A fascinating study by Franck P?ron and colleagues looks at the question of whether or not grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) will share, with each other or with a human. Two hand-reared parrots took part: Griffin, the dominant bird who is 14 years old, and Arthur, who is 11. The birds live in large individual cages in the same room as each other, and often take part in studies of parrot cognition. This means they were well placed to understand the task involved: choosing one of four coloured cups, each of which has a different meaning.
For the purposes of this study, the cups were as follows:-
Green cup ? sharing. The bird and their partner both get a treat.
Pink cup ? selfish. The bird gets a treat but the partner does not.
Orange cup ? giving. The partner gets a treat, but they do not.
Violet cup ? null. No one gets a treat.
The treats varied, including pieces of cashew nut and almonds, and sometimes small candies. In the first experiment, the cups were arranged on a tray without the birds seeing what went under them. Two humans performed a demonstration session, so the birds could see what the results of different cup choices were. Then the experiment began. ?
The tray was presented to the first bird, who had to make a choice, and treats were distributed accordingly. Then the second bird got to make a choice. In total, there were fifty sessions, in which each bird got to make ten choices. Griffin led in 24 of the sessions, and Arthur led in the other 26 (it was meant to be equal, but there was a mistake).?
The birds did not choose randomly, and nor did they co-operate by always choosing the sharing cup, which would have maximized the rewards for both of them. Griffin, the dominant bird, chose selfishly when he went first, but when he had the second choice he continued to sometimes share. Arthur became more selfish over the trials, whether he was leader or follower. And while Arthur was silent throughout, Griffin sometimes said ?want nut? or ?nut?, or squeaked in a frustrated way, in response to his own or Arthur?s choices.
Of course, the parrots already had a relationship with each other which may have affected their choices. Perhaps Arthur became more selfish over time because, as the subordinate bird, it was unusual that he had a chance to do so without reprisal.
The second experiment was similar, except the birds were paired with several humans. One human was always selfish, one was always giving, and the other copied whatever the parrot had just done. In most cases, the birds had ten sessions of ten trials each (i.e. ten choices for the bird and ten for the following human), although there was some variability due to students? schedules. The main difference was that for Arthur, towards the end, there was a three week hiatus in testing because of students? exams.
As before, both birds avoided the giving and null cups. Griffin?s behaviour changed over the time of the trials. When the human was giving, Griffin began to share more over time. When the human was selfish, he became more selfish over time. With the copycat, it wasn?t clear that Griffin understood this, although there was a slight increase in sharing behaviour.
Arthur?s results were complicated by the three week gap in testing. He is a bird who doesn?t respond well to absences by people he is used to interacting with, and often greets them on their return by biting or shunning them. Prior to the gap, he was tending towards more sharing with the ?giving? human, but after the gap he reversed this behaviour. He also didn?t seem to like the copycat, and often chose the ?null? cup, which may have been his way of saying he had had enough.
These results show that Griffin seemed to understand the concept of sharing, since he tended to pick the ?share? cup more often with the ?giving? human (note that he wasn?t copying the human, because that would have involved picking the ?giving? cup). Both birds showed awareness of the value of the choices. Their choices changed over time and (at least to some extent) according to what their partner did.
One of the things I especially like about this study is that the parrots? personalities shine through.
Do you have a bird at home, and if so what kind?
Reference
P?ron F, John M, Sapowicz S, Bovet D, & Pepperberg IM (2012). A study of sharing and reciprocity in grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus). Animal cognition PMID: 23065183
Panasonic has developed a revolutionary hot water pipe that can actually turn the heat into usable electricity, as long as there's also a source of cold water. The conversion process relies on the temperature difference between the hot and cold water, and since the entire pipe is used to harness heat, the power output is three or four times higher than previous efforts. More »
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The recent presidential primaries and election campaign reduced discussion of immigration to a nearly exclusive focus on Latinos and the construction of fences on the border with Mexico ?as well as draconian Arizona laws requiring documented immigrants ("resident aliens") to carry proof of identity. The possibility of seriously addressing the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the country is encumbered by this distortion and other political complications. The film Immigrants, by University of New Orleans film and theater professor Laszlo Fulop and Tulane University history professor Marline Otte, is a welcome breath of fresh air in the discussion of immigration and global connections. It is, however, similarly narrow in focus. The hourlong film features interviews with "creative class" immigrants ? all are professionals or academics. They come from countries including Spain, India, Bolivia, Brazil, South Korean, Japan, Ghana, Ireland and Australia, among others. The various subjects talk about their lives as immigrants in America, but many of the most interesting observations come in comparisons of living in America versus other cultures ? for example Irish Catholicism versus American Catholicism.
??The film is anecdotal. There is no narrator, no statistics, no analysis. Instead, the interviewees talk directly to the camera about everything from their names and accents to religious and gender role differences between countries. The short interview segments don't always follow a particular line of thought, and at times they are interspersed with superfluous scenes of a modern dance performance.
??The film obviously suggests these and many other individuals are not accurately described by the labels thrown around in politically loaded discussions of immigration. This group isn't representative of the immigration issue anyway, but given the diversity of individuals' nations of origin, it offers a broad view of an increasingly interrelated world of nations, and some of the subjects have migrated to different countries several times. The film screens in conjunction with excerpts from the same filmmakers in an exhibit called Home and Away in the Contemporary Arts Center's video gallery. There is a question-and-answer session with the filmmakers following the screening. Admission is free to Louisiana residents. ? Will Coviello
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When I married my husband,? I set out to be the perfect stepparent. I read all the books, went to the conferences, and worked overtime doing everything right for my stepchildren. But I wasn?t a perfect stepparent. I made a lot of mistakes.?Through 17 years of stepparenting, experience has taught me?that I don?t have to be a perfect stepparent to have stepchildren grow to love me.
This year, instead of making resolutions about being a better stepparent, I decided to ponder a few resolutions on how to move past my imperfections and keep going on days I want to quit as a not-so-perfect stepparent.
So, this year I commit to ?
?1. Let go of the?Stepmom guilt. We all experience it from time to time. We let our mind run away with what we?ve done wrong as a stepparent. Or we compare our stepfamily to our neighbor?s perfectly-blended family and let the criticism begin.?Stepmom guilt comes from the expectation that everything in our home should be perfect. But that?s never going to happen. Instead, why not?let go of unrealistic expectations that keep us bound to guilt when we don?t measure up?
2. Forgive myself when I fail. A defeated stepparent doesn?t parent effectively. When we barrage ourselves with negative self-talk over a poor parenting choice, we continue down a negative path. Forgiving ourselves for less-than-stellar stepparenting moments allows us to begin again with a renewed mind and fresh perspective for our parenting challenges.
3. Seek out support from other stepmoms on hard days. My neighbor is a single parent with two school-aged children. She recognizes her need for help in juggling her responsibilities and seeks out other moms to assist with car pool or after school care when the demands of her work schedule become overwhelming. As stepmoms, it?s helpful to find fellow stepmoms who can offer encouragement or support on hard days. If you haven?t found local stepmoms,?check out the group?on Twitter of? #TwitterStepmoms.
4. Listen to my heart on how to parent my stepchild, instead of others? opinions. It?s easy to run to the phone and ask our best friend what to do when we?re facing a difficult parenting moment, but if we step back and listen to our heart while considering our options, we make better decisions. Considering our stepchild?s personality?as part of the parenting equation allows us to tailor our parenting in a healthier light.
5. Nurture my marriage.?Stepchildren eventually exit the nest. The goal is for the marriage to outlast the stepparenting years.??Good marriages don?t just happen -they require regular nurturing.?I want to continue to?reach beyond an ordinary marriage by being my partner?s biggest fan and most loyal friend.
6. Take time to run, or quilt, or whatever activity works for me to re-group when the stepparenting strain takes over. ?It?s important to re-group and make time for self-care when we?re about to go off the parenting cliff. Balancing stepparenting demands with activities we can look forward and enjoy by ourselves or with others, creates a well-rounded stepparent who can more effectively handle the strains of stepparenting.
As you start a new year, do you have resolutions to consider as a not-so-perfect stepparent? Do you need a mindset do-over that includes room for imperfection and second chances as a stepparent? Perhaps that?s the ticket to success this year on your not-so-perfect stepparenting journey.
Do you have other resolutions to add??Leave me a comment and let me know.
FINAL: United States 1, Canada 2 Team Canada survived a late United States attack and improved to 3-0 at the World Junior Hockey Championship thanks to a 2-1 victory on Sunday. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ryan Strome scored for Canada while Jacob Trouba connected for the US. Malcolm Subban and John Gibson were both solid in their respective nets. Canada led 2-0 entering the third but Trouba scored at 11:02 of the third on the power play to make a game out of this one. The US had lots of pressure on in the final minute but could not tie it up. Saint John Sea Dogs captain Jonathan Huberdeau helped set up Canada?s first goal with a nifty pass to Nugent-Hopkins. Huberdeau also took a slashing penalty late in the game. He had no shots on goal in the game and was a +1. Canada plays Russia tomorrow morning at 10am Atlantic time.
FINAL: Team Atlantic 2, Team Quebec 5
On the opening day at the World Under-17 Hockey Championship, Olivier LeBlanc and Team Quebec defeated Matthew Highmore and Team Atlantic 5-2. LeBlanc assisted on Quebec?s opening goal scored by Julien Nantel. Cape Breton Screaming Eagles rookie forward Clark Bishop had both goals for Team Atlantic.
International Scouting Services has called LeBlanc a player to watch at this year's tournament. From the Hockey Canada website:
Mobile defenceman ? loves to compete ? excellent skating skills ? above-average offence ? very poised ? plays with an edge ? terrific shot ? great agility and quickness ? very aggressive on the puck carrier
Team Atlantic takes on Team USA this afternoon at 2:30pm. Quebec takes on the US tomorrow night.
This year, instead of making resolutions about being a better stepparent, I decided to ponder a few resolutions on how to move past my imperfections and keep going on days I want to quit as a not-so-perfect stepparent.