Chaser The Border Collie Knows More That Your GCSE Students
CHASER the border collie can understand the names of 1,022 household items. But can he use them?
It’s taken Wofford College, South Carolina, psychologists Alliston Reid and John Pilley three years to conduct their research. They have written up their finding in the journal Behavioural Process.
Anorak has no idea what the purpose of this research is. It’s all very well Chaser knowing how to identify the word “grenade” with the corresponding object but he can’t use it.
The science boils down to a parlour trick, a teaching method that sits well with the approach of modern comprehensive schools. You know the answer to the sums in the test sir set you, but you have no idea what they mean nor why you are doing it.
Chaser… Piano… Go fetch!
Posted: 24th, December 2010 | In: Technology Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
