The Ape and The Child A Research Project Conducted at Orange Park Florida (1931 - 1932)
GUA AND DONALD READY FOR BED	The Ape and The Child   A Comparative Study of the Environmental Influence Upon Early Behavior W.N. Kellogg Associate Professor of Psychology, Indiana University and L.A. Kellogg Hafner Publishing Company New York and London 1967 (Facsimile of the 1933 edition)
Site Index Overview Selected Results From: Social and Affectionate Behavior (Chapter VII) Emotional Behavior (Chapter VIII) Pleasant Emotions Unpleasant Emotions Intelligent Behavior (Chapter XI ) Ingestion (Chapter XI ) Locomotion (Chapter XI ) Communication and Language Skills (Chapter XII, XIII) Conclusion
Text below indicated by B&B is from Benjamin and Bruce (1982) Acknowledgements
OVERVIEW   No investigation in Kellogg's career brought him more attention than did the study involving the rearing of his infant son Donald with an infant chimpanzee, Gua. The study is well documented in the 336 pages that comprise The Ape and the Child. (B&B p. 465)   RATIONALE: The idea for the study emerged in 1927 when Kellogg was still a graduate student at Columbia University. Kellogg and Kellogg (1933) give us that date for the idea but not its source. However, our guess is that it was stimulated by an article on the "wolf children" of India which was published that year in the American Journal of Psychology (Squires, 1927). Similar to Itard's "wild boy of Aveyron," the wolf children were two young girls found in a cave inhabited by wolves. These children behaved as though they were wolves, eating and drinking like those animals and making no use of their hands except to crawl around on all fours, which was their method of locomotion. Eventually the girls learned to walk upright, although they could never run. One acquired speech, at least a vocabulary of approximately 100 words, but the other continued only to make grunting noises. Howling noises at night were never extinguished, nor were their human teachers able to break them of the rather distasteful habit of "pouncing upon and devouring small birds and mammals" (Kellogg,1931b, p. 162). Both girls died at an early age. Like other feral children, the wolf children were judged to be sub-normal in intelligence and it was assumed that their intellectual deficits prevented them from being able to adapt to their new surroundings. This interpretation was common in explaining the problems of adjustment in feral children and was, in fact, the explanation offered by Squires (1927). Kellogg disagreed with that interpretation, and in two replies published in the American Journal of Psychology (1931c, 1934), he argued that the wolf children, and others like them, were probably born of normal intelligence. Indeed, it was unlikely that they would otherwise have been capable of survival. From his environmentalistic perspective he contended that these children learned to be wild animals because that was exactly what their environment demanded of them. He believed in the strong impact of early experience and the existence of critical periods in development, and he maintained that the problem with civilizing feral children was the difficulty of overturning the habits learned early in life. (B&B, p. 466)   THE PROJECT: One way to test this hypothesis would be to place a human infant of normal intelligence in an uncivilized environment and to observe systematically its 'development' in that environment. Kellogg noted that while such an experiment would be both morally outrageous and illegal, there was another way, albeit somewhat indirect, to test the environment-heredity question. That was to take a wild animal and place it in the civilized environment of a human home (Kellogg & Kellogg, 1933). Thus began the attempt to produce this unusual experiment. (B&B p. 466) Kellogg wanted to use an experimental subject that was very young before the animal could acquire a repertoire of infrahuman modes of responding. He wanted a situation that would assure that the animal was always treated as a human and never as an animal, particularly a pet. That is, it was not to be fed from a dish on the floor or scratched behind its ears Interaction's with the animal were to be full-time.( B&B p. 467) The plan for Kellogg's experiment was outlined in a Psychological Review (1931b) article in which he wrote: Suppose an anthropoid were taken into a typical human family at the day of birth and reared as a child. Suppose he were fed upon a bottle, clothed, washed, bathed, fondled, and given a characteristically human environment; that he were spoken to like the human infant from the moment of parturition; that he had an adopted human mother and an adopted human father . . . . The experimental situation par excellence should indeed be attained if this technique were refined one step farther by adopting such a baby ape into a human family with one child of approximately the ape's age.(p.168) (B&B pgs. 467 - 468) ...Kellogg arranged a leave of absence from Indiana University, and with a grant secured from the Social Science Research Council, he, Luella, and infant son Donald moved to Florida, near the Yale Anthropoid Experiment Station at Orange Park. Through a special agreement with Robert Yerkes, they were able to obtain a young female chimpanzee, Gua. Gua was 7 1/2 months old when the Kelloggs acquired her. At that time, Donald was 10 months of age. Kellogg regretted the fact that the chimp was not younger, but given the difficulties of acquiring young apes, he had little choice. (B&B p. 468) For the next nine months, Winthrop and Luella served as experimenters in a project that demanded 12 hours a day from the two of them, seven days a week. With a few exceptions necessary "to meet the indispositions of the infants or experimenters," the schedule remained unchanged. Winthrop Kellogg was concerned that the experiment measure up to his demands. There was nothing he could do about the age differential between Donald and Gua, nor about the fact that Qua was not obtained shortly after her birth. Nevertheless, he would conduct his experiment as no other prior investigation with apes. He would maintain identical rearing conditions for his two experimental subjects. Further, he would use a variety of tasks to test his infants, not only on a comparative basis but also in looking at developmental sequences within each of them. Lastly, he would maintain sufficient scientific detachment to be able to evaluate objectively the data he was collecting. So for nine months, Donald and Gua were tested daily on such things as blood pressure, memory, body size, scribbling, reflexes, depth perception, vocalization, locomotion, reactions to tickling, strength, manual dexterity, problem solving, fears, equilibrium, play behavior, climbing, obedience, grasping, language comprehension, attention span, and others. (B&B p. 469) The Ape and the Child is clearly a book about an ape. It was the chimp who was the primary object of study; she was the experimental subject while Donald served as the control subject. This was a study designed to answer a question that was beyond the scope of other investigations. ( B&B p. 470) Back to the Index
SOCIAL and AFFECTIONATE BEHAVIOR
The relation between play and social behavior is an intimate one. The human infant serves as the chimpanzee's most intimate playmate for nearly nine months, she in turn, filled a similar role with regards to the child.	From the moment they first entered each other's presence there was evidence of curiosity and interest on the part of both. The second time they were acquainted with each other, Gua immediately extended her lips in a series of exploratory kisses on the child's lips and face. Donald was startled at first but made no avoiding reactions. Mutual attachment grew after their initial meetings. Gua almost always would make her way to be near Donald, she would stare after him if he was carried from a room, and frequently follow after him. Gua would stand outside Donald's room if he had yet to wake, and in latter months would open the door to see him. Gua's reaction to fear would be to rush towards Donald and hold him tightly as she cried. Donald learned to say "Gua" which he pronounced as "Gya", a few days after they met. He would go to her if she did not come to him, and invariably seemed to enjoy feeling and touching her. See Quicktime movie clip
The pleasure of riding in any vehicle is apparent.   If Gua was placed on a chair and required to stay there by a way of punishment, Donald would run to the chair, stretch his arms upward and embrace her. Gua usually reciprocated in such instances by putting her head on the child's shoulder or placing both arms around him. This was a genuine affectionate reaction on the part of the chimpanzee, and of the same nature on the part of Donald. See Quicktime movie clip	These observations indicate that Gua not only sought social contacts, but also was absolutely dependent upon them in two ways: 1). Physical dependency- like the dependence of a human baby. She needed general care, attention, the same precautions concerning food, and the same sort of carrying. 2). Psychological dependency- throughout the entire nine-month study, Gua was more dependent on a guardian (particularly Winthrop Kellogg) than Donald. Gua could not be alone without suffering, whereas Donald would frequently play by himself if no one was about. Together, Gua & Donald enjoyed many child-level activities. Gua's attachment rapidly became specific to Winthrop Kellogg. The fixation became so strong, that it was not until a month after her arrival that she would release Kellogg's trouser leg. If the experimenter was absent for a few hours, Gua would pick up an article of his clothing, which she identified by both smell and vision, and drag the item with her until his return. In contrast, Donald displayed a special preference for his mother, Luella Kellogg, at age 16 months. He would toddle after her as she went room to room, but was far less vociferous than the ape.
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Emotional Behavior Emotions may be viewed as the actual experience of inner impressions, which are commonly labeled enjoyment, sorrow, fear, jealousy, and so forth. In this study, the Kellogg focused on the behavior of Gua and Donald in different "emotional" situations, providing objectively observable facts about which there is little dispute. PLEASANT EMOTIONS
LAUGHTER: The earliest occurrence of rhythmic exhalations corresponding to human laughter was observed in Gua at the age of 8 months, while Donald already possessed a full-fledged laughing response prior to the experiment. At this age, Gua's "laughter" was distinctly unvocalized and was usually a series of rapid pants. The only adequate stimulus for this response at the start, was tickling the sensitive zones. At 11 months Gua began to vocalize her exhalations in sounds, which were similar to the chuckle of a man. Gua began to laugh in this overt manner in situations in which no "contact" tickle stimulation was present. See Quicktime movie clip
	KISSING: The act of kissing for Gua was originally an exploratory response, in part mimetic. The response soon began to have not only affectionate significance, but also seemed to serve as a symbol of "forgiveness". Gua would kiss and offer her lips in recompense for small errors many times a day. Her frequent and effective use of this reaction leaves little doubt about its intent. Spontaneous use of affectionate gestures does not begin to appear in the human infant until about 18 months. Although Donald had acquired some elementary affectionate responses shortly before this age, he posses no reaction as expressive or as meaningful as the kisses of the ape.
Gua kissing Luella Kellogg
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UNPLEASANT EMOTIONS: JEALOUSY: Jealous behavior was more frequent in Gua than in Donald. By the time the child was 16 months, they each seemed to want the same toys and would frequently tussle over a single play object like two squabbling children. As early as her 8th month, Gua seemed to prefer things that Donald was playing with or had previously played with in preference to other toys. Gua seemed to posses fewer inhibitory responses than the human subject. She was a creature of more violent appetites and emotions, which influenced her behavior without consideration of the consequences. Gua followed her ruling impulses, in this respect she was coarser than the child and more elemental in her motives.
Back to the Index                        Intelligent Behavior: Abrupt and new Response in the Solution of a Problem
PROBLEM SOLVING: The experimenter placed Gua upon a small four-legged stool and commanded her to "sit there" or "stay there", while he worked on a task a short distance away. Gua became very anxious to be next to him and began to scream and cry when she was unable to have her way. She whimpered and would begin to climb down the stool, but the experimenter would caution her to "stay there" and Gua would climb upon the seat. Gua abruptly solved the problem in an astonishing manner. Gua's solution was to not disobey the experimenter and yet have her own way: she climbed down the stool and quickly pushed her stool across the space between her and the observer, and at once climbed upon the stool. This behavior was distinctly intelligent.
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Ingestive Behavior (Eating and Drinking) Towards the end of the research the ape was able to drink from a glass without difficulty and displayed the same ability to use eating utensils. It is well known that the abilities of the chimpanzee to acquire human-like behaviors are remarkable.
Gua drinking from glass See Quicktime movie clip	Gua and Donald eating with a spoon See Quicktime movie clip
Back to the Index            Locomotion
	WALKING: At the age of 11months, Gua began to show a preference for erect walking and would walk upright for half of each outdoor play period. Her erect walking by the age of fifteen months was characterized by an entirely new strength and poise. Gua would walk, stop and stoop over to pick up an object with one hand. Her arms throughout this final stage were almost never manipulated as an aid to balance, but instead hung at her sides.   Donald first stood unaided for a few seconds at the age of 10 months. He began to take successive steps at eleven months. Donald took his first steps without assistance at the age of 12 months, and at 15 months he began walking on his toes and moved forward easily. At the age of 18 months, Donald could walk backward without assistance of any sort.
Back to the Index            Communication and Language
Walking together serves at different times as evidence of a common "understanding" of the command "take Gua's hand". This remark, addressed to Donald is first responded to more successfully by the ape than the child. Later , Donald demonstrates that he comprehends the command, by suddenly responding before she does. See Quicktime movie clip
Gua seemed to posses a rudimentary, non-vocal form of communication by means of which her impeding actions could be predicted by those who knew her well. This was not so much a language of gesture as it was a language of action. LANGUAGE OF ACTION consisted rather as preparatory behavior, and served as an effective means of communicating her needs. If hungry, for instance, Gua would bite or chew at the clothing of the experimenters or suck at their fingers. With further development the "language of action" became somewhat more complex. Gua at 10 months would indicate sleepiness by throwing herself upon the floor in the midst of some activity. Although she usually only remained there for a few seconds, the abruptness of the behavior and its repeated behavior left little doubt as for the interpretation. VOCAL COMMUNICATION. The difference between the two subjects was favorable to the child, who was obviously superior to Gua even at a younger age. Yet, Gua made remarkable progress with the vocal reactions she posses. Gua was able to manipulate her lips and tongue with perhaps greater facility than Donald. No additional sounds were ever observed beyond those she posses at the beginning of the experiment. Gua posses four language responses: the bark, the food bark, scream, and the "OO-oo" cry. In addition to these principal vocalizations, Gua was also capable of human-like sneezes, coughs, and laughter. LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION. Surprising as it may seem, the ape was considerably superior to the child in responding to human words. Gua began to recognize the voices of individuals, thereafter probably the articulation of simple words. Gua first learned the command "no-no", and her second command and learned response was "kiss-kiss". Toward the middle of the nine-month period, the sudden development of the child enabled him to equal and then surpass Gua in respect to the number of words and phrases he comprehended. The responses which Donald and Gua made to language stimuli are well established reactions of comprehension. At the end of the nine-month period the comprehension vocabulary of Donald were 107 words and phrases; Gua's was 95 words and phrases. Comprehension Donald Gua No No 12 months 7 months Close the door 14 months. 13 months Where is your nose 16 months 14 months Close the drawer 18 months 15 months
Donald & Gua responding to the command "show me your nose". Donald seizes his nose between his thumb and fingers, while Gua points to her nose with her index finger. See Quicktime movie clip
Back to the Index       Conclusion
Kellogg concluded that the biological makeup of the human and chimpanzee was similar enough to permit similar reactions to many of the same stimuli. Kellogg further concluded that the environment was the activating factor causing similar development in both subjects. Benjamin and Bruce (1982) provide an excellent overview of The Ape and the Child study. At the simplest level, their investigation was an attempt to discover how human a chimpanzee could become when reared in a human environment. In fact, Kellogg's (1931b) Psychological Review article published prior to the project was entitled "Humanizing the Ape." But the experiment was much more than that; it was designed to be the definitive investigation explicating the interaction of heredity and environment. As such, it probably succeeded better than any study before its time in demonstrating the limitations heredity placed on an organism regardless of environmental opportunities as well as the developmental gains that could be made in enriched environments. Our final concern is why the project ended when it did. Time magazine's review ("Babe and Ape," 1933) said the following:  At the end of nine months the Kelloggs demonstrated that environment, particularly psychological environment, is necessary for the development of an individual's inherent abilities. Gua, treated as a human child, behaved like a human child except when the structure of her body and brain prevented her. This being shown, the experiment was discontinued. (p. 44) However, Time's reason, while plausible, is not explicit in the book. Nor is a reason given in two articles that Kellogg would write about the subject toward the end of his career (1968a, 1968b). We are told only that the study was terminated on March 28, 1932, when Gua was returned to the Orange Park primate colony through a gradual rehabilitating process. Some of Kellogg's colleagues in psychology and in the larger scientific community seemed little impressed with the study. Yet the project caught the imagination of much of the public, and as a result, Kellogg was something of a celebrity, famous to some, infamous to others. He is said to have lamented ofter the popularity of the research, particularly because he felt it caused much of his other work(for example, the dog conditioning studies) to go unnoticed. Following publication of the book in 1933, he did not write on the subject again until the late 1960s, and then in response to the work of the Gardners with Washoe. Nevertheless, he would be queried about those 9 months in Orange Park for the rest of his life. p. 470 - 471

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