Do you suppose animals use labels? (And: Memory)

It's believed many non-human animals can communicate. I wonder if they use labels. Thinking about it, I imagine it's likely they do. I wonder how they label us.

Memory: There was an interesting segment on NPR this eve (July 17) about memory loss caused by trauma to the brain. It cited a man whose benign brain tumor was recently removed. The tumor was discovered as a result of an exam initiated as a result of the man's actions. Although he was from another state, he was apprehended by police because he was driving in an area of Florida in which a curfew had been imposed because of the recent fires. He told the police he was stationed at a nearby military base and was in a hurry to get to Virginia because his wife was about to give birth.

His story was true, but it was 11 years old. It seems the man's tumor had wiped out 11 years of memory and he was conducting himself based on the most recent remaining memories.

An interview with (somebody with a an interest in, or involved with memory) indicated memories may take a long time to permanently become part of the "fabric" of our brains -- perhaps as long as ten years. He cited one case in which a man had undergone surgery to ameliorate the effects of epilepsy and while the symptoms of epilepsy were minimized or eliminated, the patient lost the capacity to retain anything in memory for more than a few seconds. Cited, as an example: walking into a room and meeting the man,leaving the room, then returning. On returning to the room it was as though the memory-impaired man was (again) meeting the person for the first time.

He would be an interesting participant in an online chat group. In fact, I think I've met him there.

Replies:

re: animals and labels, by John Suler, 7/19/98

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