Frenchie, Your post belongs on a new thread or my blog not this one because it's off topic.
I tought you will be more more sceptical.
What makes you think I'm not sceptical? I never discussed it's ability I only pointed out "They can teach an elephant to paint."
Anyone who has tried to draw an elephant knows it is an effort of careful movement. That's an impressive skill they extracted from the elephant.I'm amazed at the intricate skill the elephant and even draw something like that over and over.
In fact, Elephants in Thailand are suffering of Torture.
I don't know whether the elephant had negative reinforcement or positive reinforcement. Many who are studying are trying to motivate themselves with negative reinforcement.
Tomorrow, perphaps a elephant will write "i'm happy & i'm hungry" in front of tourists, after endless boring repetitions, would you seriously think it could write ?
Yes. Since writing is nothing more than "drawing" symbols in a specific order. Do I think it would understand what it wrote? No and I don't know conclusively that the elephant recognises what it drew so I'll suspend any belief or disbelief because I have no way of knowing.
I don't don't know if the elephant comprehends what it is doing. It was obviously taught. Just as I was taught to paint.
But that's how we learned to read. Endless repetition. How we learned to ride a bike, repetition. Drive a car, repetition. Every skill we acquired and perfected was learned through repetition. With either positive or negative reinforcement.
Alex
K
