In the 1930s, psychologist Winthrop N. Kellogg conducted a controversial experiment, adopting a 2-month-old female chimpanzee named Gua and raising her at home exactly like his own son Donald, then under a year old.

His goal was observing if the primate could adopt human behaviors like walking upright or communicating, but results differed from expectations.

Raising Gua and Donald

Kellogg, a Columbia University professor specializing in conditioning, learning, and human behavior, aimed to investigate animal-human differences in learning/behavior.

Study covered memory, drawing ability, vocalization/language, manual dexterity, locomotion, problem-solving, fear responses, obedience, etc.

Gua lived with Donald for nine months, remarkably “humanizing“—learning faster/more effectively than the psychologist’s son. Gua obeyed commands, kissed others, self-fed human-style, even groomed independently.

Conversely, Donald developed chimpanzee-like behaviors: mouthing everything, howling/grunting. He showed marked language development delay and communication difficulties.

Experiment’s End

After nine months, Kellogg ended it—Gua returned to originating zoo. She couldn’t adapt, dying the next year. Donald, 19 months at study end, uttered limited words. Over time, he improved communication, even attending university as adult.

Findings published 1931 in “The Ape and the Child“, detailing Gua/Donald learning activities/games and effects.

Esta obra recibió críticas severas, acusando al especialista de someter a su hijo y al animal a un programa que podría haber dejado secuelas de por vida en ambos. A pesar de las críticas, Kellogg aseguró que su estudio fue un éxito.

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