Intelligence of Apes and Other Rational Beings (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780300099836)

A new way to look at the mysteries of the animal mind

What is animal intelligence? In what ways is it similar to human intelligence? Many behavioral scientists have realized that animals can be rational, can think in abstract symbols, can understand and react to human speech, and can learn through observation as well as conditioning many of the more complicated skills of life. Now Duane Rumbaugh and David Washburn probe the mysteries of the animal mind even further, identifying an advanced level of animal behavior--emergents--that reflects animals' natural and active inclination to make sense of the world. Rumbaugh and Washburn unify all behavior into a framework they call Rational Behaviorism and present it as a new way to understand learning, intelligence, and rational behavior in both animals and humans. Drawing on years of research on issues of complex learning and intelligence in primates (notably rhesus monkeys, chimpanzees, and bonobos), Rumbaugh and Washburn provide delightful examples of animal ingenuity and persistence, showing that animals are capable of very creative solutions to novel challenges. The authors analyze learning processes and research methods, discuss the meaningful differences across the primate order, and point the way to further advances, enlivening theoretical material about primates with stories about their behavior and achievements.

Author: Duane M. Rumbaugh,David A. Washburn
ISBN-10: 0300099835
ISBN-13: 9780300099836
Publisher: Yale University Press
Language: English
Published: 08/11/2003
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.56lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.94d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 09/29/2003 pg. 56
Choice 02/01/2004 pg. 1108
Univ PR Books for Public Libry 01/01/2004 pg. 3 - Strongly Recommended