Sue Savage-Rumbaugh
Encyclopedia
Sue Savage-Rumbaugh also known by the lexigram 
, is a primatologist most known for her work with two bonobo
s, Kanzi
and Panbanisha, investigating their use of "Great Ape language
" using lexigrams and computer-based keyboards. Until recently based at Georgia State University
's Language Research Center in Atlanta, Georgia
, she has now moved to the Great Ape Trust
of Des Moines, Iowa
.
, and completed her doctorate
there in 1975. She has been awarded honorary Ph.D.
s by the University of Chicago
in 1997 and Missouri State University
in 2008.
, but remains associated with the Trust as Scientist with Special Standing, continuing and expanding her research.
Her view of language
– that it is not confined to humans and is learnable by other ape
species
– is controversial within linguistics
, psychology
and other sciences of the brain
and mind
. For example, the cognitive scientist
Steven Pinker
strongly criticized the position of Savage-Rumbaugh and others in his award-winning The Language Instinct
, arguing that Kanzi and other non-human primates failed to grasp the fundamentals of language. Additionally, Savage-Rumbaugh's comparative lexigram work with bonobos and chimpanzees used cardboard keyboards (Brakke & Savage-Rumbaugh, 1995) which could not create replicable datasets, even though other scientists had successfully used computer-recorded lexicographical language with chimpanzee Ai by this time.
According to Alexander Fiske-Harrison
, who visited Savage-Rumbaugh in 2001 for the Financial Times
, her methods differ from the more clinical techniques of other researchers such as Frans de Waal
by taking a "holistic approach to the research, rearing the apes from birth and immersing them in a “linguistic world”."
, is a primatologist most known for her work with two bonoboBonobo
The bonobo , Pan paniscus, previously called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often, the dwarf or gracile chimpanzee, is a great ape and one of the two species making up the genus Pan. The other species in genus Pan is Pan troglodytes, or the common chimpanzee...
s, Kanzi
Kanzi
Kanzi , also known by the lexigram , is a male bonobo who has been featured in several studies on great ape language. According to Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, a primatologist who has studied the bonobo throughout her life, Kanzi has exhibited advanced linguistic aptitude.- Biography :Born to Lorel and...
and Panbanisha, investigating their use of "Great Ape language
Great Ape language
Research into non-human great ape language has involved teaching chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans to communicate with human beings and with each other using sign language, physical tokens, and lexigrams; see Yerkish...
" using lexigrams and computer-based keyboards. Until recently based at Georgia State University
Georgia State University
Georgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...
's Language Research Center in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, she has now moved to the Great Ape Trust
Great Ape Trust
The Great Ape Trust is a ape sanctuary and language study in Des Moines, Iowa, that houses orangutans and bonobos. The sanctuary opened to primates on September 28, 2004. The mission of the Great Ape Trust is studying language, culture, intelligence, and tool use in primates...
of Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
.
Education
Savage-Rumbaugh received an MS degree at the University of OklahomaUniversity of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, and completed her doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
there in 1975. She has been awarded honorary Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
s by the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1997 and Missouri State University
Missouri State University
Missouri State University is a public university located in Springfield, Missouri, United States and founded in 1905. It is the state's second largest university, with an official enrollment of 20,802 in fall 2011...
in 2008.
Research
Savage-Rumbaugh worked at the Language Research Center of Georgia State University for 30 years, then moved to the Great Ape Trust as Director of Bonobo Research. She retired from that position in 2007, succeeded by William M. FieldsWilliam M. Fields
William M. Fields , also known by the lexigram , is an American qualitative investigator studying language, culture, and tools in non-human primates. He is best known for his collaboration with Sue Savage-Rumbaugh beginning in 1997 at the Language Research Center of Georgia State University. There...
, but remains associated with the Trust as Scientist with Special Standing, continuing and expanding her research.
Her view of language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
– that it is not confined to humans and is learnable by other ape
Ape
Apes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
– is controversial within linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and other sciences of the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
and mind
Mind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
. For example, the cognitive scientist
Cognitive science
Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary scientific study of mind and its processes. It examines what cognition is, what it does and how it works. It includes research on how information is processed , represented, and transformed in behaviour, nervous system or machine...
Steven Pinker
Steven Pinker
Steven Arthur Pinker is a Canadian-American experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, linguist and popular science author...
strongly criticized the position of Savage-Rumbaugh and others in his award-winning The Language Instinct
The Language Instinct
The Language Instinct is a book by Steven Pinker for a general audience, published in 1994. In it, Pinker argues that humans are born with an innate capacity for language. In addition, he deals sympathetically with Noam Chomsky's claim that all human language shows evidence of a universal grammar...
, arguing that Kanzi and other non-human primates failed to grasp the fundamentals of language. Additionally, Savage-Rumbaugh's comparative lexigram work with bonobos and chimpanzees used cardboard keyboards (Brakke & Savage-Rumbaugh, 1995) which could not create replicable datasets, even though other scientists had successfully used computer-recorded lexicographical language with chimpanzee Ai by this time.
According to Alexander Fiske-Harrison
Alexander Fiske-Harrison
Alexander Rupert Fiske-Harrison is an English writer and actor. He is best known for writing and acting in The Pendulum in London's West End and for his research into bullfighting for his book Into The Arena, which has led The Times to describe him as "the bullfighter-philosopher." Into The Arena...
, who visited Savage-Rumbaugh in 2001 for the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, her methods differ from the more clinical techniques of other researchers such as Frans de Waal
Frans de Waal
Fransiscus Bernardus Maria de Waal, PhD , is a Dutch primatologist and ethologist. He is the Charles Howard Candler professor of Primate Behavior in the Emory University psychology department in Atlanta, Georgia, and director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research...
by taking a "holistic approach to the research, rearing the apes from birth and immersing them in a “linguistic world”."