Abstract

Animal cognition is the study of the minds of animals and the mechanisms by which those minds operate. It touches on and illuminates a wide variety of issues at the foundation of cognition science. The methods developed for its study have broad application, and its theories provide essential links between brain and behavior and between evolution and cognition. Among the foundational issues it addresses are: (1) What do we mean by mind? (2) What role does language play in the mind? (3) What are the cognitive processes that operate during perception and recognition? (4) What is the nature of memory? (5) What is the relation between brain and behavior? (6) How does experience affect behavior?