Bottlenose Dolphins Can Generalize Rules And Develop Abstract Concepts - Louis M Herman, Adam A. Pack, and Amy A Wood
- (C) 1994 by the Society for Marine Mammology
Generalization of a rule is demonstrated if the rule governs a class of problem, and the subject, after successful experience with a limited number of problems, can apply the governing rule to new problems in that class. We show that the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is capable of such generalization for classes of problems requiring the matching of one of two alternative stimuli to a ‘sample’ stimulus to which the animal has previously been exposed, regardless of the sensory domain used: vision, passive listening, or active echolocation. We also show this generalization capability in a related class of problem requiring a judgement of whether a single probe stimulus is the same as, or different from, a stimulus or stimuli previously presented. Further, one dolphin was show capable of developing a true abstract concept of same/different through its ability to categorize pairs of simultaneously presented objects as identical or not. The suggestion that such a generalization ability of dolphins may be in question because of so-called exclusion effects iis shown to be not tenable when the whole body of available data iis considered.
Herman, L.M., Pack, A.A. & Wood, A. M. (1994). Bottlenosed Dolphins Can Generalize Rules and Develop Abstract Concepts. Marine Mammal Science, 10, 70-80.
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