And then in addition on the Huffington Post this morning:
Smart Donkey Uses Awesome Problem-Solving Skills To Cross Fence
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/clever-donkey-crosses-fence-italy-video_
us_5870a027e4b099cdb0fd6279?r922lj4jz2vwe9udi
Awesome,
Jerry
On 1/8/17, 7:07 AM, "Ken Friedman" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Friends,
>
> In a long-ago list debate on whether dogs (or other animals) think, I took the
> position that animals do, indeed, think, though perhaps not as we do. I drew
> my conclusions by observing goal-oriented problem-solving behavior by dogs.
> Others took a different position based on a theoretical or philosophical
> position. While it seemed to me that these positions ignored the possibility
> of clear empirical evidence, there was no way to provide evidence beyond my
> own account.
>
> Over the past decade or so since the debate, there has been a growing
> literature on the topic. Today, the New York Times published an interesting
> article that reminded me of this. Equally interesting, there is significant
> research going on at universities to explore the kinds of issues ¡ª and now, a
> massive citizen science experiment to gather broad empirical data with
> peer-reviewed result reported in PLOS ONE.
>
> Here is the article in the Times:
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/07/well/family/dogs-intelligence.html
>
> Here is the web site of one research center that is a nicely structured
> example of research linked to citizen science:
>
> https://www.dognition.com
>
> And here is the peer-reviewed article: ¡°Citizen Science as a New Tool in Dog
> Cognition Research¡±:
>
> http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0135176
>
> Abstract:
>
> Family dogs and dog owners offer a potentially powerful way to conduct citizen
> science to answer questions about animal behavior that are difficult to answer
> with more conventional approaches. Here we evaluate the quality of the first
> data on dog cognition collected by citizen scientists using the Dognition.com
> website. We conducted analyses to understand if data generated by over 500
> citizen scientists replicates internally and in comparison to previously
> published findings. Half of participants participated for free while the other
> half paid for access. The website provided each participant a temperament
> questionnaire and instructions on how to conduct a series of ten cognitive
> tests. Participation required internet access, a dog and some common household
> items. Participants could record their responses on any PC, tablet or
> smartphone from anywhere in the world and data were retained on servers.
> Results from citizen scientists and their dogs replicated a number of
> previously described phenomena from conventional lab-based research. There was
> little evidence that citizen scientists manipulated their results. To
> illustrate the potential uses of relatively large samples of citizen science
> data, we then used factor analysis to examine individual differences across
> the cognitive tasks. The data were best explained by multiple factors in
> support of the hypothesis that nonhumans, including dogs, can evolve multiple
> cognitive domains that vary independently. This analysis suggests that in the
> future, citizen scientists will generate useful datasets that test hypotheses
> and answer questions as a complement to conventional laboratory techniques
> used to study dog psychology.
>
> It occurs to me that we might learn more about some of the questions or issues
> we debate in the design field by designing web-based projects for empirical
> data as well as by considering approaches based on citizen science.
>
> Yours,
>
> Ken
>
> Ken Friedman, PhD, DSc (hc), FDRS | Editor-in-Chief | Éè¼Æ She Ji. The Journal
> of Design, Economics, and Innovation | Published by Tongji University in
> Cooperation with Elsevier | URL:
> http://www.journals.elsevier.com/she-ji-the-journal-of-design-economics-and-in
> novation/
>
> Chair Professor of Design Innovation Studies | College of Design and
> Innovation | Tongji University | Shanghai, China ||| University Distinguished
> Professor | Centre for Design Innovation | Swinburne University of Technology
> | Melbourne, Australia
>
> Email [log in to unmask] | Academia
> http://swinburne.academia.edu/KenFriedman | D&I http://tjdi.tongji.edu.cn
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
> Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design
> Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
--
Jerry Diethelm
Architect - Landscape Architect
Planning & Urban Design Consultant
Prof. Emeritus of Landscape Architecture
and Community Service ¡¤ University of Oregon
2652 Agate St., Eugene, OR 97403
¡¤ e-mail: [log in to unmask]
¡¤ web: http://pages.uoregon.edu/diethelm/
¡¤ https://oregon.academia.edu/JerryDiethelm
¡¤ 541-686-0585 home/work 541-346-1441 UO
¡¤ 541-206-2947 work/cell
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design
Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|