Reaching into Thought (Paperback)

Anne E. Russon

ISBN 10: 0521644968 / ISBN 13: 9780521644969

Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998

Paperback. What special qualities of mind set the great apes apart from other nonhuman primates, and indeed from ourselves? In this book, field and laboratory researchers show that the great apes have high level abilities in both social and ecological domains, including tool use, pretense, self-awareness, deception, consolation, teaching and culture itself. Great apes are also shown to be capable of thinking at symbolic levels, traditionally considered to be uniquely human. Here, the mechanisms involved in building these abilities - especially the lengthy developmental and 'enculturation' processes - are emphasized, showing how new discoveries are changing views on how primates and human intelligence evolved. This book is for anyone interested in current research and theoretical views of great ape cognition. Investigates current field and theoretical information on great ape cognition. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780521644969

Synopsis:

In this book, field and laboratory researchers show that the Great Apes are capable of thinking at symbolic levels, traditionally considered uniquely human. They show these high-level abilities in both social and ecological domains, including tool use, imitation, pretense, self-awareness, deception, consolation, teaching and proto-culture itself. Here, contributors emphasize the mechanisms involved in building these abilities--especially the lengthy developmental and "enculturation" processes--suggesting changes to current views on how primate and human intelligence have evolved. Researchers and professionals in the fields of primatology, animal behavior, anthropology, linguistics, and cognitive psychology will find much useful information in this book.

Book Description: Reaching Into Thought investigates the qualities that set the intelligence of chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans apart from that of other nonhuman primates and humans. In this fascinating book, Great Apes' high level abilities in both social and ecological contexts are investigated, showing that these species are capable of self-awareness, deception, imitation, consolation, teaching and proto-culture itself. As Great Apes can now be shown to think at symbolic levels traditionally thought to be uniquely human,this work challenges views on how human intelligence itself arose.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Reaching into Thought (Paperback)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Publication Date: 1998
Binding: Paperback
Condition: new