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Irene Maxine Pepperberg (born April 1, 1949 in Brooklyn, New York) is a scientist noted for her studies in animal cognition, particularly in relation to parrots. She is an adjunct professor of psychology at Brandeis University and a lecturer at Harvard University. She is well known for her comparative studies into the cognitive fundamentals of language and communication, and was one of the first to try to work on language learning in animals other than human species. (exemplified by the Washoe project) to a bird species. Pepperberg is also active in wildlife conservation, especially in relation to parrots. == Research work == Although parrots have long been known for their capacities in vocal mimicry, Pepperberg set out to show that their vocal behavior could have the characteristics of human language. She worked intensively with a single African grey parrot, Alex,〔Pepperberg, Irene M. 2008. ''Alex & Me''.〕 and reported that he acquired a large vocabulary and used it in a sophisticated way, which is often described as similar to that of a five-year-old child. Pepperberg and her colleagues have sought to show that Alex can differentiate meaning and syntax, so that his use of vocal communication is unlike the relatively inflexible forms of "instinctive" communication that are widespread in the animal kingdom. Although such results are always likely to be controversial, and working intensively with a single animal always incurs the risk of Clever Hans effects, Pepperberg's work has strengthened the argument that humans do not hold the monopoly on the complex or semicomplex use of abstract communication. Some researchers believe that the training method that Pepperberg used with Alex, (called the model/rival technique) holds promise for teaching autistic and other learning-disabled children who have difficulty learning language, numerical concepts and empathy. When some autistic children were taught using the same methods Pepperberg devised to teach parrots, their response exceeded expectations. From work with the single subject Alex, Pepperberg and her colleagues have gone on to study additional African grey parrots, and also parrots of other species. A final evaluation of the importance of her work will probably depend on the success of these attempts to generalise it to other individuals. Alex the African grey parrot was found dead on the morning of September 6, 2007, and was seemingly healthy the previous day. On September 10, 2007, the necropsy of Alex revealed no discernible cause of death.〔(Alex the African Grey parrot and subject of landmark studies of bird intelligence dies at 31 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Irene Pepperberg」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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