PBSI 311 Chapter 5.1

What is Cognition?

What animals think and how they think it, Mental Processes, Its difficult to define

Anthropomorphism

Crediting animals with human characteristics

Anthropocentrism

Animals are not people but still seeing them from our human perspective, Can cause misinterpretation of behavior

Morgans Canon

A principle that states that one should not attribute complex human-like cognitive processes to animals when simpler explanations would suffice.

Modern Approach

Humans are animals and adapted for the unique needs of human life, Some mammals ,birds and ,octopi

What are the four cognitive domains

Self and Metacognition

Prospection/Future Thinking

Executive Function

Social Cognition

Most cognitive test measure

behavior

Brain Scan

Functional Magnetic Resonance imaging

Numerical Reasoning

Understanding Numbers/Counting

seen in corvids, rats, and primates

Gaze

Looking where someone else looks

Is language necessary for cognition?

No

What type of language do humans use

Symbolic Language

What language do honeybees use?

Dance

Why do honeybees use dance language?

to communicate the location of a food source

Campbell’s monkeys

Use six call types in

different sequences to communicate a wide

variety of events: a falling tree, a nonpredatory

animal, a predator, etc. Not symbolic

Vervet monkeys

use different vocalizations to
specify the type of predator.
More symbolic.

When animals learn elements of human language….

They do not use these same symbols with other animals. May rely on a special relationship with the handler.

Linguist Noam Chomsky developed concept of

universal grammar

What is universal grammar?

The idea that the grammatical structure of human language is
based on the human brain.
Something inherent in the human brain drives similarity across
languages.

what are the two cognitive domains?

Concept of Self

Prospection/future planning

What is Concept of Self

Recognition of self as separate from others and environment.

Ability to judge one’s actions

Mental examination and reflection of self.

In humans, is self-consciousness is important as a cognitive
process?

yes

dogs only react by “looking guilty”
If you know that the dog did something wrong

True

What is the mirror test?

It assesses the ability to separate oneself from others. One way is to change the physical appearance of the animal and see if they reacts. Controversial as a measure of self-awareness.

Animals that pass the mirror test

Elephants, dolphins, magpies, nonhuman apes (chimps)

Animals that show gaze following

Variety of primates and dogs

Prospection or future planning

involves mental time travel: Thinking about the past and using that information to form plans for the future (foresight).

anticipating outcomes, and planning
actions based on experience.

Semantic memory and procedural memory

Are not associated with cognition

Episodic memory

is required for cognition (but not all are cognitive).

Semantic memory

Concept and Facts

Includes language and words

Not associated with cognition. No mental time travel or creative use of combined information.

Procedural memory

how to do something; series of steps in a task.
Not associated with cognition, even though task steps can be complex.

Western scrub jays show other forms of

future planning

Cognitive maps

mental representation of spatial relationships in the environment.
Ability to calculate optimal routes between locations

There are other ways of assessing mental time travel and
foresight

including looking at tool use, intelligence, and future planning.

The veined octopus

Uses coconut shells as tools for defense and egg laying
(executive function). Also carries them around for future use (future planning).

How do Octopi and some other cephalopods differ from other
mollusks

they are active predators, move quickly, have big
brains, and may engage in planning.

Ultimate causes of animal cognition and intelligence

Living in dynamic social groups
Foraging challenges and food unpredictability
Predatory lifestyle