To critics of the idea that animals can learn language, a highly trained circus animal that responds to its trainer's verbal requests would not be convincing primarily because of the critics' arguments that such behavior ____.
A) is simply not possible given the animal's small cortex
B) has been shown to be a product of a hoax carried out by fraudulent researchers
C) does not fit our understanding of evolutionary processes
D) merely reflects behavioral conditioning

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Critics argue that highly trained circus animals responding to verbal commands are merely displaying behaviors that have been conditioned through repeated reinforcement and do not indicate any innate ability to understand or use language.

To Critics of the Idea That Animals Can Learn Language