Koko the Gorilla, especially of interest to Sharla and Pacfan

[Sharla]

I would never expect you to get on the evolutionary bandwagon Bilbo - that's why I don't bother replying to any of those threads anymore.

I think this is a completely different thing.

Monkeys in Japan knew how to steal money from tourists and use it in the vending machines. They learnt how to do this. Whether they think in words or not doesn't change the fact that they think.

I think in words more than anything else. I find it hard to visualize things sometimes. I think this is a lack of ability rather than the persence of one.

A friend of mine lives in the country and she deliberately doesn't just sit her young daughter in front of the TV. She was telling me and my flatmate about how her daughter plays and pretends to mother everything - she is demonstrating a very advanced imagination for her age.

That is based on the knowledge of my flatmate who works advising schools and child care centres on how to care for children with different needs. She comes home every night with different stories about children who are challenged by certain illnesses, disabilities or home life difficulties. I believe her when she says that my friends daughter has an unusually well developed imagination.

I think the way she's being brought up to not just sit in front of a screen is developing her mentally in a way we really all should have developed. Sure having a verbal language has given us a great many advantages but we would be much better at thinking in pictures and emotionally using imagery if we didn't have that.

Animals don't need to think in words to be thinking! That's like saying when you fantasize about something and you imagine it you're not actually thinking!

I think there's a difference between being territorial and jealous too. If the dog at my mum's house is jealous of the cat she doesn't just growl at the cat to tell her to PO - she gets up on my lap and sits on me and looks for my attention. If she was just territorial she'd be fine just with getting rid of the cat - she could be there without being affectionate and still 'win'.

Plus we've all seen the thought process when you tell a dog to come to you or sit down or something and it really doesn't want to. It looks at you all guilty and then just kinds ignores you but he/she is already cringing because he/she knows that they'll be in trouble but - no - no i just HAVE to chase those ducks!!!!!! They understand - cheeky buggers are just like disobedient children - anticipating that they'll be in trouble but weighing it up - getting too excited by their other option and just no - I HAVE to chase those ducks - but I'm hiding behind you the SECOND they turn on me!