Leavens, David A (2014) The plight of the sense-making ape. In: Cappuccio, Massimiliano and Froese, Tom (eds.) Enactive cognition at the edge of sense-making: making sense of non-sense. New directions in philosophy and cognitive science . Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, pp. 81-104. ISBN 9781137363350

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Abstract

This is a selective review of the published literature on object-choice tasks, where participants use directional cues to find hidden objects. This literature comprises the efforts of researchers to make sense of the sense-making capacities of our nearest living relatives. This chapter is written to highlight some nonsensical conclusions that frequently emerge from this research. The data suggest that when apes are given approximately the same sense-making opportunities as we provide our children, then they will easily make sense of our social signals. The ubiquity of nonsensical contemporary scientific claims to the effect that humans are essentially--or inherently--more capable than other great apes in the understanding of simple directional cues is, itself, a testament to the power of preconceived ideas on human perception.

Item Type:	Book Section
Schools and Departments:	School of Psychology > Psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BD Speculative Philosophy > BD143 Epistemology. Theory of knowledge B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BD Speculative Philosophy > BD240 Methodology B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology > BF0176 Psychological tests and testing B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology > BF0180 Experimental psychology B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology > BF0660 Comparative psychology. Animal and human psychology
Related URLs:	Publisher
Depositing User:	David Leavens
Date Deposited:	24 Jul 2014 11:05
Last Modified:	20 Aug 2015 14:47
URI:	http://srodev.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/47808

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