Comparative Behavior Lecture 11

**What is the Clever Hans effect?

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The mistaken belief that an animal is solving a complex task when it is actually responding to subtle, unintentional cues from humans.

**What principle helps avoid misinterpreting animal behavior as overly complex?

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Morgan’s Canon: prefer the simplest explanation consistent with the facts.

**How can researchers prevent the Clever Hans effect?

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By using blind or double-blind experimental setups to avoid cueing the animal.

**What did the crow in the video demonstrate?

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It completed 8 tasks in the correct sequence, showing advanced problem-solving.

**What does the crow experiment reveal about corvid cognition?

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Crows can solve multi-step tasks and may possess planning and causal reasoning skills.

**What is the Social Brain Hypothesis?

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The idea that large brains evolved to manage complex social relationships and group dynamics.

**What kinds of cognitive skills are needed for social group living?

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Communication, individual recognition, pair bonding, reciprocity, retaliation, and conflict resolution.

**What animal was used to test the Social Brain Hypothesis experimentally?

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Spotted hyenas.

**How did hyenas demonstrate cooperation in an experiment?

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They learned to pull two ropes in sync to receive a food reward, and experienced individuals helped naïve ones.

**What conclusion was drawn from hyena cooperation experiments?

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Hyenas may have advanced social cognition due to their complex social structures.

**Does the Social Brain Hypothesis always predict brain size accurately?

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No, in some species, factors like diet are better predictors of brain size than sociality.

**What kind of diet is often linked to larger brains in primates?

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Fruit-based (frugivorous) diets, due to the cognitive demands of locating scattered resources.

**What animal challenges the Social Brain Hypothesis due to its small brain?

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Meerkats, which have complex social behaviors despite small brains.

**What bird species has complex social behavior but does not fully support the hypothesis?

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Parrots—some live in large social groups but don’t consistently show larger brains.

**What are cognitive biases?

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Mental shortcuts or systematic errors in thinking used to simplify decision-making.

**Why do cognitive biases occur?

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Because our brains are overwhelmed with information and use heuristics to process it quickly.

**What is confirmation bias?

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Favoring information that supports your existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence.

**What is the halo effect?

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Allowing one positive trait (e.g., attractiveness) to influence judgments about unrelated traits (e.g., intelligence).

**What is functional fixedness?

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Seeing objects or people as only useful in their traditional role or function.

**What is the misinformation effect?

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The tendency for new, post-event information to distort one's memory of the original event.

**What is the false consensus effect?

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Overestimating how much others agree with your beliefs or preferences.

**Can non-human animals experience cognitive biases?

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Yes, studies have shown that rats in unpredictable environments develop pessimistic attitudes.

**What kind of environment led rats to develop pessimism?

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Unpredictable environments where food, water, and other conditions varied randomly.

**How was pessimism measured in rats?

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By observing behaviors such as reduced exploration, increased food caching, or avoidance of ambiguous stimuli.

**What is the Dunning-Kruger effect?

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A cognitive bias where people with low ability overestimate their competence due to lack of self-awareness.

**What is the “double curse” of the Dunning-Kruger effect?

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The inability to recognize one’s own deficits, which prevents learning and self-correction.

**How do high performers differ from low performers in feedback-seeking behavior?

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High performers actively seek and learn from feedback, while low performers often ignore it.

**Can animals show Dunning-Kruger-like behavior?

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Possibly—such as overconfident aggression despite repeated loss in fights.

**What pet example was given to illustrate Dunning-Kruger-like behavior?

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A smart German shepherd was confused when other dogs couldn’t keep up with him.

**What example was given of an animal underestimating its abilities?

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A clumsy German shepherd that often misjudged tasks and appeared unsure despite being trained.

**How might primates show overconfidence in cognitive tasks?

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By continuing to perform tasks incorrectly or taking shortcuts despite failure or poor results.

**What is one potential danger of the Dunning-Kruger effect in humans?

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It discourages self-improvement because individuals wrongly believe they are already competent.

**What’s one way to reduce the Dunning-Kruger effect?

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Seek feedback and commit to lifelong learning to close knowledge gaps.

**How can researchers measure animal cognitive biases scientifically?

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By designing experiments where animal choices reflect optimistic or pessimistic interpretations of ambiguous stimuli.