PSYC 2330 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Procedural Memory, Cognitive Ethology, Episodic Memory
2 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Comparative cognition is an approach to the study of animal behavior that focuses on the mechanisms by which animals acquire, process, store, and act on information from the environment . Exploring the cognitive skills of animals tells us about the uniqueness of various human cognitive skills. Studies of comparative cognition are also important because they provide model systems for the investigation of the neurophysiological bases of cognitive functions. An important characteristic of thinking in comparative cognition is that is can lead to actions that cannot be explained on the basis of the external stimuli and individual experiences at the time. Advocates of cognitive ethology claim that animals are capable of conscious thought and intentionality. Jennings argues that objective evidence cannot give a demonstration either of the existence or of the non-existence of consciousness, for consciousness is precisely that which cannot be perceived objectively. Contemporary experimental psychologists say comparative cognition does not imply anything about awareness, consciousness, or verbal reasoning.
