{"id":12133,"date":"2017-03-04T05:45:58","date_gmt":"2017-03-04T05:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ohiopetexpert.com\/?p=12133"},"modified":"2017-03-04T06:06:25","modified_gmt":"2017-03-04T06:06:25","slug":"animal-cognition-investigating-the-mental-capacities-of-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ohiopetexpert.com\/index.php\/2017\/03\/04\/animal-cognition-investigating-the-mental-capacities-of-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"Animal Cognition &#8211; Investigating the mental capacities of animals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Want to learn more about what goes on in the heads of animals? Visit\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\">animalcognition.org<\/a> to read some of the most interesting articles about animal cognition and what we can learn from them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Investigating the\u00a0mental capacities of animals.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Animal Cognition (.org) explores research on the\u00a0mental capacities of animals: how animals think,\u00a0solve problems, understand concepts, communicate, and empathize. We are an independent web publication focused on producing articles and other types of media that help the public develop a better understanding of animal minds.<\/p>\n<p>This site was founded and is run by <a title=\"Amanda Pachniewska\" href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/mandapaw\">Amanda Pachniewska<\/a>. If you would like to get in touch, you can send an e-mail to\u00a0editor[at]animalcognition.org, or use the contact form below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"masonry-wrapper\">\n<ul class=\"entry-list masonry-container transitions-enabled centered clearfix masonry\" style=\"position: relative; width: 830px; height: 2774px;\">\n<li class=\"masonry-box masonry-brick\" style=\"position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px;\">\n<article class=\"entry-item clearfix\">\n<div class=\"entry-thumb\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2017\/01\/22\/animals-smarter-than-humans\/\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"395\" height=\"237\" src=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/bird-1627567_1920-395x237.jpg\" class=\"attachment-kopa-image-size-2 size-kopa-image-size-2 wp-post-image\" alt=\"animals smarter than humans\">                        <\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<header>\n<h6 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2017\/01\/22\/animals-smarter-than-humans\/\">Animals That Can Outsmart Humans<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/header>\n<p>Comparing animal cognition to our own is tricky business. Animals have differently tuned senses and use them in sometimes radically different ways than we do. In some cases, there simply is no commeasurability. Yet, there are still situations in which we can sensibly demonstrate [\u2026]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"masonry-box masonry-brick\" style=\"position: absolute; left: 415px; top: 0px;\">\n<article class=\"entry-item clearfix\">\n<div class=\"entry-thumb\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/11\/24\/5-surprisingly-smart-animals\/\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"395\" height=\"237\" src=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/chicken-1374825_1280-395x237.jpg\" class=\"attachment-kopa-image-size-2 size-kopa-image-size-2 wp-post-image\" alt=\"chicken intelligence - surprisingly smart animals\">                        <\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<header>\n<h6 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/11\/24\/5-surprisingly-smart-animals\/\">Secret Geniuses: 5 Animals that are Surprisingly Smart<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/header>\n<p>While they may not be known as the smartest animals in the world, these 5 animals are unexpectedly brainy. This list of surprisingly smart animals examines the intelligence of five underestimated species. [\u2026]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"masonry-box masonry-brick\" style=\"position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 448px;\">\n<article class=\"entry-item clearfix\">\n<div class=\"entry-thumb\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/10\/12\/can-dogs-tell-time\/\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"395\" height=\"237\" src=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/dog-838281_1280-395x237.jpg\" class=\"attachment-kopa-image-size-2 size-kopa-image-size-2 wp-post-image\" alt=\"can dogs tell time?\">                        <\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<header>\n<h6 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/10\/12\/can-dogs-tell-time\/\">Can Dogs Tell Time?<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/header>\n<p>Many dog owners say that it seems like their dogs \u201cjust know\u201d when family members usually come home, or even when other routine events are about to take place (such as going out for a walk). Yet, if dogs can\u2019t read clocks or count hours, how is this possible? [\u2026]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"masonry-box masonry-brick\" style=\"position: absolute; left: 415px; top: 454px;\">\n<article class=\"entry-item clearfix\">\n<div class=\"entry-thumb\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/07\/31\/bonobos-make-love-and-war\/\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"395\" height=\"237\" src=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Bonobos_2012-395x237.jpg\" class=\"attachment-kopa-image-size-2 size-kopa-image-size-2 wp-post-image\" alt=\"Bonobo Female Coalition Brutality\">                        <\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<header>\n<h6 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/07\/31\/bonobos-make-love-and-war\/\">Bonobos Make Love AND War<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/header>\n<p>There is a common misconception that bonobos never fight; if tensions are running high, they have sex or rub their genitals together and everything\u2019s just peachy. But bonobos do fight and they do form coalitions to support one another in aggressive interactions. [\u2026]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"masonry-box masonry-brick\" style=\"position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 896px;\">\n<article class=\"entry-item clearfix\">\n<div class=\"entry-thumb\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/07\/02\/horse-communication-humans\/\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"395\" height=\"237\" src=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/horse-658208_1920-395x237.jpg\" class=\"attachment-kopa-image-size-2 size-kopa-image-size-2 wp-post-image\" alt=\"Horse communication with humans\">                        <\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<header>\n<h6 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/07\/02\/horse-communication-humans\/\">How do Horses Communicate with Humans?<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/header>\n<p>When asked to think about how horses and humans communicate with each other, most people would likely conjure up the classic image of a rider on horseback, steering with reins and giving a kick to signal \u201cGo!\u201d. In this picture, the human is the communicator, the horse the receiver. The animal is expected to obey [\u2026]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"masonry-box masonry-brick\" style=\"position: absolute; left: 415px; top: 902px;\">\n<article class=\"entry-item clearfix\">\n<div class=\"entry-thumb\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/06\/23\/pheasant-cognition-personality\/\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"395\" height=\"237\" src=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/pheasant-765448_1920-395x237.jpg\" class=\"attachment-kopa-image-size-2 size-kopa-image-size-2 wp-post-image\" alt=\"pheasant cognition &amp; personality\">                        <\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<header>\n<h6 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/06\/23\/pheasant-cognition-personality\/\">Bird-Brained Behaviour: Pheasant Cognition<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/header>\n<p>Dr. Joah Madden studies pheasants, a type of bird frequently seen in the British countryside. How many of us have driven down a country lane with one of them zig-zagging a few feet in front of the car\u2019s wheels for what feels like miles? We bellow \u201cLook, there\u2019s a gap in the hedge there! It\u2019s [\u2026]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"masonry-box masonry-brick\" style=\"position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 1364px;\">\n<article class=\"entry-item clearfix\">\n<div class=\"entry-thumb\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/06\/08\/altruism-in-chimpanzees\/\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"395\" height=\"237\" src=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/monkeys-1200216_1920-395x237.jpg\" class=\"attachment-kopa-image-size-2 size-kopa-image-size-2 wp-post-image\" alt=\"altruism in chimpanzees\">                        <\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<header>\n<h6 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/06\/08\/altruism-in-chimpanzees\/\">Altruism in Chimpanzees<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/header>\n<p>In 2005, Drs. Felix Warnecken and Michael Tomasello conducted a study on altruism in human infants and chimpanzees.1 Altruism is taking action to help someone else, even when that action won\u2019t be reciprocated or otherwise benefit oneself. To put it simply, altruistic actions are motivated purely by the desire to [\u2026]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"masonry-box masonry-brick\" style=\"position: absolute; left: 415px; top: 1370px;\">\n<article class=\"entry-item clearfix\">\n<div class=\"entry-thumb\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/05\/17\/environment-influences-animal-intelligence\/\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"395\" height=\"237\" src=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/raccoon-853830_1920-395x237.jpg\" class=\"attachment-kopa-image-size-2 size-kopa-image-size-2 wp-post-image\" alt=\"Cute raccoon\">                        <\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<header>\n<h6 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/05\/17\/environment-influences-animal-intelligence\/\">How Environment Influences Animal Intelligence<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/header>\n<p>Depending on the characteristics of the environment it lives in, an animal species may develop a wide range of physical adaptations to help it survive there. But mental adaptations can occur as well, sometimes sparking the development of impressive cognitive abilities. Tougher environments seem to spur the need for innovation and quick [\u2026]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"masonry-box masonry-brick\" style=\"position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 1832px;\">\n<article class=\"entry-item clearfix\">\n<div class=\"entry-thumb\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/03\/27\/dogs-perceive-human-faces\/\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"395\" height=\"237\" src=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/malinois-661172_1920-395x237.jpg\" class=\"attachment-kopa-image-size-2 size-kopa-image-size-2 wp-post-image\" alt=\"Malinois Dog Running Through Water\">                        <\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<header>\n<h6 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/03\/27\/dogs-perceive-human-faces\/\">How Dogs Perceive Human Faces<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/header>\n<p>When you have dogs, it\u2019s easy to see that human faces are important to them. Surely, you\u2019ve probably noticed the countless times in a day that your dog looks at your face: in the park, on the couch, when you are playing together. It\u2019s very likely that dogs are the ultimate \u201chuman-stalker\u201d, as they can [\u2026]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"masonry-box masonry-brick\" style=\"position: absolute; left: 415px; top: 1838px;\">\n<article class=\"entry-item clearfix\">\n<div class=\"entry-thumb\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/03\/08\/animals-ah-ha-moments\/\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"395\" height=\"237\" src=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/mono-1132787_1280-395x237.jpg\" class=\"attachment-kopa-image-size-2 size-kopa-image-size-2 wp-post-image\" alt=\"Primate Eyes\">                        <\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<header>\n<h6 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/03\/08\/animals-ah-ha-moments\/\">Do animals have \u201cAh ha!\u201d moments?<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/header>\n<p>Do you know the feeling when you\u2019ve been struggling with something for ages and suddenly&nbsp;the solution dawns on you? Eureka! What you\u2019ve just done constitutes insight, the ability to use a mental representation of a problem and draw on past experience and knowledge to solve it. Are humans the only species that can do this? [\u2026]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"masonry-box masonry-brick\" style=\"position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 2300px;\">\n<article class=\"entry-item clearfix\">\n<div class=\"entry-thumb\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/02\/26\/ruthless-raptors-hunt-with-fire-prisons-mind-games\/\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"395\" height=\"237\" src=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/bird-691816_1280-395x237.jpg\" class=\"attachment-kopa-image-size-2 size-kopa-image-size-2 wp-post-image\" alt=\"Small Falcon Predator\">                        <\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<header>\n<h6 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/02\/26\/ruthless-raptors-hunt-with-fire-prisons-mind-games\/\">Ruthless Raptors Use Fire, Prisons &amp; Mind Games<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/header>\n<p>Predatory birds have been making the headlines lately with hunting tactics that seem downright villainous \u2013 and eerily human. Raptors have been spotted playing mind games with their prey, imprisoning them, and even setting fires to drive their prey out from cover. [\u2026]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"masonry-box masonry-brick\" style=\"position: absolute; left: 415px; top: 2306px;\">\n<article class=\"entry-item clearfix\">\n<div class=\"entry-thumb\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/02\/12\/individual-differences-in-primate-personalities\/\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"395\" height=\"237\" src=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/monkey-428032_1280-395x237.jpg\" class=\"attachment-kopa-image-size-2 size-kopa-image-size-2 wp-post-image\" alt=\"primate personalities\">                        <\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<header>\n<h6 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.animalcognition.org\/2016\/02\/12\/individual-differences-in-primate-personalities\/\">Primate Personalities<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/header>\n<p>People who keep animals as pets will often talk about their pet\u2019s personality \u2013 identifiable traits that appear to be displayed in a consistent manner across contexts and time. Although it was once considered anthropomorphic to talk about nonhuman animals as having a \u2018personality\u2019, today, studies dispute this view, with many researchers  [\u2026]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want to learn more about what goes on in the heads of animals? Visit\u00a0animalcognition.org to read some of the most interesting articles about animal cognition and what we can learn from them. Investigating the\u00a0mental capacities of animals.\u00a0 Animal Cognition (.org) explores research on the\u00a0mental capacities of animals: how animals think,\u00a0solve problems, understand concepts, communicate, and empathize. We are an independent web publication focused on producing articles and other types of media that help the public develop a better understanding of animal minds. This site was founded and is run by Amanda Pachniewska. If you would like to get in touch, you can send an e-mail to\u00a0editor[at]animalcognition.org, or use the contact form below. Animals That Can Outsmart Humans Comparing animal cognition to our own is tricky business. Animals have differently tuned senses and use them in sometimes radically different ways than we do. In some cases, there simply is no commeasurability. Yet, there are still situations in which we can sensibly demonstrate [\u2026] Secret Geniuses: 5 Animals that are Surprisingly Smart While they may not be known as the smartest animals in the world, these 5 animals are unexpectedly brainy. This list of surprisingly smart animals examines the intelligence of five [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ohiopetexpert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12133"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ohiopetexpert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ohiopetexpert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ohiopetexpert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ohiopetexpert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12133"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ohiopetexpert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12139,"href":"https:\/\/ohiopetexpert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12133\/revisions\/12139"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ohiopetexpert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ohiopetexpert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ohiopetexpert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ohiopetexpert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}