Behavioural Methods to Study Cognitive Capacities of Animals

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past 20 years, the scientific community has witnessed a growing interest in the comparative study of mental capabilities. Animal cognition has become an independent field of inter-disciplinary investigation, featuring specialized methodologies and paradigms tailored on diverse animal models. Recently, new approaches have emerged, offering access to large amounts of highly reliable data and to an enhanced explicatory power, at the cost of over-simplifying the behavioral response. On one hand are the automated and observer-independent techniques, which allow the collection of vast sets of data but may incur the risk of denaturing the meaning and richness of natural behaviors; on the other hand is the study of the neurobiological correlates of mental processes, which requires reference to standardized paradigms, posing constraints on the complexity and ecological validity of behavior. In contrast to these approaches, more traditional behavioral methods are firmly grounded on species’ ethology, considered crucial to grasp the distinctive qualitative features of the behavioral repertoire.

The present Topical Collection aims at offering a collection of contributions employing behavioral methods to investigate the mental abilities of animals or any other behaving organism. Studies focusing on species’ natural behavior or comparing behavioral methods with other methodologies are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Lucia Regolin
Dr. Maria Loconsole
Collection Editors

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