Cognition, Evolution, and Behavior [Paperback]

Sara J. Shettleworth (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 019511048X | ISBN-13: 978-0195110487 | Publication Date: December 17, 1998 | Edition: 1

How do animals perceive the world, learn, remember, search for food or mates, and find their way around? Do any non-human animals count, imitate one another, use a language, or think as we do? What use is cognition in nature and how might it have evolved? Historically, research on such questions has been fragmented between psychology, where the emphasis has been on theoretical models and lab experiments, and biology, where studies focus on evolution and the adaptive use of perception, learning, and decision-making in the field. Cognition, Evolution and the Study of Behavior integrates research from psychology, behavioural ecology, and ethology in a wide-ranging synthesis of theory and research about animal cognition in the broadest sense, from species-specific adaptations in fish to cognitive mapping in rats and honeybees to theories of mind for chimpanzees. As a major contribution to the emerging discipline of comparative cognition, the book is an invaluable resource for all students and researchers in psychology, zoology, and behavioural neuroscience. It will also interest general readers curious about the details of how and why animals-including humans-process, retain, and use information as they do.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is a very comprehensive review of animal cognition. It differs from other texts on this topic in a number of ways, as outlined by Shettleworth in her preface and in the opening chapter. Essentially, Shettleworth wants to advocate an 'adaptationist or ecological approach to cognition'. In doing so, she brings together a wealth of data on animal cognition, studied from quite different theoretical viewpoints, such as cognitive ethology, animal learning theory, neuroscience, behavioural ecology and cognitive psychology. . . . Each chapter ends with a clear and useful summary, and helpful suggestions for further reading. The book's numerous illustrations, which are mostly tables or figures redrawn by Margaret Nelson, greatly add to its appeal. . . . [T]his is a marvellously rich, well-written and stimulating book. . . . I greatly enjoyed reading [and] recommend it highly to anyone interested in animal cognition, evolution and behaviour."--Animal Behaviour

"Sara Shettleworth has probably written the most comprehensive study of the animal mind ever and therefore a fundamental textbook on 'comparative cognition'. She first gets consciousness out of the way: whether an animal is conscious or not is impossible to determine, since consciousness is a private, subjective phenomenon. We can study cognition, and certainly cognition lends credibility to the idea that at least some animals must be at least to some degree conscious, but experiments can only prove facts about cognition. She reviews the field of cognitive ethology from the beginning and then analyzes the main cognitive tasks from an information-processing perspective By the end of her review of cognitive faculties, it become apparent that, at least among vertebrates, there are no significant differences in learning, except for language. All vertebrates are capable of 'associative' learning What no other vertebrate seems to be capable of is 'syntax'." -- Piero Scaruffi, Thymos.com

About the Author

Sara J. Shettleworth is at University of Toronto.

Product Details

• Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (December 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019511048X
• ISBN-13: 978-0195110487
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,064,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Animal Psychology

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most complete book on animal behavior I have yet encountered., September 9, 2009

By 

Jesse McClure (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cognition, Evolution, and Behavior (Paperback)

As a dedicated student of animal behavior I have read a wide variety of texts on the subject but this book stands out in its seamless synthesis of data from ethology/behavioral ecology and comparative/experimental psychology. Previously a student seeking a complete picture of the field of animal behavior would be best served by reading several texts from psychology and biology but here a vast amount of information is presented in a clear, concise, and highly readable manner. The author has in one text presented material that will intrigue but not overwhelm the lay person, yet it will also challenge experts in the field to consider data they might otherwise not have considered.

I wish I could give this book 6 stars. My only regret is not having discovered this one years ago.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars May Be The Best Yet, December 27, 2009

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Vegan-Analysis (from parts unknown) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cognition, Evolution, and Behavior (Paperback)

I have been doing some serious reading on animal intelligence and behavior: "Animal Cognition" by Clive Wynne, "Animal Intelligence" by Zhanna Reznikova, Animal Learning & Cognition 3rd Ed by John Pearce, and The Ethology of Domestic Animals 2nd Ed by Per Jensen. This ranks right up there with Dr. Pearce's book. Sara Shettleworth is far more open-minded than Wynne, who projects his own limitations onto the animals. She writes with the detail of Reznikova and the clarity of Pearce. If you know these authors, I have told you enough. If not, let me just say that this is one of the best detailed introductions with graphs and charts, and written in everyday language. Yet she does not wear her scholarship lightly.

However, if you are interested in bugs, Reznikova's Animal Intelligence would be my best recommendation. Or if a negative assessment of animal intelligence would make you feel better about yourself, try Dr. Wynne's "Animal Cognition" or the popular level, "Do Animals Think?" His answer is No.

Also worth reading:

Animal Minds by Donald Griffin
Minds of Their Own by Lesley Rogers
Wild Minds by Marc Hauser
The Smartest Animals on the Planet by Sally Boysen

Some of these are more-or-less popular level, mass publications. The Boysen book is a beautiful coffee table item with color photos and excellent charts and explantions of animal "IQ tests."

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Book!, June 20, 2011

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Alpha Bond - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cognition, Evolution, and Behavior (Paperback)

This book is so full of fascinating information and interesting studies that it's remarkable! I recommend it to anyone who is interested in human or animal intelligence, evolution, or behavior. It is a huge gift to all of us who are curious about ourselves, the other animals we share the planet with, and how all of us became who we are over the course of evolution. It's not a light read, but it's not so heavy as to be out of reach for most educated readers. I have reread parts of it several times and always find new rewards. It should be required reading for a real education!