Reaching into Thought: The Minds of the Great Apes [Hardcover]

Anne E. Russon (Editor), Kim A. Bard (Editor), Sue Taylor Parker (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0521471680 | ISBN-13: 978-0521471688

In this book, field and laboratory researchers show that the Great Apes are capable of thinking at symbolic levels, traditionally considered uniquely human. They show these high-level abilities in both social and ecological domains, including tool use, imitation, pretense, self-awareness, deception, consolation, teaching and proto-culture itself. Here, contributors emphasize the mechanisms involved in building these abilities--especially the lengthy developmental and "enculturation" processes--suggesting changes to current views on how primate and human intelligence have evolved. Researchers and professionals in the fields of primatology, animal behavior, anthropology, linguistics, and cognitive psychology will find much useful information in this book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"There are excellent chapters in the book based on both captive and field research." Craig B. Stanford, The Quarterly Review of Biology

"The illustrations, graphics, and black-and-white photographs are of high quality and integrate well with the text. Recommended for any researcher interested in the study of great ape cognition and all college and university libraries." N. Krusko, Choice

Product Details

• Hardcover: 478 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (July 26, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521471680
• ISBN-13: 978-0521471688
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,280,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Apes' Minds, April 1, 2000

By 

Kalanga Joffres (Halifax, Nova Scotia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reaching into Thought: The Minds of the Great Apes (Paperback)

Interesting book in which a team of researchers described their look deep into and experiences with apes. This team of researchers shows the social, psychological and behavioral apects of Apes and how they set them apart from another animals and humans, as well as how they are similar to humans.

Although I preferred Anne Russon's "Orangutans : Wizards of the Rain Forest", I would think this book would be interesting for anyone with interests in human and animal psychology. This book takes a much more in-depth look at the apes' psychology than Russon's "Wizards of the Rain Forest" book.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Apes' Minds, April 1, 2000

By 

Kalanga Joffres (Halifax, Nova Scotia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reaching into Thought: The Minds of the Great Apes (Hardcover)

Interesting book in which a team of researchers described their look deep into and experiences with apes. This team of researchers shows the social, psychological and behavioral apects of Apes and how they set them apart from another animals and humans, as well as how they are similar to humans.

Although I preferred Anne Russon's "Orangutans : Wizards of the Rain Forest", I would think this book would be interesting for anyone with interests in human and animal psychology. This book takes a much more in-depth look at the apes' psychology than Russon's "Wizards of the Rain Forest" book.