It’s a sad day for me today because a friend I never met died this morning. Alex was fine yesterday and was found dead this morning of unknown causes.
I’ve followed the story of Alex for years. I even met his research partner, Dr. Irene Pepperberg, at a conference in San Diego years ago. Together and with research assistants, Alex and Dr. Pepperberg broke new ground in the the areas of cognitive processing and learning. Some of their research has been applied in cases of autistic and learning-deficit children.
Alex was a prodigy and held a special place in the various universities and labs in which he worked and sometimes lived. He was involved in much of Dr. Pepperberg’s research and was integral in determining which of the rotating flock of graduate students got to join the team; if Alex did not like them, he simply turned his back to them and their future with the team was in grave doubt.
Over the years, Alex learned to differentiate between different colors, different shapes, and different materials of objects offered to him. When two red objects of different shapes were offered to Alex and he was asked “Alex, what different?” Alex would respond “Shape.” If two plastic keys of different color were offered to Alex and he was asked “Alex, what different?” he would respond “Color.” When then asked “What color red?” Alex would select the red object. When asked “What different?” when offered a cloth square and a wooden square, Alex would respond “Matter.”
Alex could also understand the abstract concept of numbers. He not only knew that six objects on the table meant “6″ but he also demonstrated that the numeral 6 meant “6″ as well. He stunned his research partners on day recently when he demonstrated the concept of “zero” without any previous training on the subject. A mistaken quantitative question about a missing object got the answer “none” and the researcher had to lift their jaw from the floor. Alex had learned the word from earlier research as a way of indicating “lack of information” and then applied it in a new way.
Language was Alex’s forte. He invented his own words for things in his world. “Banerry” was his word for an apple, which to him was beige on the inside like a banana, but red on the outside like a cherry. “Corknut” was his name for almonds. “Biwi” was the name he applied to another member of the research team who was named something else entirely.
Alex, the remarkable African Grey parrot, was special in these ways and more. He was a nondescript member of his species who hooked-up with Dr. Irene Pepperberg years ago to become both teacher and student.
None of us gets out of here alive, and that goes for parrots, too. I just wish we had more time with Alex to learn more about learning. I never met you, old bird, but I miss you greatly nonetheless.
My thoughts are with Dr. Pepperberg and the entire research team who worked with Alex and continue to work with the other parrot research partners. I am sorry for your loss and can offer no other words of solace than to say Alex will always be with us, in out hearts and memories.