Irene Pepperberg, PhD is a Research Associate and Lecturer at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Pepperberg’s work is in the field of animal cognition, specifically African Grey parrots. The main focus of her work is to determine the cognitive and communicative abilities of these birds, and compare their abilities with those of great apes, marine mammals, and young children. She is studying the mechanisms of their learning as well as the outcomes.
In 1977, Dr. epperberg began her work with Alex, her first Grey parrot research subject. For 30 years, Irene and Alex investigated concepts such as shapes, colors, size, and numbers, revolutionizing what the world knows about avian cognition. Following in his footsteps are the Grey parrots, Griffin and Athena. Currently, Dr. Pepperberg’s work is entirely supported by The Alex Foundation. Visit The Alex Foundation website or their Facebook page.
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