The Pryor Experiment Malia and Hou 3. A technique was developed for transcribing a complete series of behaviors onto a single cumulative record so that the training sessions of the second animal could be fully recorded. Cumulative records are presented for a session in which the criterion that only novel behavior would be reinforced was abruptly met with four new types of responses, and for typical preceding and subsequent sessions. Some analogous techniques in the training of pigeons, horses and animals are discussed. These three experiments were successful as demonstrations of dolphin mental abilities and the only limitations demonstrated in the studies were the perceptions of humans, their experimental designs, and the interpretations that were in vogue for the period.
Cognitive ethology seeks to define the limits of animal mind.
In this respect, the conclusions of this paper will show that there is a very real need to attempt two-way communication with dolphins using whistles, in a program resembling Batteau's, something the Navy most likely has been doing since they classified their program in 1967. The resulting question for the reader to answer is whether the Navy's classification of their dolphin program, during Batteau's ground-breaking research, was a disservice to the study of animal behavior considering the changes seen in that area of study since 1967.