UE932 - COGSCI 312 - Comparative cognition

Intervenant·e·s

• Melissa Berthet [référent·e]   contrat postdoctoral, ENS

The course aims to provide students with an overview of the field of comparative cognition and a presentation of its concepts and methods. Starting from a brief presentation of the field, students will be faced with a variety of issues such as communication, sociality, cognitive mechanisms and meta cognition. Each class will be divided into two parts: about ¾ of the class will consist in a lecture by an expert of the field, where students will be invited to discuss and ask questions, and the second part (1/4 of the course) will consist in the discussion of a study, led by one student. Additionally, students will present a mini-project (written report or oral presentation) on a subject of their choice due by the end of the semester, that can take the form of a literature review, research protocol or popularization media (twitter account, blog…). The aim of such a broad overview, combined with the homework, is for students to become aware of the main research questions addressed by the field, and to be able to understand and critically discuss studies in comparative cognition.

Course content to be adapted depending on the evolution of the covid situation

 Some classes will be given by a guest speaker.

Introduction to comparative cognition (class 1) - Mélissa Berthet

Presentation of the UE, schedule and expected work

History and main figures of the field

Main methods of observation and experimentation on animals

Vocal communication (class 2) - Mélissa Berthet

Anatomical and neural processes

Vocal learning, flexibility

Syntax, semantics, pragmatics

To read: Suzuki, T. N. (2018). Alarm calls evoke a visual search image of a predator in birds. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(7), 1541-1545.

Gestural communication (class 3) - Mélissa Berthet

Gestural learning

Flexibility of the behaviour

Semantics, pragmatics

To read: Kersken, V., Gómez, J. C., Liszkowski, U., Soldati, A., & Hobaiter, C. (2019). A gestural repertoire of 1-to 2-year-old human children: in search of the ape gestures. Animal cognition, 22(4), 577-595.

Learning and memory – Anne-Sophie Darmaillacq (Université de Caen Normandie) [To be confirmed]

Cognition in cephalopods: how to question invertebrates, association learning (through classical and operant conditioning), short and long term memories, prenatal learning (if enough time: tool use, deception, camouflage).

To read: The “prawn-in-the-tube” procedure: What do cuttlefish learn and memorize? Lelia Cartron, Anne-Sophie Darmaillacq, Ludovic Dickel Published in Behavioural Brain Research 2013

Sociality – TBA

TBA

The evolution of social conformity - Guillaume Dezecache (Université Clermont Auvergne)

TBA

Theory of Mind in Infants and Other Animals – Cathal O’Madagain (ENS)

When we see someone smile when they greet us, we recognize they are happy to see us. This is a form of what has been called ‘mind-reading’ - thinking about the thoughts of other agents. How much mind-reading can other animals do? Do they know that others have seen what they have seen? That the world might look differently to others? That others beliefs might be false? We will explore a series of experiments on infants, chimps and corvids. 

To read: Krupenye, Kano, Hirata, Call, and Tomasello :  Great apes anticipate that other individuals will act according to false beliefs. (Science, 354, 110–114, 2016)

Chemical communication – Patrizia d’Ettorre (Université Paris 13) [to be confirmed]

General principles of chemical communication in animals, including humans;

The most ancient and taxonomically widespread messages: pheromones;

The difference between pheromones and signature mixtures;

Chemical signatures and recognition of identity

To read: Tibbetts, E. A. (2002). Visual signals of individual identity in the wasp Polistes fuscatus. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 269(1499), 1423-1428.

Tool use  – Sabrina Krief (Musée de l’homme) [To be confirmed]

What are the types of tool use

What is a culture

What species use tools

Cognition and conservation - Sabrina Krief (Musée de l’homme) [To be confirmed]

TD session - Mélissa Berthet

Presentation of grading sheets

Introduction to scientific communication

Feedback on the students’ mini-projects