Utterly amazing.

[Willys MB]

This picture speaks for itself.


http://richarddawkins.net/article,25...,Daily-Mail-UK

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

JESUS GOD MUHAMMAD CHRIST

What next...?

[Ummon]

http://www.sgmdoc.com/learning_theory.htm

Kaufka, Kohler, and Verthemer and Insight: During WW I the British interned three Germans who were studying primates off the coast of Africa. The British let them continue their research on the island all during WW I. During one of their experiments they observed a female ape solve a problem and they coined the term insight.

Insight is the dynamic reorganization of the elements in the psychological field to where understanding occurs prior to which there was no understanding. The proverbial light goes on in the head.

They hung bananas high above her head, beyond her reach, and left a fishing pole in broken down sections close by. After several unsuccessful attempts to get the bananas, the ape put the pole together, and used it to get the bananas.

It is Koffka, Kohler and Wartheimer, I think, though.

http://fates.cns.muskingum.edu/~psyc...ory/kohler.htm

Kohler's experiments consisted of placing chimps in an enclosed area and presenting them with a reward that was out of reach, such as bananas. Kohler used four chimps in his experiments, Chica, Grande, Konsul, and Sultan. In one experiment, Kohler placed bananas outside Sultan's cage and two bamboo sticks inside his cage. Neither stick was long enough to reach the bananas so the only way to reach the bananas was to put the sticks together. Kohler demonstrated to Sultan the solution by putting his fingers into the end of one of the sticks (Hothersall, 1995). However, this did not help Sultan solve the problem. After some contemplation, Sultan put the two sticks together and created a stick long enough to reach the bananas outside his cage (URL 3).



Another study involved bananas suspended from the roof. The chimps first tried to knock them down by using a stick. Then, the chimps learned to stack boxes on top of one another to climb up to the bananas (URL 3). Kohler described three properties of insight learning. First, insight-learning is based on the animal perceiving the solution to the problem. Second, insight-leaning is not dependent on rewards. Third, once a problem has been solved, it is easier to solve a similar problem (Hothersall, 1995).

http://teachnet.edb.utexas.edu/~lynd...tt/Social.html

General principles of social learning theory follows:

1. People can learn by observing the behavior is of others and the outcomes of those behaviors.

2. Learning can occur without a change in behavior. Behaviorists say that learning has to be represented by a permanent change in behavior, in contrast social learning theorists say that because people can learn through observation alone, their learning may not necessarily be shown in their performance. Learning may or may not result in a behavior change.

3. Cognition plays a role in learning. Over the last 30 years social learning theory has become increasingly cognitive in its interpretation of human learning. Awareness and expectations of future reinforcements or punishments can have a major effect on the behaviors that people exhibit.

4. Social learning theory can be considered a bridge or a transition between behaviorist learning theories and cognitive learning theories.

How the environment reinforces and punishes modeling:

People are often reinforced for modeling the behavior of others. Bandura suggested that the environment also reinforces modeling. This is in several possible ways:

1, The observer is reinforced by the model. For example a student who changes dress to fit in with a certain group of students has a strong likelihood of being accepted and thus reinforced by that group.

2. The observer is reinforced by a third person. The observer might be modeling the actions of someone else, for example, an outstanding class leader or student. The teacher notices this and compliments and praises the observer for modeling such behavior thus reinforcing that behavior.

3. The imitated behavior itself leads to reinforcing consequences. Many behaviors that we learn from others produce satisfying or reinforcing results. For example, a student in my multimedia class could observe how the extra work a classmate does is fun. This student in turn would do the same extra work and also receive enjoyment.

4. Consequences of the model’s behavior affect the observers behavior vicariously. This is known as vicarious reinforcement. This is where in the model is reinforced for a response and then the observer shows an increase in that same response. Bandura illustrated this by having students watch a film of a model hitting a inflated clown doll. One group of children saw the model being praised for such action. Without being reinforced, the group of children began to also hit the doll .

[Willys MB]

Makes me wonder if our primate brethren should be considered people.

They're clearly sentient and all.

[Maverick]

Makes me wonder if our primate brethren should be considered people.

They're clearly sentient and all.

Or whether most people should be considered primates. I think there is a greater intellectual gap between a genius and the average human than the average human and a primate. For example Koko the monkey's IQ is somewhere in the ballpark of 50-65, and the average human is around 90-110, whereas a Hawking or Plato etc. is 200+ so go figure.

[LSJ]

But as far as we know, they lack the ability for complex abstract thought that even a simple person has.

I must stress that I am not saying abstract thought in general, because their ability to learn to use tools implies it on a basic level.

[Willys MB]

But as far as we know, they lack the ability for complex abstract thought that even a simple person has.

I must stress that I am not saying abstract thought in general, because their ability to learn to use tools implies it on a basic level.

Well if a chimp ever signs to his keeper "what is the meaning of existence"...

[Ummon]

I guess the purpose of that link on Dawkins site is giving in to his beloved concept of meme: if it is possible to transfer it between species, it must "exist".

There may be some intervening variable interfering with such conclusion, I suspect.

[Willys MB]

The purpose of the link to Dawkins' site is because that's where I saw it

[Ummon]

I meant the purpose of the site for providing the link, not yours.

[Willys MB]

Ah.

They tend to provide some interesting science links, although I find a few of his opinions a bit repugnant.

[Banned]

That's hardly surprising, considering that orangutans come under the biological family known as Hominidae which includes humans, chimpanzees and gorillas in addition to them. These species are well known for their intelligence. If elephants can paint, then why not this?

[Captain Arrrgh!]

"Get your hands offa me, you damned dirty ape!"
Anyway, looks photoshopped to me.

[Aetius]

"Get your hands offa me, you damned dirty ape!"
Anyway, looks photoshopped to me.

Seriously, Orangutan arent even the smartest apes. The weren't even documented using basic tools until the 1990s.

And that spear looks really straight, and out of focus with the rest of the picture, if I had to bet money I would say it is photoshopped.

[Chiron202]

Seriously, Orangutan arent even the smartest apes. The weren't even documented using basic tools until the 1990s.

And that spear looks really straight, and out of focus with the rest of the picture, if I had to bet money I would say it is photoshopped.

from Dawkins' article: "This individual had seen locals fishing with spears on the Gohong River. "
Its likely that the Orangutan did not fashion the pole itself but rather found a broken spear (left behind by locals) after investigating what they were doing.
If it is photoshopped, they did a really good job with the splash on the end of the spear (which indicates that this Orangutan wasn't quite jabbing the water so much as smacking it with the spear, so he still isn't quite getting it).

Still could be fake, but I doubt Dawkins would so quickly latch onto something he didn't trust first, as he is a target of certain groups for criticism. But he is just reporting someone elses report, which is potentially expunging...

[Juvenal]

"Get your hands offa me, you damned dirty ape!"

You have to forgive Charlton Heston for being a tad peeved. It was all the fault of the Gorillas because they wouldn't let him have one of those lovely rifles to fondle - didn't they understand his predilictions?

[Captain Arrrgh!]

Wow, big barf to the dystopian future, not only are they apes, but gun-grabbing liberal commie apes!!
Get a haircut, you damned dirty pinko apes!!

[Code_Knight]

This picture speaks for itself.


http://richarddawkins.net/article,25...,Daily-Mail-UK

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!

!!!! , wait a sec, couldn't this just be photoshoped?

[Anachronist]

Oh !

Well, I for one welcome our new orangutan overlords.

[Code_Knight]

Oh ! I for one welcome our new orangutan overlords.

Gorilla warfare, ah crap!