Communication Functions in Speech Board Use by a Goffin's Cockatoo: Implications for Research and Design

This study investigates the potential for parrots to engage in functional communication using speech board interfaces. We examine whether the interactions of a Goffin's cockatoo with her speech board correspond to established functions of communication identified by Jakobson's linguistic model and whether there is correspondence with biological functions in animal communication. Additionally, to explore the bird's intentionality we examine her persistence in making requests via speech board selections, her ability to seek out displaced representations of preferred foods, and her response to unexpected outcomes. Our findings suggest that the cockatoo's interactions with the speech board align with established linguistic and biological communication functions and indicate intentional communication on her part. This has implications for studying parrot cognition and, thus, for designing speech board interfaces that might better support parrots’ communication abilities.