Field and Laboratory Methods in Animal Cognition
A Comparative Guide

Leading researchers present current methodological approaches and future directions for a less anthropocentric study of animal cognition.

Nereida Bueno-Guerra (Edited by), Federica Amici (Edited by)

9781108413947, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 9 August 2018

456 pages
24.6 x 17.5 x 2.2 cm, 0.92 kg

'Field and Laboratory Methods in Animal Cognition, edited by Bueno-Guerra and Amici, manages also to implicitly teach some of the fundamentals of cognition in the way it showcases methods. By illuminating how similar cognitive principles need to be tested differently across species, the existence of the volume itself proves the importance of the 'Umwelt' concept it champions. With a star-studded lineup of authors, the book serves as a snapshot of who is doing what and how in the ?eld of comparative cognition.' Alison L. Greggor, The Quarterly Review of Biology

Would you ask a honeybee to point at a screen and recognise a facial expression? Or ask an elephant to climb a tree? While humans and non-human species may inhabit the same world, it's likely that our perceptual worlds differ significantly. Emphasising Uexküll's concept of 'umwelt', this volume offers practical advice on how animal cognition can be successfully tested while avoiding anthropomorphic conclusions. The chapters describe the capabilities of a range of animals - from ants, to lizards to chimpanzees - revealing how to successfully investigate animal cognition across a variety of taxa. The book features contributions from leading cognition researchers, each offering a series of examples and practical tips drawn from their own experience. Together, the authors synthesise information on current field and laboratory methods, providing researchers and graduate students with methodological advice on how to formulate research questions, design experiments and adapt studies to different taxa.

Foreword Josep Call
Introduction: the concept of umwelt in experimental animal cognition Nereida Bueno-Guerra and Federica Amici
1. Ants – individual and social cognition Zhanna Reznikova
2. Bats – using sound to reveal cognition Yossi Yovel and Stefan Greif
3. Bees – the experimental umwelt of honeybees Randolf Menzel
4. Carib grackles – field and lab work on a tame, opportunistic island icterid Simon Ducatez, Sarah E. Overington, Jean-Nicolas Audet, Marine Battesti and Louis Lefebvre
5. Chicken – cognition in the poultry yard Cinzia Chiandetti and Giorgio Vallortigara
6. Chimpanzees – investigating cognition in the wild Roman M. Wittig and Catherine Crockford
7. Dolphins and whales – taking cognitive research out of the tanks and into the wild Volker B. Deecke
8. Elephants – studying cognition in the African Savannah Lucy A. Bates
9. Fish – how to ask them the right questions Catarina Vila Pouca and Culum Brown
10. Hermit crabs – information gathering by the hermit crab, pagurus bernhardus Robert W. Elwood
11. Hyenas – testing cognition in the umwelt of the spotted hyena Lily Johnson-Ulrich, Kenna D. S. Lehman, Julie W. Turner and Kay E. Holekamp
12. Lizards – measuring cognition in lizards: practical challenges and the influence of ecology and social behaviour Martin J. Whiting and Daniel W. A. Noble
13. Meerkats – identifying cognitive mechanisms underlying meerkat coordination and communication: experimental designs in their natural habitat Marta Manser
14. Octopuses – mind in the waters Jennifer A. Mather and Michael J. Kuba
15. Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) – cognitive and communicative abilities Irene M. Pepperberg
16. Sharks – elasmobranch cognition Tristan L. Guttridge, Kara E. Yopak and Vera Schluessel
17. Spiders – hints for testing cognition and learning in jumping spiders Elizabeth M. Jakob, Skye M. Long and Margaret Bruce
18. Tortoises – cold-blooded cognition: how to get a tortoise out of its shell Anna Wilkinson and Ewen Glass
Epilogue Nereida Bueno-Guerra.

Subject Areas: Endangered species & extinction of species [RNKH1], Animal behaviour [PSVP], Developmental biology [PSC], Evolution [PSAJ], Cognition & cognitive psychology [JMR], Behavioural theory [Behaviourism JMAL]