Talk:Irene Pepperberg

Merging w/ Dr. Irene Pepperberg
Re: merging the page 'Dr. Irene Pepperberg' into this page - certainly, both pages refer to the same person. Charivari 03:37, 12 February 2006 (UTC)

Definitely the same person and should be merged. -(the previous comment was unsigned)


 * Merge completed. --Hetar 07:58, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

Cleanup proposals
Regarding the cleanup templates added by Akidd dublin, I'd appreciate more specifics on what's wrong with this article. For my part, I saw a TV documentary about Dr. Pepperberg's work which was shown on the BBC (in the Horizon thread, if memory serves) many years ago and was greatly impressed by the results she has achieved. There definitely needs to be a Wikipedia article about Dr. Pepperberg and her work, and if the present article is deficient in some respects then it deserves to be improved, but at the moment I would find it difficult to understand what's so bad about it.

"To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup."

"To meet Wikipedia's quality standards and conform with our NPOV policy, this article or section may require cleanup."


 * The latter includes "quality standards", so the first template is redundant.
 * What quality standards specifically? Why is the article not neutral? It may read as moderately enthusiastic, but is that wrong? By all means add more information on criticism of the work if you can find any.

"The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view."


 * Let's have more information on the subject from a non-American perspective. I haven't any; have you?

"The introduction to this article is too long."


 * Introductory paragraphs are meant to state why the subject of the article is important. The present introduction seems to do just that.

"rewrite - probably research promotion"


 * I think that the above comment belongs on the Talk page, not in the article.
 * What evidence is there for "research promotion"? The words "probably" and "looks like" (in the edit summary) don't seem to me to be sufficient grounds for complaint.

But I could well be wrong. What do other people think? Charivari 07:11, 3 May 2006 (UTC)


 * The article is fine. The criticisms are unfounded. Fnarf999 00:55, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

cleanup advert

I have removed the template about introduction. This article looks like based on good will. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not an internet service. Referals to websites are alright. Many people use this for advertising, and to promote their biography. I appreciate the detailed reply/the tone of it, and do not insist to keep up the templates. When i included them, i thought this article looks like a biography, research promotion. I suggest to rewrite the article, but it is not in very needs. moderately enthusiastic - that should be fine. Rules are not to fulfil them literally.

I have added this article to budgerigar, it looks related, and added the weblinks from "context speaking budgerigars" (which does not meet several wikipedia standards) Akidd dublin•tl•ctr-l 17:30, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Broken links
The following links are broken and should be removed unless someone knows where the content has moved to. - Dougher (talk) 02:18, 29 February 2008 (UTC)


 * 1) Account of Alex by an associate of Pepperberg (http://www.africannature.com/Orig%20Africa%20Nature/African%20Birds/meetalex.htm)
 * 2) Website devoted to African Grey intelligence study and care (http://www.africannature.com)
 * 3) Aviculturalist Society archive of Pepperberg's African Grey study (http://www.mecca.org/~rporter/PARROTS/grey_al.html)
 * 4) Training Your Parrot the Alex Way, Video Dr. Irene Pepperberg and Chris Davis (http://www.avianpublications.com/items/behavior/itemDVD07.htm)

Aha, I didn't see this first, just thought that "Training" and "Account" looked interesting, and found them broken. africannature is gone and searching avianpublications for Pepperberg turned up several pages, but none that appeared to match the description here. --Phaedrus420 (talk) 20:11, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

= External Links = I’m a Harvard undergrad with friends who have taken a class from Prof. Pepperberg. While I’ve always been extremely skeptical of the contention that animal communication can involve syntax, they showed me a site with interactive blogs done on Harvard undergrad lectures (including ones from Pepperberg’s “Animal Cognition” class) which I found to be pretty intriguing for anyone interested in Pepperberg’s work. The link is: http://www.thefinalclub.org/blogs/spring2008/AnimalCognition/.

From what my classmates have said, the posts for each lecture are extremely useful and anyone can read and contribute to the commentary of the texts on the site. If you read through a lecture or two and agree, I'd encourage someone with more Wikipedia clout than myself to post on the actual Pepperberg page. Let me know what you all think. I'd love to hear your thoughts. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bbrasky100 (talk • contribs) 16:41, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

= Autism =

This paragraph:


 * Some researchers believe that the training method that Pepperberg used with Alex, (called the model-rival technique) holds promise for teaching autistic and other learning-disabled children who have difficulty learning language, numerical concepts and empathy. When some autistic children were taught using the same methods Dr. Pepperberg devised to teach parrots, their response exceeded expectations.

Has no citations or links. Does anyone have any information about this? I'd be interested in reading more. 198.182.55.28 (talk) 17:50, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Academic Background
It is perhaps worth mentioning Pepperberg's degrees -- I believe they are not in psychology but chemistry. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.134.237.221 (talk) 05:25, 11 April 2013 (UTC) True- I noticed a lack as well. In her autobiography it was quite an elaborate construction about her loving chemistry but then realizing she loved birds and animal psychology more. Parrot Brain (talk) 18:44, 14 February 2014 (UTC)

=Add new section?=

I was looking at the page and saw no mention of her New-York-Times-bestselling autobiography, Alex and Me. I believe there should be mention of this, as it did become a famous book. I was thinking it would look something like this- Pepperberg wrote an autobiography of her times with Alex that made the New York Time's bestsellers list. Recording everything from her childhood to the effects of Alex's death, it summarized the personality of her and Alex. Then add some here about the book... etc. Parrot Brain (talk) 18:50, 14 February 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
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External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20080922031802/http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2006/12/friday_grey_matters_irene_pepp_1.php to http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2006/12/friday_grey_matters_irene_pepp_1.php

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