Cognitive Development in Animals

Washoe is one of the most famous chimpanzees because of her ability to use sign language to communicate. She was able to communicate approximately 350 words and was even observed teaching her son sign language. Even more impressive was that Washoe was able to combine these words into hundreds of logical combinations with different meanings that were not taught, but rather created by herself. You can learn more about human cognitive development by considering Washoe’s use of sign language, as well as the information gained from the study of other animals such as chimps, rats, etc.

Respond to the following:

Specifically, what can we learn about human cognitive development through the study of these animals? 

Thinking back to the discussion in M1: Assignment 2, are there any ethical issues that arise from using animals to study human development? Consider what you have learned about the inherent differences between animals and humans.  

Why do researchers make use of animals instead of humans for their experiments on development?