Roger S. Fouts (born June 8, 1943) is a retired American primate researcher. He was co-founder and co-director of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute (CHCI) in Washington, and a professor of psychology at the Central Washington University. He is best known for his role in teaching Washoe the chimpanzee to communicate using a set of signs adapted from American sign language.[1]
Fouts is an animal rights advocate, citing the New Zealand Animal Welfare Act as a model for legal rights for the Great Apes (Hominidae),[1] and campaigning with British primatologist Jane Goodall for improved conditions for chimpanzees. He has written on animal law and on the ethics of animal testing.[2] He is also an adviser to the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics.[3]
He is married to Deborah Fouts, who was the co-director and co-founder of CHCI.
Early life
editFouts was born in Sacramento, California and grew up on a family farm, surrounded by animals.[4] He received his B.A. in child psychology from the college that became California State University, Long Beach a few years later. In 1964, he married Deborah Harris, who [5] became his life-time collaborator. Fouts earned his Ph.D. from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Career
editIn 1967, Fouts' future took a decisive turn when he interviewed for a half-time assistantship position at the Unversity of Nevada. Fouts had intended on a career working with nonverbal children and needed this job -- teaching sign language to a chimp -- to pay for graduate school.[6] The plan was almost derailed by a disastrous job interview with Dr. Allen Gardner, who felt Fouts' career goals were not aligned with the project's scientific bent.[7] However, Washoe, the chimpanzee subject, took an immediate liking to Fouts and leapt into his arms. A few days later Fouts was told he had got the job.[8]
The Gardners instructed Fouts to use operant conditioning to teach Washoe signs from American Sign Language (ASL). They wanted him to use direct instruction and to reward Washoe with praise and treats when she used a sign correctly. But Fouts found more success by catering to Washoe's natural desire to imitate and socially connect. When introducing a new sign, he would gently guide the chimp toward making the proper gesture (manipulating her hands into the required shapes), emphasizing social connection over "training." Fouts' method proved to be more effective in Washoe's acquisition of new signs, and the Gardners adopted it in future chimp studies.[9]
In 1970, the Gardners' finished their work with Washoe and returned her to the Institute of Primate Studies, a breeding program, in Norman, Oklahoma. Fouts was tasked with moving Washoe to Oklahoma, and from there he continued to work independently with her and other chimps.
In Oklahoma, Fouts' primary research project was exploring whether Washoe would teach signs to an infant. Unfortunately, as a captive-raised chimpanzee, Washoe did not know how to properly mother an infant and both of the babies she gave birth to died. Fouts arranged for Washoe to "adopt" an older infant from another primate lab, named Loulis. Loulis, Washoe's adopted son, was ultimately said to have learned over 70 signs directly from Washoe.[1] During this period, Fouts also worked with nonverbal Autistic children and found that teaching sign language helped the children interact with others and in some cases even prompted speaking.[10][11]
As the ape communication studies progressed, they found that the animals used signs to communicate with each other. The apes created phrases from combinations of signs to denote new things that were brought into their environment.
Fouts has been a consultant or adviser on four movies, including Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984).[12]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ a b c FAQ, The Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute, Central Washington University.
- ^ Fouts, Roger S.; Fouts, Deborah H. & Waters, G. (2002) "The ethics and efficacy of biomedical research in chimpanzees with special regard to HIV research" in A. Fuentes & L. Wolfe, Primates face to face: Conservation implications of human-nonhuman primate interconnections, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 45-60.
- ^ "Advisers" Archived 2012-06-05 at the Wayback Machine, Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, accessed 25 May 2012.
- ^ Fouts, R.; Mills, S. (1997). p. 5.
- ^ Lynch, Kristin. "Roger Fouts", Muskingum College.
- ^ Fouts, R.; Mills, S. (1997) p.12
- ^ Fouts, R.; Mills, S. (1997). pp. 13-14.
- ^ "September, 1967 - Roger Fouts joins Project Washoe - University of Nevada in Reno, Nevada", Friends of Washoe.
- ^ Fouts, R.; Mills, S. (1997). pp. 76-80.
- ^ Fulwiler, Robert; Fouts, Roger (March 1976). "Acquisition of American Sign Language by a noncommunicating autistic child". Journal of autism and childhood schizophrenia. 6: 43–51 – via SpringerNature.
- ^ Fouts, R.; Mills, S. (1997). pp. 188-189.
- ^ IMDB
Further reading
edit- Roger Fouts at Central Washington University
- The Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute
- Biography at Muskingum College History of Psychology Archives
- Fouts, Roger S. & Mills, Stephen Tukel (1997) Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees, William Morrow. ISBN 0-688-14862-X
- Fouts, Roger S. (1973) "Acquisition and testing of gestural signs in four young chimpanzees", 180 Science, pp. 978–980.