Morgan's Canon
Encyclopedia
Coined by 19th-century British psychologist C. Lloyd Morgan
, Morgan's Canon (more usually called Lloyd Morgan's Canon, or occasionally Morgan's Canon of Interpretation) remains a fundamental precept of comparative (animal) psychology
. In its developed form it states that:
In other words we must try to avoid the tendency to anthropomorphize animals; we should only consider behaviour as, for example, rational, purposive or affectionate if there is no other explanation in terms of the behaviours of more primitive life-forms to which we do not attribute those faculties.
. The prestige of Lloyd Morgan's canon partly derives from the fact that Lloyd Morgan was himself an acute observer of behaviour, and provided convincing examples of cases where behaviour that apparently involved higher mental processes could in fact be explained by simple trial and error learning (what we would now call operant conditioning
). A famous example is the skilful way in which his terrier Tony opened the garden gate, easily taken by someone seeing the final behaviour as an insight
ful act; Lloyd Morgan, however, had watched and recorded the series of approximations by which the dog had gradually learned the response, and could demonstrate that no insight was required to explain it.
has become popular, a disciplined use of Lloyd Morgan's canon has become more and more important. D.A. Dewsbury calls Morgan's Canon "perhaps, the most quoted statement in the history of comparative psychology" and Frans de Waal
echoes in The Ape and the Sushi Master
: "perhaps the most quoted statement in all of psychology". It has played a critical role in the growth of the prestige of behaviourism in twentieth century academic psychology.
Lloyd Morgan's Canon is usually thought of as a special case of Occam's razor
by virtue of its presupposition of simplicity that lower level interpretations are more parsimonious than higher level ones. See also the use of Morgan's canon in Biology at Occam's Razor
.
C. Lloyd Morgan
Conwy Lloyd Morgan, FRS was a British psychologist. He is best remembered for the experimental approach to animal psychology now known as "Morgan's canon"....
, Morgan's Canon (more usually called Lloyd Morgan's Canon, or occasionally Morgan's Canon of Interpretation) remains a fundamental precept of comparative (animal) psychology
Comparative psychology
Comparative psychology generally refers to the scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of non-human animals. However, scientists from different disciplines do not always agree on this definition...
. In its developed form it states that:
In no case is an animal activity to be interpreted in terms of higher psychological processes, if it can be fairly interpreted in terms of processes which stand lower in the scale of psychological evolution and development.
In other words we must try to avoid the tendency to anthropomorphize animals; we should only consider behaviour as, for example, rational, purposive or affectionate if there is no other explanation in terms of the behaviours of more primitive life-forms to which we do not attribute those faculties.
Context
Morgan was reacting to excessively anthropomorphic interpretation of animal behaviour, specifically the anecdotal approach of George RomanesGeorge Romanes
George John Romanes FRS was a Canadian-born English evolutionary biologist and physiologist who laid the foundation of what he called comparative psychology, postulating a similarity of cognitive processes and mechanisms between humans and other animals.He was the youngest of Charles Darwin's...
. The prestige of Lloyd Morgan's canon partly derives from the fact that Lloyd Morgan was himself an acute observer of behaviour, and provided convincing examples of cases where behaviour that apparently involved higher mental processes could in fact be explained by simple trial and error learning (what we would now call operant conditioning
Operant conditioning
Operant conditioning is a form of psychological learning during which an individual modifies the occurrence and form of its own behavior due to the association of the behavior with a stimulus...
). A famous example is the skilful way in which his terrier Tony opened the garden gate, easily taken by someone seeing the final behaviour as an insight
Insight
Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect in a specific context. Insight can be used with several related meanings:*a piece of information...
ful act; Lloyd Morgan, however, had watched and recorded the series of approximations by which the dog had gradually learned the response, and could demonstrate that no insight was required to explain it.
Evaluation
As the study of animal cognitionAnimal cognition
Animal cognition is the title given to the study of the mental capacities of non-human animals. It has developed out of comparative psychology, but has also been strongly influenced by the approach of ethology, behavioral ecology, and evolutionary psychology...
has become popular, a disciplined use of Lloyd Morgan's canon has become more and more important. D.A. Dewsbury calls Morgan's Canon "perhaps, the most quoted statement in the history of comparative psychology" and Frans de Waal
Frans de Waal
Fransiscus Bernardus Maria de Waal, PhD , is a Dutch primatologist and ethologist. He is the Charles Howard Candler professor of Primate Behavior in the Emory University psychology department in Atlanta, Georgia, and director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research...
echoes in The Ape and the Sushi Master
The Ape and the Sushi Master
The popular science book The Ape and the Sushi Master, by Frans de Waal, is an overview of animal behavior and psychology, with emphasis on primates....
: "perhaps the most quoted statement in all of psychology". It has played a critical role in the growth of the prestige of behaviourism in twentieth century academic psychology.
Lloyd Morgan's Canon is usually thought of as a special case of Occam's razor
Occam's razor
Occam's razor, also known as Ockham's razor, and sometimes expressed in Latin as lex parsimoniae , is a principle that generally recommends from among competing hypotheses selecting the one that makes the fewest new assumptions.-Overview:The principle is often summarized as "simpler explanations...
by virtue of its presupposition of simplicity that lower level interpretations are more parsimonious than higher level ones. See also the use of Morgan's canon in Biology at Occam's Razor
Occam's razor
Occam's razor, also known as Ockham's razor, and sometimes expressed in Latin as lex parsimoniae , is a principle that generally recommends from among competing hypotheses selecting the one that makes the fewest new assumptions.-Overview:The principle is often summarized as "simpler explanations...
.