Final answer:
The claim that Washoe the chimpanzee learned sign language from her mother, Loulis, is false. Washoe was taught by human researchers and later taught sign language to the young chimp Loulis herself.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'Washoe learned sign language from her mother Loulis' is false. Washoe was a chimpanzee who was famous for being the first non-human to learn to communicate using American Sign Language (ASL) effectively. However, Washoe was not taught by her biological mother but by her human caretakers, most notably by Dr. Allen and Beatrix Gardner and later Dr. Roger Fouts. Washoe, in turn, adopted a young chimp named Loulis and began teaching him sign language, demonstrating the potential for non-human primates to pass on learned communication skills.
Research on primate language abilities, such as those conducted with Washoe and Koko the gorilla, has contributed greatly to our understanding of language acquisition and cognitive development in primates. Koko was taught by researcher Penny Patterson and demonstrated complex language understanding and use, including the ability to invent new signs and communicate about abstract concepts, although her abilities have been a subject of controversy among researchers.