Classicrockgirl96

Hi Dr. Pepperberg,

First I must say your research has been an inspiration to me and sparked my love of animal (and more specifically avian) cognition. I was wondering why you decided to focus on African Grays as opposed to other parrots? Also, are you planning on beginning other projects eventually with other species of parrot? Finally, if you're comfortable sharing, what other aspects of avian cognition are you planning on exploring? Thank you so much for the work that you have done; Alex was incredible and I hope that Griffin and Athena follow in his footsteps.

Thank you so much for the reply! I hadn't realized previous research had been conducted with Greys before you decided to begin studies. Did you choose the Congo African Grey over the Timneh for any specific reason, or did Alex just happen to be a Congo?

Also, can you explain the model-rival technique? I understand the basics but I am not exactly sure how you implement it in lab.