Psychology of Animal Behavior Exam II

Define cognition

mental processes for what animals think and how they think it

Define anthropomorphism

crediting animals with human characteristics

Define anthropocentrism

having recognized that animals are not people, still seeing them from our human perspective

Explain Morgan Canon

don’t assume complex mental abilities if simpler explanations suffice, ended up being a overcorrection

What is the modern approach to animal cognition

animals have unique capabilities adapted for their lifestyle. Cognition has been theorized in mammals, birds, and octopi

What are the 4 cognitive domains?

self and metacognition, prospection/future thinking, executive function, and social cognition

What is another way to measure cognition outside of behavior? Give an example

Brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging, has shown numerical reasoning in corvids involves a similar brain region as humans

What are the 3 attributes of language

1. Assign meanings to sounds, gestures, or symbols not directly related to the object or action

2. Create novel combinations of symbols for communication

3. Grammatical rules

Explain how Campbell’s monkey and Vervet monkey communication is different

Campbells monkeys use six call types with no symbolic association while vervet monkeys use different symbolic calls for different predators

What are the 2 caveats when animals use human language?

They don’t use those symbols with other animals and it may rely on a special relationship with the handler

Describe Chomsky’s concept of universal grammar

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

Define concept of self

recognition of self as separate from others and the environment including the ability to judge one’s actions

Explain the mirror test and what it’s trying to prove

Change the appearance of an animal to see if they react in a mirror to assess the ability to separate self from others

What is gaze following and which animals display it?

The ability to follow where another animal is looking, primates and dogs

Explain prospection and future planning

Involves mental time travel, anticipating outcomes and planning actions based on experience

Which 2 types of thinking are not involved in cognition? Which one is?

semantic and procedural memory, episodic memory

Explain semantic memory

Concepts and facts including language and words. Not associated with cognition as no mental time travel occurs

Explain procedural memory

how to do something, a series of steps in a task. Not involved in cognition

Explain episodic memory

recalling specific events from the past, including what, when, and where, allows reflection and forecasting, the basis of cognition and mental time travel

What are three ways to test episodic memory?

time-place learning, caching and pilfering, and cognitive maps

Explain time-place learning

Ability to remember location and timing of a resource, integrating internal clock and spatial memory

How do Western Scrub Jays react differently in caching based on their experience? What cognitive domains does this show?

Jays that have pilfered show greater alertness and recaching. Concept of self, future planning, and social cognition

Define cognitive maps

mental representation of spatial relationships in the environment, ability to calculate optimal routes between locations

How does the veined octopus show future planning?

Uses coconut shells for defense and egg laying and carries them for future use

reasons octopi are cognitive

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

Ultimate causes of animal cognition

Living in dynamic social groups, foraging challenges and food unpredictability, and predatory lifestyle

Explain executive function

higher-order cognitive processes such as self-control, problem solving, and planning

What part of the brain is associated with executive function?

The prefrontal cortex

Define self-control and give 2 examples of ways to test for it

Ability to control impulses, delayed gratification and inhibitory control tasks

Define problem solving

Bringing together different pieces of information from experience to anticipate a solution to a problem

Explain the 2 levels of problem solving

Basic level is trial and error learning and simple tool use. The higher levels include insight, innovation, complex tool use, and multi-step reasoning

Explain the Aesop’s fable paradigm

Rooks using stones to raise the water level in a tube and reach a caterpillar

Define insight

The sudden realization of a solution marked by a noticeable shift in neural activity

Define innovation

the process that generates novel behavior or uses preexisting behavior in a new situation

How are orangutans distinct from other highly cognitive animals?

They aren’t predators. They developed cognition due to unpredictable food availability and travel routes through trees

Define intelligence

wide-ranging problem solving abilities

Social insects have problem-solving abilities. Why aren’t they considered cognizant?

Their problem-solving and social dynamics are shaped by evolution rather than culture

Define counting

Determining whether one quantity is more or less than another

What is the natural state of counting in humans?

logarithmic

How might fish use counting?

Mosquitofish join the larger school for protection

Define Categorization

the mental process of grouping objects based on shared features

Define probabilistic decision making

Using probability to make decisions. Related to numerical abilities.

Define social cognition

adaptations to deal with the behavioral and psychological traits of others including theory of mind and empathy

Ultimate cause of social cognition

hypothesized that the adaptive challenges of social life

are so complex that they were a driving force in evolution of sophisticated intelligence

Define theory of mind

ability to form hypotheses about thoughts of surrounding animals

Define empathy and what animals it is diplayed in

responding to another’s distress or sorrow commonly with facial mimicry, primates, elephants, dolphins, dogs, and rodents

Define vengeance and what animals it is displayed in

retaliating against individuals that have caused harm. Chimps, macaques, corvids, and elephants