![]() ![]() Stella’s videos are less about her than they are about us. For instance, she once explained that Koko didn’t really mean to sign nipple during a public event, but instead signed it to represent something that sounds similar, like the word people. ![]() Penny Patterson, handler of famed gorilla Koko, would often “interpret” for Koko. People have spent decades training chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas to “speak” using sign language or soundboards similar to Stella’s buttons, and while primates have demonstrated an impressive ability to sign words or press soundboard buttons, researchers have pointed out flaws in those animals’ trainers’ extraordinary claims. ![]() There’s a long and storied history of animal enthusiasts and researchers trying to teach language to animals-in particular, to our cousins in the primate family, who, scientists reasoned, are most likely to share our language abilities. As a former cognitive scientist, though, I wondered what’s actually happening in these videos. I’m no dog expert, so all I can say is that Stella is a very good girl and she deserves all the treats, belly rubs, and outside time she desires. ![]()
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