Wolfang Köhler and the chimps
Wolfgang Köhler was a
German psychologist and one
of the founders of Gestalt
psychology, a school of
psychology that emphasizes
the organization and
perception of sensory
information. He is particularly well-known for his
pioneering work with chimpanzees, which provided
valuable insights into animal cognition and problem-
solving abilities. Here are some key points about
Wolfgang Köhler and his work with chimpanzees:1. **Background**: Wolfgang Köhler was born on
January 21 , 1887 , in Reval, Estonia (now Tallinn,
Estonia). He studied under the renowned
psychologist Carl Stumpf at the University of Berlin
and later became a prominent figure in the
development of Gestalt psychology.2. **Chimpanzee Studies**: Köhler is most famous
for his studies conducted between 1913 and 1917 at
the Tenerife Primate Station in the Canary Islands,
where he worked with a group of captive
chimpanzees, including a chimp named Sultan.
These studies were groundbreaking because they
demonstrated that animals, specifically
chimpanzees, were capable of insightful problem-
solving.3. **Insight Learning**: Köhler's research
challenged the prevailing behaviorist views of the
time, which largely explained animal behavior in
terms of stimulus-response associations. Instead, he
introduced the concept of "insight learning," which
involves sudden, meaningful insights or solutions to