The Education of Koko Author:Francine Patterson When Penny Patterson, a young graduate student in psychology at Stanford, first saw a tiny undernourished baby gorilla named Hanabi-Ko at the San Francisco Zoo, she had little inkling that the sickly ape would become her constant companion -- and the subject of the longest continuous experiment ever undertaken to teach language to another specie... more »s. But within a year Project Koko was underway, and in two weeks the gorilla was using correct signed gestures for 'food,' 'drink,' and 'more.' Today, nine years later, the world's most famous gorilla is drawing on a vocabulary of more than 600 words, conversing through a computer terminal, signing with her mate-to-be, Michael, and speculating on death.
"The Education of Koko" chronicles Penny Patterson's nine years as Koko's dedicated teacher and surrogate mother. It is the first full reporst on the most far-reaching ape language experiment yet conducted, the only one with a gorilla. Combining a fascinating scientific exposition with a dramatic personal account of the frustrations and elations of Project Koko, the authors reveal how a charming, obstinate gorilla aquired the means to communicate emotions (Sorry bite scratch) and express unexpected thoughts; to tease, joke, argue, and question; to hurl an insult when wronged (You dirty bad toilet); and even when necessary, to lie.
Reports of Koko's ground-breaking accomplishments over the past few years have enthralled readers of the National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, Reader's Digest, Science, and many other journals. At the same time, they have stirred up intense controversy in the behavioral sciences. Dr. Patterson and Eugene Linden soberly lay out the indisputable evidence that Koko indeed uses and understands a human language, presenting conclusions prudent in their claims, thrilling in their implications. For Koko's education gives us a bguiling glimse into the mind of perhaps our closest relative -- an animal long vilified and misunderstood, who now teaches us about the origins of abilities we had thought to be exclusively human. In so doing, The Education of Koko sheds important new light on the nature of the human beast.« less