Roger Fouts
Encyclopedia
Roger S. Fouts is an American primate researcher. He is co-director of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute
(CHCI) in Washington, and a professor of psychology at the Central Washington University
. He is best known for his role in teaching Washoe the chimpanzee
to communicate using a set of signs take from American sign language
.
Fouts is an animal rights
advocate, citing the New Zealand
Animal Welfare Act
as a model for legal rights for the Great Apes (Hominidae
), and campaigning with British primatologist
Jane Goodall
for improved conditions for chimpanzees. He has written on animal law and on the ethics of animal testing
.
. He received his B.A in child psychology from the college that became California State University, Long Beach
a few years later. In 1964, he married Deborah Harris
, who became his life-time collaborator. Fouts earned his Ph.D. from the University of Nevada, Reno
.
.
The Gardners and Fouts taught the chimpanzees signs from American Sign Language
(ASL) by modeling (demonstration and getting the chimps to imitate) and by direct manipulation, where they arranged the chimpanzees' hands into the required shapes. As the studies progressed, they found that the animals used ASL to communicate with each other. The apes created phrases from combinations of signs to denote new things that were brought into their environment. Loulis, Washoe's adopted son, learned basic ASL and over 70 signs directly from Washoe, without human involvement.
Fouts has been a consultant or adviser on four movies, including Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984).
Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute
The Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute is located on the campus of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. CHCI is a sanctuary for three chimpanzees who have learned to communicate with humans and each other using American Sign Language. CHCI's co-directors are Roger...
(CHCI) in Washington, and a professor of psychology at the Central Washington University
Central Washington University
Central Washington University, often abbreviated CWU, is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington in the United States.This location was selected by the state legislature as a consolation prize after Ellensburg lost its bid to be state capital...
. He is best known for his role in teaching Washoe the chimpanzee
Washoe (chimpanzee)
Washoe was a chimpanzee who was the first non-human to learn to communicate using American Sign Language, as part of a research experiment on animal language acquisition....
to communicate using a set of signs take from American sign language
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...
.
Fouts is an animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
advocate, citing the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Animal Welfare Act
Animal Welfare Act
The Animal Welfare Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 24, 1966. It is the only Federal law in the United States that regulates the treatment of animals in research, exhibition, transport, and by dealers...
as a model for legal rights for the Great Apes (Hominidae
Hominidae
The Hominidae or include them .), as the term is used here, form a taxonomic family, including four extant genera: chimpanzees , gorillas , humans , and orangutans ....
), and campaigning with British primatologist
Primatology
Primatology is the scientific study of primates. It is a diverse discipline and researchers can be found in academic departments of anatomy, anthropology, biology, medicine, psychology, veterinary sciences and zoology, as well as in animal sanctuaries, biomedical research facilities, museums and zoos...
Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall, DBE , is a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. Considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National...
for improved conditions for chimpanzees. He has written on animal law and on the ethics of animal testing
Animal testing
Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...
.
Early life
Fouts was born in Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
. He received his B.A in child psychology from the college that became California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment...
a few years later. In 1964, he married Deborah Harris
Deborah Fouts
Deborah Fouts is Director of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute . CHCI is the home of Washoe, the first non-human to acquire a human language, and three other chimpanzees who use the signs of American Sign Language to communicate with each other and their human caregivers...
, who became his life-time collaborator. Fouts earned his Ph.D. from the University of Nevada, Reno
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
.
Career
In 1967, Fouts' career took a decisive turn after it was almost derailed by a disastrous job interview with Dr. Allen Gardner in Reno, Nevada. However, Washoe, a chimpanzee, took an immediate liking to Roger, and leapt into his arms. A few days later he was told he had got the job. In 1970 the project with Washoe and the Gardners relocated to the Institute of Primate Studies in Norman, OklahomaNorman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
.
The Gardners and Fouts taught the chimpanzees signs from American Sign Language
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...
(ASL) by modeling (demonstration and getting the chimps to imitate) and by direct manipulation, where they arranged the chimpanzees' hands into the required shapes. As the studies progressed, they found that the animals used ASL to communicate with each other. The apes created phrases from combinations of signs to denote new things that were brought into their environment. Loulis, Washoe's adopted son, learned basic ASL and over 70 signs directly from Washoe, without human involvement.
Fouts has been a consultant or adviser on four movies, including Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984).
See also
- Animal testingAnimal testingAnimal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...
- International primate tradeInternational primate tradeThe international trade in primates sees 32,000 wild non-human primates trapped and sold on the international market every year. They are sold mostly for use in animal testing, but also for food, for exhibition in zoos and circuses, and for private use as companion animals.-Countries involved:The...
- Non-human primate experiments
Further reading
- Roger Fouts at Central Washington University
- The Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute
- Biography at Muskingum College History of Psychology Archives
- Fouts, Roger S. & Mills, Stephen Tukel (1997) Next of Kin: My Conversations with ChimpanzeesNext of Kin (nonfiction)Next of Kin is a book by Roger Fouts combining his experiences with Washoe and other chimpanzees who learned American Sign Language, and a polemic in favor of great ape personhood.-References:...
, William Morrow. ISBN 068814862X - Fouts, Roger S. (1973) "Acquisition and testing of gestural signs in four young chimpanzees", 180 Science, pp. 978-980.