Cognitive ethology

Ristau, Carolyn A.

doi:10.1002/wcs.1239

Cited by 13 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 133 publications

(193 reference statements)

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“…Like morphological traits it is assumed that cognitive traits are shaped by natural selection via the underlying neural substrates . The idea that behavior and cognition are shaped by the environment is not a new one as the ‘Umwelt’ concept proposed already in 1909 by Uexküll states that individuals' behaviors have to be seen in relation to their environment and what they perceive and sense may differ even within the same environment . In the 1970s several ecological approaches to human cognition emerged (e.g., Gibson's ecological approach to visual perception, Rosch's natural and prototypical categorization and concept formation and Soviet's cultural–historical activity theory) emphasizing that cognition has evolved in specific environments to extract information efficiently.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive ecology: ecological factors, life‐styles, and cognition

Mettke-Hofmann

2014

WIRES Cognitive Science

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Cognitive ecology integrates cognition, ecology and neurobiology in one topic and has recently broadened into an exciting diversity of themes covering the entire range of cognition and ecological conditions. The review identifies three major environmental factors interacting with cognition: environmental variation (predictable and unpredictable), environmental complexity and predation. Generally, variable environments favour cognitive abilities such as exploration, learning, innovation, memory and also result in larger brains as compared to stable environments. Likewise, cognition is enhanced in complex versus simple environments, whereas the relationship between predation and cognitive abilities can be positive or negative. However, organisms have often evolved entire lifestyles (e.g. residency vs migration, food-caching vs non-caching, generalism vs specialism) to deal with these environmental factors. Considering cognition within this framework provides a much more diverse picture of how cognitive abilities evolved in conjunction with other adaptations to environmental challenges. This integrated approach identifies gaps of knowledge and allows the formulation of hypotheses for future testing. Several recently emerged approaches study cognitive abilities at a new and in part highly integrated level. For example, the effect that environment has on the development of cognitive abilities during ontogeny will improve our understanding about cause and effect and gene x environment interactions. Together with two recently emerged highly integrative approaches that link personality and pace-of-life syndromes with cognitive ecology these new directions will improve insight how cognition is interlinked with other major organisational processes. How to cite this article:WIREs Cogn Sci 2014Sci , 5:345-360. doi: 10.1002Sci /wcs.1289 Cognitive ecology is a relatively young field that studies cognitive adaptations to a species' or individual's environment. The term cognition encompasses a broad range of neural processes which are used to interpret the environment and include perception, learning, memory and decision making 1 which regulate behavioural responses. Like morphological traits it is assumed that cognitive traits are shaped by natural selection via the underlying neural substrates 2 . The idea that behaviour and cognition are shaped by the environment is not a new one as the 'Umwelt' concept proposed already in 1909 by Uexküll states that individuals' behaviours have to be seen in relation to their environment and what they perceive and sense may differ even within the same environment 3 . In the 1970s several ecological approaches to human cognition emerged (e.g. Gibson's ecological approach to visual perception, Rosch's natural and prototypical categorisation and concept formation 4 and Soviet's cultural-historical activity theory 5 ) emphasising that cognition has evolved in specific environments to extract information efficiently. Activity theory proposes that cognition has to be studied in the cont...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive ecology: ecological factors, life‐styles, and cognition

Mettke-Hofmann

2014

WIRES Cognitive Science

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“…environment in a different way, and an animal's Umwelt-meaning the environment as an organism perceives it and interacts with it-must be taken into account (von Uexküll, 1909). Despite the challenges, the field of "cognitive ethology" contends that it is possible to imagine and describe some of the experience of other organisms (Griffin, 1981;Ristau, 2013). In modern terms, understanding animal emotions may stem in part from similarities (or lack thereof) in physiology and neural processes across different species (Panksepp, 1998;Ristau, 2013;Sapolsky, 2017).…”

Section: The Debate On Animal Grievingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the challenges, the field of "cognitive ethology" contends that it is possible to imagine and describe some of the experience of other organisms (Griffin, 1981;Ristau, 2013). In modern terms, understanding animal emotions may stem in part from similarities (or lack thereof) in physiology and neural processes across different species (Panksepp, 1998;Ristau, 2013;Sapolsky, 2017). For instance, Engh et al (2006) documented increased glucocorticoid levels (associated with bereavement in humans), as well as increased grooming rates suggestive of stronger and broader social relationships, in female chacma baboons Papio hamadryas ursinus that had lost a close relative (i.e.…”

Section: The Debate On Animal Grievingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Investigating the factors triggering such behaviour and its underlying mental processes would require a willingness on the part of cetacean researchers to engage (e.g. through scholarly collaborations) with other disciplines such as affective neuroscience (Panksepp, 1998), comparative psychology, neurophysiology and cognitive ethology (Ristau, 2013). These two variables represent those that performed better than an intercept-only model (see the Results).…”

Section: Recommendations For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Whale and dolphin behavioural responses to dead conspecifics

Bearzi¹,

Kerem

Furey

et al. 2018

Zoology

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The scientific study of death across animal taxa-comparative thanatology-investigates how animals respond behaviourally, physiologically and psychologically to dead conspecifics, and the processes behind such responses. Several species of cetaceans have been long known to care for, attend to, be aroused by, or show interest in dead or dying individuals. We investigated patterns and variation in cetacean responses to dead conspecifics across cetacean taxa based on a comprehensive literature review. We analysed 78 records reported between 1970 and 2016, involving 20 of the 88 extant cetacean species. We adopted a weighted comparative approach to take observation effort into account and found that odontocetes (toothed cetaceans) were much more likely than mysticetes (baleen whales) to attend to dead conspecifics. Dolphins (Delphinidae) had the greatest occurrence of attentive behaviour (92.3% of all records), with a weighed attendance index 18 times greater than the average of all other cetacean families. Two dolphin genera, Sousa and Tursiops, constituted 55.1% of all cetacean records (N=43) and showed the highest incidence of attentive behaviour. Results of analyses intended to investigate the reasons behind these differences suggested that encephalisation may be an important predictor, consistent with the "social brain" hypothesis. Among attending individuals or groups of known sex (N=28), the majority (75.0%) were adult females with dead calves or juveniles (possibly their own offspring, with exceptions), consistent with the strong mother-calf bond, or, in a few cases, with the bond between mothers and other females in the group. The remaining records (25.0%) involved males either showing sexual interest in a dead adult or subadult, or carrying a dead calf in the presence of females. Because an inanimate individual is potentially rescuable, responses to dead conspecifics-especially by females-can be explained at least in part by attempts to revive and protect, having a clear adaptive value. In some cases such responses are followed by apparently maladaptive behaviour such as the long-term carrying of, or standing by, a decomposed carcass, similar to observations of certain terrestrial mammals. Among the possible explanations for the observed cetacean behavioural responses to dead conspecifics are strong attachment resulting in a difficulty of "letting go"-possibly related to grieving-or perhaps individuals failing to recognise or accept that an offspring or companion has died. Our current understanding is challenged by small sample size, incomplete descriptions, and lack of information on the physiology and neural processes underpinning the observed behaviour. We provide research recommendations that would improve such understanding.

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“…As defined by its founding father Donald Griffin, cognitive ethology is "the study of the mental experiences of animals as they behave in their natural environment in the course of their normal lives" (Ristau, 2013, p. 493). In the four decades since, the cumulative evidence from cognitive ethology and the neurosciences on the question of animal minds has established that conscious awareness is broadly distributed in the animal kingdom, and that self-awareness is evident among some mammals and even in magpies (Bekoff, 2002;Griffin, 1992;Ristau, 2013;Young & Thompson, 2013). In the neurosciences, the empirical evidence for nonhuman animal consciousness is so strong that a prestigious group of neuroscientists and others issued the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness:…”

Section: The Question Of Animal Mindsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human-Animal Studies, G.H. Mead, and the Question of Animal Minds

Gallagher

2016

Soc Animals

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In the field of human-animal studies (HAS), also known as anthrozoology, the question of nonhuman animal minds is central. During the first three decades of the 20th century, the social psychological G.H. Mead was among the first to take an explicitly contemporary approach to the question of mind in nature. Mead's approach to the question of the nature of mind is consistent with contemporary science. His approach was characterized by empiricism, interdisciplinarity, comparative behavior and anatomy, and evolutionary theory. For Mead, symbolic language was required for mind as he defined it. This stipulation has been called into question by scholars today. The evidence for the nature of animal minds today suggests that a symbolic language is not required for conscious awareness, deliberation, and decision making. Nonetheless, Mead has an historical relevance to the field of HAS for both the breadth of his work on the nature of consciousness, his contemporary approach, and the fact that some of his insights could be useful to contemporary scholars who are exploring the nature of mind, both human and nonhuman.

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Cognitive ethology

Abstract: The author has declared no conflicts of interest for this article.

Cited by 13 publications

References 133 publications

Cognitive ecology: ecological factors, life‐styles, and cognition

Cognitive ecology: ecological factors, life‐styles, and cognition

Whale and dolphin behavioural responses to dead conspecifics

Human-Animal Studies, G.H. Mead, and the Question of Animal Minds

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