6. Animal intelligence

Question 1

What is animal cognition/cognitive ethology?

Answer 1

The mental capabilities of an animal- looking at behaviour and also training

Question 2

Who was Descartes and what did he investigate?

Answer 2

A philosopher who believed animals have no souls- he began to speculate about the presence or absence of the animal mind.

Question 3

Why can human study techniques not be used for animals?

Answer 3

human techniques involve speech and language where as animal studies are more directly related to behaviours important to survival

Question 4

Define ‘cognition’

Answer 4

Cognition is any animal behaviour that requires the processing of information (Dawkins, 1995)

How animals form representations and process information about their environment (Roberts, 1998)

Question 5

how can we assess cognition?

Answer 5

• Ability to plan?
• Problem solving?
• Tool use?
• Memory?

Question 6

What is planning?

Answer 6

Anticipating future needs which was previously thought to be exclusively unique to humans.

Raby et al. (2007) examined whether the western scrub-jay has the ability to plan for the future
Jays make provision for a future need - storing a preferred food in a place in which that type of food will not be available the next morning.

Question 7

How are cognition and welfare linked?

Answer 7

With increased cognition, a wider range of ways in which welfare can be compromised occurs (Kirkwood and Hubrecht, 2001)

Boredom/frustration more likely with high cognition