980).<\/p>\n

Number Comprehension In Children<\/h3>\n

Correct production of number labels for a given set certainly did not ensure comprehension for children: Researchers working with young children (e.g., Wynn, 1990) had initially thought that production and comprehension of number labels were acquired simultaneously \u2014 until they tested children who succeeded on number production on a task that involved comprehension instead of production. Here children were given a big bowl of items (like marbles) and told, \u201cGive me X,\u201d where X was a number from 1 to 6. Many children failed here \u2014 for numbers greater than 1 or 2, they would just grab a handful and give that to the experimenter! So, we had to test Alex on the same type of task.<\/p>\n

“Simple Task” Not So Simple<\/h3>\n

Because Alex couldn\u2019t pick up sets of objects the same way that children could, we gave him a variation of the production task involving collections of subsets. Here he saw a collection of three separate sets of items, and we asked about the color or material of a specific set (see Fig. 1. Note that usually the objects were of different sizes so that he couldn\u2019t use mass or contour to make his discrimination). We would show him three sets of the same object in different colors (or three sets of different objects in the same color) and, for example, ask \u201cWhat color\/object (is the set of) six?\u201d<\/p>\n

This task may seem simple, but it isn\u2019t: The procedure required that he comprehend the auditorially presented symbolic numeral label (e.g., \u201c6\u201d) and use its meaning to direct a search for the exact amount specified by that label (e.g., six things). This tested whether he knew exactly what a set of \u201cX\u201d individual items was, even when intermixed with other items representing different numerical sets. To be correct, he couldn\u2019t make approximations. For example, he couldn’t label a set of five objects \u201csix\u201d or \u201cfour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike the young children, Alex succeeded: He was correct 88% of the time over 66 trials, and made no errors on his first 10 trials. His performance suggested that he was not learning the task, and he immediately understood what to do. His later errors may have occurred because he was bored and had stopped fully attending to the task.<\/p>\n

Remember, the objects were his first reward, and these were old toys that probably were no longer particularly interesting. Too, most of his errors were not number-related, but involved colors that he might visually confuse (e.g., orange and red, because parrots see in the UV), or labels that sounded alike (e.g., \u201cwool\u201d and \u201cwood\u201d). So, we knew that he really did understand the meaning of his number labels. Note, however, that we had to answer many more questions before we could argue that he could actually count. I\u2019ll explain this in a future article.<\/p>\n

An Unexpected Finding<\/h3>\n

This comprehension study was even more interesting than we had planned. It led to an unexpected, additional finding. The behavior occurred on the 10th trial within the first dozen. Alex was asked \u201cWhat color 3?\u201d to a set of two, three, and six objects. He replied \u201cfive.\u201d The questioner asked twice more; each time he replied \u201cfive.\u201d The questioner didn\u2019t quite know what to make of Alex\u2019s response, as there was clearly no set of five items on the tray. She finally said \u201cOK, Alex, tell me, what color 5?\u201d Alex immediately responded \u201cnone.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had learned to state \u201cnone\u201d if no category (color, shape, or material) was same or different when queried about similarity or difference for two objects (Pepperberg, 1988). He spontaneously transferred this response to \u201cWhat color bigger?\u201d for two objects of identical size in a study of relative size (Pepperberg & Brezinsky 1991). Alex had never been taught the concept of absence of quantity nor to respond to absence of an exemplar \u2014 only to absence of a feature. Note that he not only provided the correct response, but also set up the situation himself! Had he, on his own, devised a zero-like concept? And had he figured out how to manipulate his trainer so that he could be asked a question that he<\/em> wanted to answer?<\/p>\n

Testing Alex For Zero-Like Concept<\/h3>\n

We tested the first possibility by randomly inserting trials with respect to the absence of each possible number to ensure that this situation was not an odd happenstance. He was correct on 5\/6 such trials, and his one error was to give a color that was not on the tray (sort of correct, in that the color was absent, but\u2026). Clearly, his first response was not mere chance. He understood something about the concept.<\/p>\n

We really couldn\u2019t figure out how to test the second possibility. Were it true, it would imply some level of advanced consciousness \u2014 and that<\/em> is something researchers don\u2019t entirely understand even with respect to humans!<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Alex\u2019s use of \u201cnone\u201d for the purpose of a zero-like concept was unexpected and impressive for at least four reasons (Pepperberg & Gordon, 2005).<\/p>\n

First, labeling what is called a \u201cnull\u201d set (one with nothing in it), whether by \u201czero\u201d or \u201cnone\u201d, is a fairly recent human development (i.e., around 1500s; Bialystok & Codd, 2000). That Alex, with a walnut-sized brain whose ancestral evolutionary history with humans likely dates from the dinosaurs, represented zero, even if not in a manner identical to that of humans, is striking.<\/p>\n

Second, the notion of none <\/em>is abstract and relies on the violation of expectation of presence. You can\u2019t acknowledge that something is absent unless you expect<\/em> it to exist \u2014 and that again demonstrates quite an advanced level of cognition. Too, even though Alex already associated \u201cnone\u201d with absence of similarity and difference and lack of a size difference, the ability to transfer the notion across domains to quantity, without training or prompting, is quite amazing. No other nonhuman had done so spontaneously.<\/p>\n

Third, if parrots represent quantity as do children, then his use of zero\/none should not yet have appeared (Wellman & Miller, 1986). Children may have a none\/nothing concept before learning <\/em>that this quantity has a special label, \u201czero\u201d, but do not use existing labels to express it. Unlike the apes in earlier studies (see Biro & Matsuzawa, 2001), Alex was not taught \u201czero\u201d but, rather, deliberately \u2014 on his own \u2014 used \u201cnone\u201d in a number comprehension task.<\/p>\n

Finally, and likely most importantly, he initiated the topic. He repeatedly stated \u201cfive\u201d when asked about \u201cthree.\u201d When asked about the nonexistent \u201cfive,\u201d he responded appropriately. But how did he figure this out? To this day, we still do not know.<\/p>\n

Thus, as usual, Alex\u2019s abilities raised more questions than they did answers. Nevertheless, even if we couldn\u2019t figure out how he made the cognitive leap, we could learn more about his understanding of the concept. Specifically, how closely did his notion of \u201cnone\u201d match children\u2019s and animals\u2019 understanding of zero? Stand by for the next installment!<\/p>\n

References<\/em><\/p>\n

Bialystok E., & Codd, J. (2000). Representing quantity beyond whole numbers: some, none and part. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 54, 117\u2013128.<\/em><\/p>\n

Biro, D., & Matsuzawa, T. (2001). Use of numerical symbols by the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes): Cardinals, ordinals, and the introduction of zero. Animal Cognition, 4, 193\u2013199.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pepperberg, I.M. (1988). Comprehension of \u2018absence\u2019 by an African Grey parrot: learning with respect to questions of same\/different. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 50, 553\u2013564.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pepperberg, I.M., & Brezinsky, M.V. (1991). Acquisition of a relative class concept by an African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus): Discriminations based on relative size. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 286\u2013294.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pepperberg, I.M., & Gordon, J.D. (2005). Number comprehension by a Grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus), including a zero-like concept. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 119, 197\u2013209.<\/em><\/p>\n

Savage-Rumbaugh, E.S., Rumbaugh, D.M., & Boysen, S. (1980). Do apes use language? American Scientist, 68, 49\u201361.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wellman, H.M., & Miller, K.F. (1986). Thinking about nothing: development of concepts of zero. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 4, 31\u201342.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wynn, K. (1990). Children\u2019s understanding of counting. Cognition, 36, 155\u2013193.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In her latest blog, Dr. Irene Pepperberg takes us back to when Alex, her African grey prot\u00e9g\u00e9, and his numerical abilities: The challenge this time required that Alex comprehend the auditorially presented symbolic numeral label (e.g. \u201c6\u201d) and use its meaning to direct a search for the exact amount specified by that label (e.g. six things); that is, know exactly what a set of \u201cX\u201d individual items is, even when intermixed with other items representing different numerical sets, and he couldn\u2019t just make approximations like label a set of five objects as \u201csix\u201d or \u201cfour.\u201d Read on to see why, compared to young children on a similar task, Alex was more successful, and how this study led to an unexpected additional finding. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":35344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81,211,171],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-behavior","category-editor-choice","category-everyday"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nInside Dr. Pepperberg's Lab: Alex\u2019s Numerical Abilities \u2014 Part II – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Alex the African grey's numerical abilities are compared to young children on a similar task and lead to an unexpected additional finding.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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You can help Dr. Pepperberg continue the groundbreaking parrot research she began more than 30 years ago with Alex, the African grey parrot who won admirers from around the world with his cognitive abilities. If you shop online through sites such as Amazon.com, you can designate the Alex Foundation to receive a percentage of your final sales, or register with the Alex Foundation at iGive.com and a percentage of sales from companies associated with iGive will go to the foundation. The Alex Foundation also has a \u201cDonate\u201d button linked to PayPal. Visit\u00a0The Alex Foundation\u00a0and click on the \u201cSupport Us\u201d link for more information. 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You can help Dr. Pepperberg continue the groundbreaking parrot research she began more than 30 years ago with Alex, the African grey parrot who won admirers from around the world with his cognitive abilities. If you shop online through sites such as Amazon.com, you can designate the Alex Foundation to receive a percentage of your final sales, or register with the Alex Foundation at iGive.com and a percentage of sales from companies associated with iGive will go to the foundation. The Alex Foundation also has a \u201cDonate\u201d button linked to PayPal. Visit\u00a0The Alex Foundation\u00a0and click on the \u201cSupport Us\u201d link for more information. Read more about the lab at The Alex Foundation Facebook page and at The Alex Foundation Twitter account.","url":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/author\/irene\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35343"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35343\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45545,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35343\/revisions\/45545"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}