Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall

Major Topics and Research Methods

Jane Goodall is a psychologist who studies the relationship between humans and chimpanzees. Jane starts her research by moving to Cape Town in Africa and meeting up with Louis Leaky, who hired her to do some research with him. After observing how serious and methodical she was, Leaky selected her to do a study of chimps and he obtained the necessary funding for the project. Goodall research methods are very different then most researchers. Goodall lives with her specimens, so she can interact with the chimps in their natural habitats. Goodall believes that her research would have ended long ago if she had used the experimental methodology use by most of the psychologists of the time. Other psychologists did not value Goodall's research in the beginning and they paid little attention to her until she discovered that chimps are, in fact, omnivores. Goodall has also documented affectionate touching instantly recognizable to people: hugs, kisses, pats on the back, even tickles. Many ethnologists long continued to dismiss Goodall's research, calling her methods amateurish, but others use her methods and research to continue with their own. Today, Jane Goodall has her own association with many people working for her. The association helps and studies many animals all over the world. She has also won many awards for her incredible research and she is well recognized for how caring she is towards the animals that she researches.

Potential Problems/Difficulties

Jane Goodall did not have any problems or difficulties in her research. She didn’t have any ethical problems because she was very caring and concern with the animals that she study. Goodall was very concern on how other people were unethical to the species.