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SYCHOUT
ISSUE 14
FEATURE THEME
Animal Cognition
02
SYCHOUT
CONTENTS
FEATURES
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM
06 AN OCTOPUS?
09 HUMAN AND ANIMAL
COMMUNICATION
15
INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVE
Lucy Stafford interviews Professor Katie Slocombe to hear about her latest
PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION research.
FEATURE
Kitty Butterworth compares the
12 UNLOCKED GRADUATES communication of animals and
humans.
09
INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVE
15
PROFESSOR KATIE
SLOCOMBE
12 06
PSYCHOLOGY FEATURE
IN ACTION Marysia Witczak discusses the
Nicole Collingwood explains hit Netflix documentary "My
what psychology students can Octopus Teacher".
gain from joining an Unlocked
Graduates programme.
JOIN US ON TWITTER @PSYCHOUTYORK
03
SYCHOUT
Meet the
team
Editors
Lucy Stafford, Hattie Jones
Feature Writers
Kitty Butterworth, Marysia Witczak
Psychology in Action Writer
Nicole Collingwood
Interview Exclusive Writer
Lucy Stafford
Staff Supervisor
Alex Reid
Social Media Manager
Tara Boyd
WRITE FOR PSYCHOUT
No writing experience is required! Email Lucy
Stafford at ls1730@york.ac.uk
DISCLAIMER
Please note, this magazine is written and edited
by students of the Department of Psychology at
the University of York. Views reflect the position
of our individual writers and are not the official
position of the University or Department.
PsychOut does not own any of the images in this
publication, All rights belong to the respective
owners and Canva.
JOIN US ON TWITTER @PSYCHOUTYORK
04
EDITOR'S NOTE
This issue explores animal cognition, with articles focusing on
15
what we can learn from an octopus, the advancement of
animal communication, and the research of Professor Katie
Slocombe. This issue also includes an article about the
opportunities offered by Unlocked Graduates.
06
09
12
As you've probably guessed from the cover, this issue of PsychOut is all
about animal cognition.
The scope of this issue is wide; from what we can learn from octopuses,
to postgraduate plans with Unlocked Graduates! PsychOut also features
the advancements in animal communication and an interview with one
PREVIOUS
of York's very own lecturers who details her experience as a researcher in
comparative psychology. We would like to thank all the writers for their
outstanding contribution to this newest issue of PsychOut and can't wait
ISSUES
to publish more of their work. We would also like to give special thanks
to Katie Slocombe for agreeing to be interviewed for this issue. Find past issues of
PsychOut at:
We hope all our readers are well and staying positive! https://www.york.ac.uk/ps
ychology/news-and-
LUCY STAFFORD & HATTIE JONES
events/psychoutstudent
Editors magazine/
All references from this
issue are also available
online.
JOIN US ON TWITTER @PSYCHOUTYORK
05
Features
ISSUE 14
LEARNING FROM AN OCTOPUS
ANIMAL AND HUMAN COMMUNICATION
LEARNING FROM AN HUMAN AND ANIMAL
OCTOPUS COMMUNICATION
A discussion of the Netflix JOIN US ON TWITTER A comparison of
documentary "My Octopus @PSYCHOUTYORK communication.
Teacher".
06
What can we learn
from an Octopus?
BY MARYSIA WITCZAK
In the Netflix documentary “My Octopus teacher”
Craig Foster describes his incredible friendship with
an octopus living in the ocean waters just north of
Australia. Day by day, he gained her trust and was
introduced to the incredible underwater world. He
observed that during hunting the octopus was
strategic and her actions seemed to be well
thought out. On the other hand, when the water
was calm, she would play with fish or show him
around the area.
Craig was mesmerized and shocked that an animal
so seemingly simple could show emotions and
personality. The unique experience turned out to
be therapeutic for the diver. In the same way that
Craig Foster was taught a lesson about himself,
maybe these almost alien like animals can teach us
something about us as a species and our evolution.
Let’s start by taking a look at the octopuses’ nervous
system. How much truth is there to the statement
that octopuses have 9 brains? Although the
sentence is not entirely false, the idea of nine brains
is a generous exaggeration. Octopuses have one of
the most complex nervous systems within the
mollusc phylum, composed of the central brain
and eight ganglia structures that process
information and provide feedback to each arm
(Fabris, 2018).
It is said that the compartmentalization of the
brain evolved to avoid the overload of the central
circuits (Schnell et al., 2020), Hence, there was
some room left for the development of complex
cognitive functions. Due to an early evolutionary
split between vertebrates and invertebrates, human
cognition is said to have developed independently.
Interestingly just like us and other mammals,
cephalopods exhibit signs of highly developed
perception, learning, and memory abilities (Schnell
et al., 2020). The question is, how can these
seemingly simple animals perform complex
cognition tasks?
07
Even on YouTube, one can find Additionally, octopuses as a foraging challenges, the lack of
multiple videos of octopuses nocturnal animal are known to a natural shield may be the
opening jars and escaping dislike strong, bright light. main drive for octopuses to
tanks. However, the extent to Multiple labs have reported the invest in the brain.
which this behaviour can be animals learning how to turn
classified as complex is the lights off using water One of the examples can be
debatable. It might be baubles (Fabris, 2018). Such found in a 2009 paper which
impressive, but jars and tanks behaviours are especially showed octopuses creating
closely resemble rock exciting because they are signs portable homes out of empty
structures from the bottom of of incredible adaptation skills coconut shells found at the
the ocean (Fabris, 2018). and perception in octopuses. bottom of the ocean. In case of
a sudden shark attack, octopus
More interestingly, in the book Scientists have would hide between two
“Other Minds”, the author hypothesised that the loss of a nutshells to avoid being eaten
describes incidents where hard, protective shell is the (Finn et al., 2009).
octopuses seemed to like reason for the development of
some keepers more than more advanced cognitive skills The shells would even be carried
others. Similarly, research has in octopuses (Schnell et al., around when predators were
found that octopuses were 2020). The lack of a natural not present. This suggests that
able to discriminate between shield causes animals to be octopuses can plan for the
two individuals wearing the more vulnerable to predatory future, and even have object
same uniforms. attacks. Thus, along with permanence abilities.
08
ONCE AGAIN,
OCTOPUSES
STRIKE US WITH
THEIR
REMARKABLE
CURIOSITY, AND
FORCE US TO
QUESTION IF WE
MIGHT HAVE
MORE IN
COMMON THAN
WE THINK
Let’s go back to behaviours towards food and Lego What can these incredible
Daniel's description of the blocks. animals teach us about
octopuses’ playful side. Theories ourselves? Even though it
about play behaviour usually Moreover, the effect of age on the remains unknown whether the
describe play as a way of play behaviour was not observed, behaviour is driven by complex
learning amongst social animals showing that octopuses, regardless cognition or simpler neurological
(Pearce, 2008). Thus, it is less of age, interact with objects (Kuba mechanisms, the studies on
commonly observed in et al., 2006). octopuses can help us
invertebrates, especially because understand the evolution of
of the lack of social relationships. Findings of another study also cognition as well as intelligence.
suggest that octopuses vary in their
However, once again, our distant aggression, avoidance, arousal, and The current understanding of
alien-like relatives surprise us. engagement (Sinn et al., 2001). conscious experience may also
Studies have shown that Once again, octopuses strike us be challenged. It is exciting to
octopuses can discriminate with their remarkable curiosity, and look at how the fields of
between food and non-food force us to question if we might evolutionary and comparative
objects as they display different have more in common than we psychology can expand thanks
think. to these mysterious animals.
09
ADVANCEMENT THE
AND COMMUNICATION OF
SURVIVAL: ANIMALS AND
HUMANS
BY KITTY BUTTERWORTH
The scientific comparison between
humans and primates feels to most an
age-old one. Ever since the publication
of Darwin’s theory of evolution,
scientists have studied the biological
and ethological similarities between
animals and humans. However, two key
areas of comparison remain
unexplored: the similarities and
differences between the forms of
communication learnt by animals and
babies in the early stages of
development, and the possibility for
primates to learn more advanced forms
of communication such as language.
To discover the potential for
advancement in animal development, it
is essential to understand the process
by which animals learn communicative Extensive research into human cognitive
and cognitive skills compared to development has unearthed several complex
humans. Extensive research into human
theories, such as Piaget’s five universal stages of
cognitive development has unearthed
several complex theories, such as development, in which children learn skills such as
Piaget’s five universal stages of object permanence and conservation, and
development, in which children learn Vygotsky’s explanation of the importance of
skills such as object permanence and
sociocultural context
conservation, and Vygotsky’s
explanation of the importance of
sociocultural context. The theory that
can be applied to animal
development is the social learning
theory. The three stages of the theory-
observation, vicarious reinforcement,
and imitation, the process by which
some theorise children develop skills
such as non-verbal communication-
can be mirrored against the way
primates acquire communication skills
necessary for survival. Chimps are a
prime example of this concept.
Studying their behaviour, both in their
natural habitat and a laboratory
environment , has revealed the
10
significance of observation in infants. Other primates, such as demonstrated in Gibson and
their learning of communication Washoe, who learned 350 signs of Walk’s (1960) study as chicks,
and cognitive skills. Chimps ASL, and even non-primate goats and lambs, as little as one
create a large number of unique, animals, such as dolphins, have day old, refused to step onto the
non-verbal gestures to generated the same results. This “deep side” of the visual cliff, and
communicate and they have suggests that it is possible for adopted a defence position when
been shown to adapt these animals to learn forms of human placed directly on it. This
gestures for their benefit. For communication. demonstrates that animals can
example, a study conducted at However, their ability is limited. develop critical cognitive skills,
the Primate Research Institute Attempts to teach Kanzi, Washoe sometimes earlier than humans,
found that chimps were able to and other primates spoken as human infants do not develop
abandon an inefficient method of language, the upmost form of this ability until they are mobile.
drinking from a carton in favour human communication, have all Animals can also make effective
of a more efficient one after been unsuccessful. Even tools to access food
observing members of their immersive experiments, in which earlier in development than
group using it. Hence, the process a chimp was raised in a humans.
by which they learn can be human family and had extensive
directly compared to social speech therapy, have yielded no
learning; chimps observed an significant results. This inability is
unfamiliar method, and the attributed to anatomical
reward that was obtained (a incompatibilities; while humans Kanzi, a bonobo
higher amount of juice) can control the movement of the
encouraged them to imitate that larynx in order to produce speech, chimp who was able
behaviour in order to get the animals lack this ability. This
same reward. Directly discovering means that without physical
to communicate with
the cognitive process behind this interference, it is unlikely animals humans using a
change is impossible due to producing fluent speech will ever
communication barriers, but if be a possibility. lexigram and
this process is the one by which
humans cognitively develop, it To most, this may be clear American Sign
hints at a greater similarity evidence that animals have
between humans and primates inferior cognitive abilities Language,
than previously assumed. compared to humans. However, a
apparently
better conclusion is that both
This preliminary finding suggests species have evolved to favour understanding the
that there are inherent similarities skills that benefit their chances of
between how humans and survival, and are most frequently meaning of up to
animals learn, and evidence to needed. For humans,
some that animals could develop spoken language is vital- it allows 3,000 words
to a humanlike level of us to form relationships, access
communication. Attempts to resources, and function in society-
teach primates sign language but for animals it is not. While
have proven largely successful. human babies have the It would be unjust to
One of the most famous instinctive urge to cooperate with say animals are cognitively inferior
examples remains Kanzi, a others, animals do not. Humans to humans, or under-developed.
bonobo chimp who was able to also have innate cognitive Whilst they may not have access
communicate with humans using capacity of joint attention and to the same levels of
a lexigram and American Sign understanding of others communication, their cognitive
Language, apparently communicative intentions, while abilities are in many ways equal
understanding the meaning of up animals also do not. Instead, their to and even exceed us. The skills
to 3,000 words. Kanzi’s survival depends on cognitive that we see in animals have
knowledge extended to not only skills that allow them to adapt to evolved to improve their chances
the comprehension of singular dangerous habitats. of survival. Thus, animal
words, but also sentences and Depth perception is one of these communication is as equally valid
word order. Thus, she could skills and thus it is evidence in and essential as human
communicate better than human young animals. This was communication.11
Psychology
ISSUE 14
in Action
U
UNLOCKED GRADUATES
AWARD-WINNING
TWO-YEAR COMPLETE A FULLY-
LEADERSHIP FUNDED, BESPOKE
DEVELOPMENT JOIN US ON TWITTER
MASTER’S DEGREE.
PROGRAMME @PSYCHOUTYORK12
UNLOCKED
GRADUATES Written by
Unlocked student
ambassador, Nicole
Collingwood
Forty-eight percent of prison
inmates go on to reoffend within
a year of their release (Newton,
May, Eames, & Ahmad, 2019). This
reoffending is estimated to cost
UK taxpayers £18.1 billion a year
(Newton et al., 2019). But
offending impacts more than just
the economy; there is also a
human cost. Thirty-eight percent
of the average monthly prison
population reported having
difficulties with their mental
health or wellbeing when
surveyed (National Audit Office,
2017) and in 2016, suicide rates in
English and Welsh prisons were
the highest they’d been since
1999 (Fazel, Ramesh, & Hawton,
2017)
inmates. Unlocked helps She described her experience in a
participants make their ideas a blog post and explained the
Unlocked Graduates aim to make
reality by offering their prison project she ran based around this
a difference to the prison system.
officers the opportunity to write a year’s World Mental Health Week
By offering graduates the chance
policy paper, and run projects in theme: kindness. The project
to earn a fully funded Masters
the prison they work in via included a 'Random Acts of
degree whilst working in a prison,
funding from the Innovation Kindness' campaign which
Unlocked brings fresh thinking
Acceleration Programme. involved treats being left all
and new ideas into the prison
around the prison for staff
service. Since they have more
Emily is an Unlocked Graduate at members and inmates to find.
contact with prisoners than any
HMYOI Aylesbury who used Each treat came with a note
other professionals, prison officers
funding from Unlocked and encouraging whoever found it to
have a unique insight into what
Covid-19 support to run a Mental pay the act of kindness forward.
can be done to help support
Health Awareness Week project Emily also gave the inmates
(Unlocked Graduates, 2020b). wellbeing packs which included13
Thanks to Zeba’s hard work, inmates
and staff alike were able to celebrate
Eid despite the challenging
circumstances.
an Action for Happiness units were decorated for Eid
Coping Calendar. The for the first time, including
calendar included 3o days the segregation department.
worth of acts of kindness, When residents requested
advice from previous something other than the
inmates on how to look after usual prison food for the
their mental health, and a occasion, Zeba helped
lollipop with a positive arrange a hot breakfast on
quote attached. Staff were Eid morning and a special
encouraged to sit with each menu of Middle Eastern
other to check in about how cuisine for lunch. Each
they were feeling and each resident received a package
department was given tea, of baklava (a Middle Eastern
coffee, and biscuits. Emily sweet pastry treat) with an
also sent out daily emails Eid message, and Muslim
informing staff members residents were also given Eid
about mental health and goody bags containing
the support available to dates, an Islamic prayer
them. With inmate visits book, prayer beads, a
being cancelled and staff religious hat, and a miswak.
members working longer The items were donated by
hours due to Covid-19, it was a local charity. Staff were
especially important to mark also given the opportunity to
World Mental Health Week celebrate later in the week
this year. Emily was able to at a socially distanced Eid
give people at HMYOI meal where they were
Aylesbury a much needed served the same menu the
morale boost during a residents had previously
difficult time. enjoyed. Thanks to Zeba’s
hard work prisoners and
Visitation restrictions due to staff alike were able to
Covid-19 meant that celebrate Eid despite the
prisoners were unable to see challenging circumstances.
friends or family members
for Eid and religious services If you have an interest in
were postponed. Unlocked forensic psychology, are
participant Zeba wanted to eager for a new challenge, or
ensure the prisoners at want to make a difference
HMYOI Aylesbury were still after graduating, Unlocked
able to celebrate Eid so she could be for you.
took charge of organising Applications for the 2021
Eid festivities (Unlocked cohort are now closed, but
Graduates, 2020a). With the the 2022 cohort applications
help of Unlocked, the will reopen from September
Aylesbury Chaplaincy to December of 2021. If
department and Zeba you’d like to learn more,
arranged with the Senior follow this link.
Management Team to make
Eid special. All of the
residential14
Interview
ISSUE 14
Exclusive
WITH PROFESSOR KATIE SLOCOMBE
ACADEMIC AND ANIMAL
CAREER PARTICIPANTS
BACKGROUND
JOIN US ON TWITTER The challenges and rewards
How Katie landed her career @PSYCHOUTYORK of comparative psychology
in academia.15
INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVE
"IT WAS VERY
IMPORTANT
TO ME THAT I
KEPT SCIENCE
SEPARATE FROM
THESE
ATTACHMENTS"
Lucy Stafford interviews Professor
Katie Slocombe.
Student motivation funding and secured it with St
can be low this time of year, Andrews University. I had
so it would be great if we always loved and been
could hear a little successful in my academic
about your academic work, so a PhD allowed me to
background to boost it. pursue my passion for
academia.
I achieved three A-Levels in
English, History and French I completed my PhD on vocal
and then went on to study communication in
psychology at the University of Chimpanzees working with both
Nottingham. After graduating wild and captive chimps. The
with first class honours in my wild chimps were based in
BSc, I then completed my PhD Uganda and the captive chimps
at the University of St Andrews. were based in Edinburgh Zoo. I
My final year research project am still heavily involved
at Nottingham was about with the chimps in Edinburgh
spatial learning in Marmosets, Zoo and was able to establish a
and it was around this time that funding stream between the
my supervisor asked if I had wild and captive chimps.
considered doing a PhD. I had
no idea what a PhD was as After finishing my
Nottingham had given very PhD, I wrote a grant with my
limited career advice. After supervisor to secure funding for
finding out that I could postdoctoral research and this
essentially receive 3 years of was successful. This meant I
funding for a massive research was able to conduct postdoc
project, I applied for funding research with chimpanzees16
to answer some of the questions I teach second years in the spring I am also the department’s
that had arose during my PhD. term about animal learning and employability coordinator. I am
During this time, my husband Nick cognition as part of the perception part of the university wide
was offered a lectureship in Hull, and cognition strand. I also teach employability operations team, but
and so I started searching for a an advanced module on animal in the department I organise and
lectureship commutable from Hull. communication and cognition for run sessions to help students with
A position came up in York, and I BSc third years and MSci fourth matters such as CVs, personal
got an interview but not the job. years. I supervise BSc and MSci employability plans and the careers
However, I did get a temporary third year literature surveys, and available to them with a
lectureship position. After a couple BSc third year and MSci fourth psychology degree.
of years at York I was then year research projects. The
successful in obtaining a students I am supervising as part Did you consider any
permanent lectureship. of their third year BSc research other careers before you
projects would usually go to discovered a career in
So, my career in academia was not Edinburgh Zoo and work with the academia?
particularly well-planned. But I chimpanzees, but due to Covid-19,
think I ended up in academia this has not been possible this Although I love animals, I realised
because I had picked to study a year. Their research projects are quite early on that I didn’t want to
subject I enjoyed, and this meant I still primate based and are shaping be a Vet. This was because I didn’t
worked hard and was successful in up very nicely. The fourth year enjoy chemistry and physics
it. Choosing to do things you are MSci projects tend to be enough to take them as A-levels to
not only good at but also based around the developmental get onto a veterinary degree, and I
passionate about is the kind of research I’m currently conducting. don’t think I would have been able
philosophy that underlies the York With the current circumstances, my to face euthanizing pets.
Strengths Programme and so I MSci students have had to test
really try and promote the three-year-old children over Zoom I also investigated being an animal
programme to York’s psychology rather than in person. It has been behaviourist to help people with
students, as playing to my challenging, for the children and problem pets. At that time, it was
strengths has successfully guided students, but both are doing an more of part-time job than
my career path and landed me in a incredible job. something that could be done on a
job I love. full-time basis. It also depended on
Alongside my teaching, I also lead your connections, so who you
You mentioned your teaching a large research group made know, and your reputation. It would
role in your previous answer. It up of three PhD students, one take a long time to build up a good
would be great if we could learn postdoc researcher, and many reputation and become associated
a little more about that and any research assistants. with veterinary clinics, so it
other roles you have in the We are funded by an ERC grant to wasn’t something that wasn’t very
psychology department. look at the origins of joint attention. feasible for a psychology graduate.17
In between the second and third Following an academic path to calls, were intentional at times.
year of my undergraduate degree, I ultimately get a lectureship This undermined the idea
seriously started considering an also allowed me to fulfil the that human language evolved from
office-based job. This is because teaching career I had previously the gestural communication of
none of the professional considered. I had enjoyed tutoring primates.
psychology routes, while incredibly my school friends in French, but I
worthwhile, appealed to me. had been put off a career teaching We studied the vocalisations of
Personally, I wasn’t cut out to deal in schools by the disciplinary side chimpanzees in the wild when they
with clinical patients or prisoners. of it. For me teaching at University were alone or with a group. To
This led me to consider a career in level is perfect, because I am elicit a vocalisation, we planted
occupational psychology for a teaching students who choose to a python model infront of a
little while until I found out about be there and who want to learn. travelling chimp or group of
trademark agents. I thought this chimps. We had to guess where to
would allow me to make use of my Can you tell us about plant the python model by
A-level in French because it would your favourite piece of research predicting their travel paths, but the
involve having to write in at least that has been published? chimps don’t always follow their
two other languages to get a predicted travel paths, and this
product through the European My favourite piece of research I meant it took 2 years to collect
trademark process. The tough worked on was published in 2013 enough data! We found three
exams didn’t particularly phase me and was about intentionality in the different kinds of vocalisations: soft
as I’d always enjoyed studying, but alarm calls of chimps. Studying the huus, alarm huus, and waa barks.
I wasn’t super enthusiastic about intentionality of primate Critically, the alarm huus and waa
the prospect of an office job. communication is important in barks exhibited characteristics of
understanding how human intentionality. This is because
Once I found out about a PhD, language evolved. Human these vocalisations were socially
there was no doubt in my mind language is believed to have a directed and given on the arrival of
that this was the right path for me. I vocal or gestural origin, and this friends, associated with visual
did take a huge risk initially with my can be resolved by searching for monitoring of the audience and
PhD by agreeing to work with a similarities and differences gaze alternations, and goal
supervisor I hadn’t met before to between human language, and the directed, as calling only stopped
secure funding, but luckily, we got vocal and gestural communication when recipients were safe from the
on brilliantly. His previous research of different primates- chimpanzees predator.
concerned vocal communication in in this case. Support for a gestural
monkeys, and so I was able to origin comes from gestures being These results were meaningful to
adapt the paradigms he had used, used intentionally by primates. me because they emphasised the
to investigate vocal communication Contrastingly, vocalisations were importance of testing over
in chimpanzees. I was lucky to get not believed to be intentional and assuming. It was assumed that
some exciting results and be instead just regarded as an output chimpanzee vocalisations were not
published in some well-respected of emotion. Our research intentional, and so the belief that
journals. I worked hard, but I’m challenged this by showing human language evolved from
very grateful for the luck I’ve had that vocalisations, specifically gestural communication in
on my side! alarm primates prevailed. But when we
.18
searched for intentionality in I definitely had my favourite wild was confident around humans. You
chimpanzee vocalisations, two out of and captive chimps. Maani was my could be watching another
the three vocalisations met the criteria favourite wild chimp during my PhD chimp, and turn round to find he’d
for intentionality. This highlights how research. He was the beta male in come and sat about 2 metres from you
crucial it is to challenge assumptions the group and had basically got to on the same log. He never flinched
with scientific testing. where he had in the hierarchy around humans and was just super
through being nice calm. My favourite captive chimp was
Do you have a favourite animal to to other chimps. So, through a young male, Patrick, in Leipzig Zoo.
research? activities such as grooming, he I also got to learn that captive chimps
was able to make powerful have their favourite humans, I
My favourite animal to research has alliances with other chimps and remember a female chimp, Riet, took
definitely got to be chimps. I’ve spent this solidified his position in the a particular dislike to me. She would
the most time with them, from my PhD hierarchy. He was also my spit at me whenever chance she
to now. I’ve worked with other species, favourite because he was got!
but I‘ve just not spent the same length
of time with them as I have with
chimps. Because chimps are the
closest living relative to us, they show
some super clever and surprising
behaviour. Anecdotal observations of
"I could sadly be one of the
seemingly interesting behaviour in wild
chimps have led me to some really last generation of
interesting findings, once I’ve figured
out how to collect systematic data on
these behaviours! Spending time with
researchers to work with
wild chimps, so I feel
chimps in their natural environment
helps us understand the function of
certain behaviours and how these
behaviours evolved in the first place.
The rate of deforestation across Africa amazingly grateful to
makes me think I could sadly be one of
the last generation of researchers to
work with wild chimps, so I feel
have had the opportunity"
amazingly grateful to have had the
opportunity.
Studying captive chimps, such as the
ones in Edinburgh and Leipzig zoo I’ve
worked with, has also led me to some
really interesting findings. This is
because experiments are easier to
conduct with captive chimps, and it’s
quicker to conduct lots of trials. We
also get to use some really
sophisticated technology with captive
chimps that would just not be
possible to implement with wild
chimps. For example, eye tracking
studies have just started to be carried
out with the chimps in Edinburgh Zoo.
Have you ever formed
an attachment to an animal you’ve
worked with?19
As scientists we need
to ask interesting
questions and
design rigorous ways
of testing them and
then interpret the
data objectively
Although I did form personal Parrots and corvids are the most could break in the fear they would
attachments to the animals I worked difficult animals I’ve worked with. It’s ingest the broken pieces.
with, I never let this interfere with my very difficult to get them to perform Parrots on the other hand just never
research. It was very important cognitive tasks. Chimps are easier in attempted to eat non-edible items –
to me that I kept science separate from that respect because they’re so food much more sensible than the chimps!
these attachments. This meant that I motivated but the birds were not nearly
didn’t try and prove, through my as greedy! The parrots and corvids
research, that chimps are particularly were also ridiculously neophobic about
clever or human-like. They’re certain things - for example, we put a
fascinating in their own right, new shelf in the Raven’s aviary and
regardless of whether they produce they refused to go anywhere near it for
statistically significant results! Using several weeks. This meant the
comparative psychology to try and testing strategies we’d used for chimps
prove that your study species is had to be adapted to the neophobic
amazing or the most human-like is not nature of these birds. Because they
good science to me – as scientists we were unpredictably neophobic, it made
need to ask interesting questions and it quite difficult to plan how long
design rigorous ways of testing them experiments would take.
and then interpret the data objectively
– having ‘an agenda’ tends to cloud An unexpected upside of studying
objective judgements. parrots was that they were
sensible with regards to what they
What are the most would eat. When studying chimps, we
difficult animals you’ve worked couldn’t give them anything that they
with?SYCHOUT ISSUE 14
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