The Alex Foundation

The Economist's obituary page is generally dedicated to influential leaders and academics. It recounts the accomplishments of authors, politicians, civil rights activists, royalty, journalists and names what we otherwise should know. Amazingly, the individual mourned on its pages in September 2007 is not one you would like call a person (1). Alex the African Grey was one of the best know animals in the world for over a decade as his accomplishments shattered our understanding of the limits to cognition in other species. The Alex Foundation is the organization which helps support the research of Dr. Irene Pepperberg (2).


Dr. Pepperberg began her research to probe the degree of difference between human and animal cognition. She had the underlying suspicion that animal thought was far more complex the contemporaries believed. With formal training as chemist, she recognized that only with rigorous application of the scientific method could she discover what animals were really capable of. While much of the early work in animal communication was done in our closest relatives, chimpanzees and gorillas, Dr. Pepperberg had a new idea. Why not work with an animal that can speak?

Anecdotal evidence for the vocal prowess and intellect of parrots abounds amongst zoo keepers and pet owners. Many of us have see parrots perform in shows where the sing and identify objects correctly by name, but do they have any comprehension of what they say? Decades of work supported in part by The Alex Foundation says yes, yes they do.  While this might still seem amazing to some, Alex quickly learned to label objects such as toys and foods. When asked what an object is he, and the other grey parrots worked with, consistently give the correct name. Further than just memorizing a list of nouns, Alex was able to  recognize the concepts of color, shape and even number and apply them to novel situations. This is best captured by viewing him in action as in the short video below:




What this research represents is clear evidence that the brightest of animals overlap with humans on the intelligence scale. Because parrots are so evolutionarily distinct from humans this suggests that intelligence can be generated in many ways. This communication puts parrots on chimpanzees in the domain of animal intelligence, but with brains hundreds of times smaller and morphologically very different. This tells us that intelligence isn't just an evolutionary fluke in apes but a survival strategy stumbled upon by many animal lines. By comparing how our own minds work with those of parrots, we can begin to deconstruct what learning and cognition are at their core. This work also helps elucidate the essentials of language and the root forms needed to communicate. 

I find the ideas presented by the research performed under and by Dr. Pepperburg to be simply amazing. For all the insights it provides however, funding from conventional foundations and government grants has often been a challenge (3). The Alex Foundation has been a primary source of funding for these research projects as well as out-reach to help improve the lives of parrots around the world. As she continues to contribute to scientific literature on the development of communication and the cognitive ability of grey parrots Dr. Pepperburg elucidates the nature of thought and how rich and wondrous our companions on this planet can be.


1. The Economist: Alex the African Grey Obituary:  http://www.economist.com/node/9828615
2. Dr. Irene Pepperberg, Brandeis University Faculty page: http://www.brandeis.edu/facultyguide/person.html?emplid=2d3923e829d95e3849ac8001f5c5fa254b5cf400
3. Alex and Me, Dr. Irene Pepperberg, 2008, ISBN-13: 978-0061672477