Jennifer CunhaIndiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis | IUPUI
Jennifer Cunha
Juris Doctor
About
10
Publications
3,547
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28
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Introduction
I research symbol-representation communication in animals, including sound-text correspondence, text-based semantic processing skills, choice-symbol objects, and auditory-symbol vocabulary development. I also collaborate with researchers by designing symbol-representation training protocols for research projects.
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Skills and Expertise
Publications
Publications (10)
Symbolic representation acquisition is the complex cognitive process consisting of learning to use a symbol to stand for something else. A variety of non-human animals can engage in symbolic representation learning. One particularly complex form of symbol representation is the associations between orthographic symbols and speech sounds, known as gr...
Recent technological advances have made touchscreen devices more widely available for animal-computer interaction, but there is little consensus about methods for discrimination task training frameworks. Here we discuss the potential enrichment and communicative uses for touchscreen-based interactions as well as benefits and limitations of automate...
Research demonstrates that parrots are capable of high-level cognitive processing, including inference-by-exclusion, counting, music preference, symbol use, and abstract concept processing. Yet captive parrots also have high levels of stereotypy. Researchers have suggested that enhanced enrichment can include non-traditional learning opportunities...
Augmentative and alternative communication devices (AACs) are designed to assist humans with complex communication needs. Recently, AAC use has been reported in non-human animals. Such tools may potentially provide enrichment and increase interspecies connection. However, there is no evaluation framework and little data available to assess AAC pote...
Reading is a cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning. Although it has been assumed to be a uniquely-human skill, there is evidence that other species, e.g., pigeons and baboons, can master some orthographic processing skills-discriminating written words from written nonword letter combinations. An Umbrella cockatoo has also demonstr...
Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning. It has been assumed that reading is a uniquely-human skill, although baboons and pigeons have been observed to successfully master orthographic processes. In this work, three cockatoos were trained with modified systematic phonics instruction on grapheme-phoneme correspon...