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Author (up) Lachapelle, S.; Healey, J. url  doi
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  Title On Hans, Zou and the others: wonder animals and the question of animal intelligence in early twentieth-century France Type Journal Article
  Year 2010 Publication Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 12-20  
  Keywords Animal experimentation; Animal intelligence; Clever Hans; Comparative psychology; Psychical research; Wonder animals  
  Abstract During the second half of the nineteenth century, the advent of widespread pet ownership was accompanied by claims of heightened animal abilities. Psychical researchers investigated many of these claims, including animal telepathy and ghostly apparitions. By the beginning of the twentieth century, news of horses and dogs with the ability to read and calculate fascinated the French public and scientists alike. Amidst questions about the justification of animal cruelty in laboratory experiments, wonder animals came to represent some extraordinary possibilities associated with their kind. Psychologists speculated on the feats of wonder animals. They considered the possibility that these animals shared consciousness and intelligence with humans, and that--if confirmed--their alleged amazing abilities could lead to a new understanding of cognition for all animals. This article focuses on the few years during which claims of wonder animals occupied a significant place in French psychology and psychical research. It argues that as explanations involving deception or unconscious cues gained increased acceptance, the interest in wonder animals soon led to a backlash in comparative psychology that had repercussions for all animals, particularly those used in experimentation, in that it contributed to the decline of research addressing cognitive abilities in non-human species.  
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  ISSN 1369-8486 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5079  
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