A Review of the Model/Rival (M/R) Technique for Training Interspecies Communication and Its Use in Behavioral Research

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Comparing the cognitive capacities of nonhumans to those of humans can be quite difficult, particularly given that humans can be questioned directly (e.g., “How many?”, “What color?”) but that most nonhumans must be tested by various indirect means that might not demonstrate the full range of their capacities. A few nonhumans, however, have acquired some level of symbolic representation (e.g., labels for items such as physical objects and their attributes, for concepts and relations among these items and concepts, and for actions that can be carried out on or with these items), which allows for a limited form of interspecies communication that can be used for direct questioning. Why have so few nonhumans acquired this skill, and what are the advantages of having it? I describe a specific training procedure, the Model/Rival (M/R) protocol, that enabled several Grey parrots to learn some level of referential communication; I discuss the specific elements of such training that are both necessary and sufficient for successful acquisition and how lack of any of these elements can cause failure. I also describe some experiments that were facilitated by interspecies communication, and how acquisition of this ability might affect the extent to which nonhumans can process information. ABSTRACT: In this paper, I will review the Model/Rival (M/R) technique that has been used to establish interspecies communication with Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus). I will describe the original format developed by Todt, the relationship to other forms of observational learning outlined by other researchers, and the adaptations that I devised. I will describe how my undergraduate trainers and I isolated the various components that constitute the technique and explain how each is necessary, but how only the combination of all components is sufficient for successful implementation—and how improper implementation can lead to failure. I will briefly summarize the results of proper implementation—including the importance of interspecies communication itself as a technique for studying animal cognition.