Francine Patterson
Encyclopedia
Dr. "Penny" Patterson is an American researcher who taught a modified form of American Sign Language
, which she calls "Gorilla Sign Language", or GSL, to a gorilla
named Koko
.
Francine is the second oldest of seven children and daughter of C.H. Patterson, a professor of psychology, and Frances Spano Patterson. She and her family moved to Edina, Minnesota
when she was young, and then to Urbana, Illinois
. Her mother died of cancer
when Penny was a freshman in college and the youngest of her siblings was just five years old. This triggered her interest in developmental psychology
, a theme which pervaded much of her later work.
Dr. Patterson earned her bachelor's degree
in psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
in 1970. She attained her Ph.D.
in 1979 from Stanford University
, with her dissertation Linguistic Capabilities of a Lowland Gorilla, on teaching sign language to Koko and Michael, another Lowland Gorilla, who died in 2000.
Currently, Francine serves as the President and Research Director of The Gorilla Foundation
. The foundation was founded with her longtime research colleague Dr. Ronald Cohn
in 1978 using monetary support from a Rolex
Award. The Gorilla Foundation has been trying to move from its current home in Woodside, California
to Maui, Hawaii.
Dr. Patterson is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Santa Clara University
and a member of the Board of Consultants at the Center for Cross Cultural Communication in Washington, D.C.
. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Gorilla journal.
Dr. Patterson is also an author of non-fiction works, including The Education of Koko, Koko's Kitten, Koko-Love!: Conversations With a Signing Gorilla, and Koko's Story. All of these books deal with her personal experiences with signing gorillas.
Patterson and her work with Koko are the subject of Barbet Schroeder
's 1978 feature-length documentary Koko: A Talking Gorilla
.
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
, which she calls "Gorilla Sign Language", or GSL, to a gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
named Koko
Koko (gorilla)
Koko is a female western lowland gorilla who, according to Francine "Penny" Patterson, is able to understand more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language, and understand approximately 2,000 words of spoken English....
.
Francine is the second oldest of seven children and daughter of C.H. Patterson, a professor of psychology, and Frances Spano Patterson. She and her family moved to Edina, Minnesota
Edina, Minnesota
Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
when she was young, and then to Urbana, Illinois
Urbana, Illinois
Urbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,250. Urbana is the tenth-most populous city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area....
. Her mother died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
when Penny was a freshman in college and the youngest of her siblings was just five years old. This triggered her interest in developmental psychology
Developmental psychology
Developmental psychology, also known as human development, is the scientific study of systematic psychological changes, emotional changes, and perception changes that occur in human beings over the course of their life span. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to...
, a theme which pervaded much of her later work.
Dr. Patterson earned her bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
in 1970. She attained her Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1979 from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, with her dissertation Linguistic Capabilities of a Lowland Gorilla, on teaching sign language to Koko and Michael, another Lowland Gorilla, who died in 2000.
Currently, Francine serves as the President and Research Director of The Gorilla Foundation
The Gorilla Foundation
The Gorilla Foundation, founded in 1976, is a non-profit organization created by Francine Patterson in order to purchase the young gorilla named Koko from the San Francisco Zoo. After the purchase, the foundation continued to support Patterson's research as she taught Koko American Sign Language...
. The foundation was founded with her longtime research colleague Dr. Ronald Cohn
Ronald Cohn
Dr. Ronald Cohn is a long-time research collaborator of psychologist Dr. Francine Patterson in her work in training Koko the gorilla in the use of American sign language...
in 1978 using monetary support from a Rolex
Rolex
Rolex SA is a Swiss watchmaking manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
Award. The Gorilla Foundation has been trying to move from its current home in Woodside, California
Woodside, California
Woodside is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It uses a council-manager system of government. The U.S. Census estimated the population of the town to be 5,287 in 2010....
to Maui, Hawaii.
Dr. Patterson is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
and a member of the Board of Consultants at the Center for Cross Cultural Communication in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Gorilla journal.
Dr. Patterson is also an author of non-fiction works, including The Education of Koko, Koko's Kitten, Koko-Love!: Conversations With a Signing Gorilla, and Koko's Story. All of these books deal with her personal experiences with signing gorillas.
Patterson and her work with Koko are the subject of Barbet Schroeder
Barbet Schroeder
Barbet Schroeder is a Franco-Swiss movie director and producer who started his career in French cinema in the 1960s, working together with directors such as Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Rivette.-Life and career:...
's 1978 feature-length documentary Koko: A Talking Gorilla
Koko: A Talking Gorilla
Koko: A Talking Gorilla is a 1978 documentary directed by Barbet Schroeder that focuses on Dr. Francine 'Penny' Patterson and her work with Koko, the gorilla Patterson claims to have taught to communicate with humans using symbols taken from American Sign Language. The film was screened in the...
.