Clever Hans

Clever Hans (in German, der Kluge Hans) was a horse that was apparently trained to perform arithmetic and other intellectual tasks. Philosopher and psychologist Carl Stumpf formed a panel of 13 prominent scientists, known as the Hans Commission, to study the claims that a Clever Hans could count. The commission then passed off the evaluation to psychologist Oskar Pfungst. Pfungst demonstrated that in fact the results were due to an artifact, and the horse was responding to the body language of its trainer; his results were published in 1907. This kind of artifact is a recurrent danger in studies of animal cognition, and in honour of Pfungst's study, it has been known ever since as a Clever Hans effect.

Related Topics:
German - Horse - Arithmetic - Philosopher - Psychologist - Carl Stumpf - Oskar Pfungst - Body language - 1907 - Animal cognition

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