Studying primate cognition in a social setting to improve validity and welfare: a literature review highlighting successful approaches

PeerJ

article

Katherine A. Cronin¹  Sarah L. Jacobson¹  Kristin E. Bonnie¹  Lydia M. Hopper¹ 

[1] Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo;Department of Psychology, Beloit College

关键词: Cognition;    Primate;    Animal welfare;    Social;    Methodology;    Publication trends;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.3649

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundStudying animal cognition in a social setting is associated with practical and statistical challenges. However, conducting cognitive research without disturbing species-typical social groups can increase ecological validity, minimize distress, and improve animal welfare. Here, we review the existing literature on cognitive research run with primates in a social setting in order to determine how widespread such testing is and highlight approaches that may guide future research planning.Survey Methodology3 individuals), to gain perspective on the species and topics that have been studied, and to extract successful approaches for social testing.ResultsOur search revealed 248 unique publications in 43 journals encompassing 71 species. The absolute number of publications has increased over years, suggesting viable strategies for studying cognition in social settings. While a wide range of species were studied they were not equally represented, with 19% of the publications reporting data for chimpanzees. Field sites were the most common environment for experiments run in social groups of primates, accounting for more than half of the results. Approaches to mitigating the practical and statistical challenges were identified.DiscussionThis analysis has revealed that the study of primate cognition in a social setting is increasing and taking place across a range of environments. This literature review calls attention to examples that may provide valuable models for researchers wishing to overcome potential practical and statistical challenges to studying cognition in a social setting, ultimately increasing validity and improving the welfare of the primates we study.

【 授权许可】

CC BY