Today we attempted to explore Smithy’s use of equivalent concepts in addition to testing his recall of colors from last week’s vocabulary list. He displayed strong recognition of the colors red, blue, and purple. However, we weren’t able to explore transition of terms because our target object was destroyed before the lesson could be completed. Nevertheless, it looks like Smithy was receptive to what we were attempting to teach. I believe this exercise is worth trying again.
I advise we don’t try to use another lava lamp though. I’m not sure they’re safe. Gail thought Smithy might have knocked the lamp over by pulling on its cord, but I reviewed the film and he’s clearly scooting away from the cord. That lamp tipped over by itself.
Library Journal Entry by Ruby Cardini, dated June 25, 1974:
I have an idea of what Smithy was trying to sign just before the lamp broke. He had the cord in his hand. I think he was trying to unplug it so it would be off (e.g., “cold” not “bad” or “hot,” but safe for him to handle).
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Library Journal Entry by Tammy Cohen, dated June 26, 1974:
This is in regard to the footage of the chimp covering his eyes after the accident with the lava lamp. I’ve seen this behavior before with my sisters. At a young age, kids think that if they can’t see you, then you go away. Also, if they can’t see you, you must not be able to see them either. To me, it looked like Smithy was trying to weasel out of the situation, either by making it all go away or making himself go away from it.
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Library Journal Entry by Gail Ehrlich, dated June 26, 1974:
That’s what I said too! Jeff, do you remember? I said he wanted to make the mess go black and make it all go away.
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Journal Entry by Piers Preis-Herald, dated June 26, 1974:
Yes, I do recall that, Gail. Perhaps I owe you an apology for not considering your suggestion in more depth. I was reading the surface of Webster’s statements, and you were delving into the psychology behind them. Your observations are duly noted. The next time Webster gets into trouble, we shall see if he uses the same sign. If “dark/sleep” becomes a pattern in response to his wrongdoing, we can discuss further interpretation then.