Comparative Cognition Outside the Laboratory

Abstract

With its roots firmly planted in behaviorist and animal learning traditions, lab-based research is an enduring and pervasive characteristic of comparative cognition. In this review, we discuss progress in comparative cognition research in other experimental settings such as zoos, captive animal parks, and wild settings. Zoos provide access to a large array of species housed in seminatural environments that allow a reasonable degree of experimental control. Thanks to the advent of computer technology, a wide range of complex cognitive processes is increasingly being successfully studied in zoo environments. Further, cognitive research provides enrichment for captive animal participants, reducing anxiety and promoting psychological well-being. The results of cognitive research also benefit the welfare of captive animals through preference assessment, species-specific exhibit design, and behavioral management. Field settings also offer unique advantages and have allowed researchers to systematically study such diverse topics as spatial cognition, cultural transmission, problem solving, and preference. Not only does field research expand our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological drivers of animal cognition, but it also can directly inform conservation efforts. Although venturing out of the lab presents tangible challenges, including the restriction of testable hypotheses and conclusions that can be inferred from results, the benefits to be gained outweigh the costs.

Cognitive enrichment and welfare: Current approaches and future directions

“…Researchers in zoos and some laboratories have recently begun to question whether experiments primarily designed to test cognitive skill may also have the secondary benefit of enhancing welfare (MacDonald & Ritvo, 2016). Testing cognitive skill using discrimination tasks via a computer touchscreen (the term "computer-game-task", CGT for short, will be used for consistency) is gaining popularity in zoos (Bennett, Perkins, Tenpas, Reinebach, & Pierre, 2016;Leighty & Fragaszy, 2003;Ross, 2010).…”

What animals do not do or fail to find: A novel observational approach for studying cognition in the wild

“…For example, Pritchard et al wrote: “As nearly all of this control is difficult if not impossible to achieve in the experimental study of animals cognition in the wild, this can be a major downside to attempting to investigate animal cognition in the wild”. In addition, MacDonald & Ritvo wrote: “More importantly, obtaining sufficient control over extraneous variables is often impossible.” In the following sections, I describe the approaches I used to deal with many of these proposed difficulties. In addition, I provide guidelines (Figure ) for future data collection designs.…”

“…When collecting behavioral data on wild animals, advanced technologies that enable camera trap or audio triangulation methods are increasingly applied. 99,[118][119][120] Such technological advances enable us to study behavior (through observations or experiments) in a highly noninvasive manner and to avoid the risks associated with habituation, such as disease transmission. 121 Such approaches make it possible to study wild animals without the need for long-term commitment to protecting the habituated animals from poachers.…”

Managing Aged Animals in Zoos to Promote Positive Welfare: A Review and Future Directions

“…The response time of older animals to cognitively challenging tasks may become longer and learning new behaviors or mastering new tasks may take more time as well [ 136 ]. As cognitive research in zoos and aquariums becomes more common, it may become feasible to empirically assess cognitive changes related to age in a wider variety of species [ 137 ].…”