chapter 12 – Conversations with Lana

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses some of the parameters of conversations with Lana. One of the most interesting developments to come out of this study was Lana's change in strategy during the first half of Experiment I. Lana initially responded to questions that were inappropriate to the time of day by going along with them; that is, if she were asked whether she wanted to eat in the morning, she would request food and if she were asked whether she wanted to drink in the afternoon, she would request a drink. She then stopped complying in such situations and began stating that she did not want to do what was being asked of her. It is interesting that this change did not occur until after she had positive results from her two requests that the water be removed from the machine. Perhaps her success with these two requests for the removal of an unwanted item gave her a feeling of greater control over the situation. This infuriated Lana, as evidenced by increased screaming, and she then had to ask to move back into the room before any other question could be answered. Still she persisted in using out-of in this manner. The increase in the variety of Lana's sentences may have been because of her sense of increasing control and probably also to an increasing awareness of the possibilities afforded her through the use of her language system. Her use of negation tends to support this idea as do her requests for the removal of unwanted items from the vending devices.