Why Koko (Probably) Couldn't Talk (Sorry) | The Deep Dive
Soup Emporium4 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
3.8M views · commentary · evergreen · Uploaded 2021-05-05
A long video essay arguing that Koko the gorilla probably could not actually use sign language. It examines the cherry-picked data and the lack of transparency behind the claims, drawing on published critiques.
Recommended as a thorough debunking of Koko's supposed language ability in threads about animal communication.
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5 comments from Hacker News
The article casually mentions Koko, and it's a bit sad that the story of Koko's "language" is still alive... I can not remember book exceprt, but recently there was a great video about Koko [VIDEO]
I’m skeptical of this. This sounds similar to the way Koko “learned” sign language. While this video is long, it explains the controversy very well: [VIDEO]
> Note that Koko was obviously a greater communicator than any parrot ever was. Sadly, I don't think this is actually true, despite the popular belief. See [VIDEO] TL;DW - Data was VERY cherry-picked to make it look like she could communicate via sign language. At best, she was responding via rote memorization and had no idea what she was actually communicating.
Here's a great video about the extreme cherry picking and lack of transparency it takes to argue that Koko had any better of an understanding of language than a well trained dog: [VIDEO]
You may want to watch this video: [VIDEO] Human language is way above what communication animals show. We don't really know what's the exact boundary, but again, the difference is significant and not just "scaled up".