Where Is the Comparison in Comparative Cognition? Alternative Research Programs
Abstract
Contemporary research on comparative cognition reflects two distinct programs. The purpose of the anthropocentric program is to discover whether nonhuman species process information in the same way as humans do. The ecological program analyzes ecologically significant aspects of cognition and compares them in closely and distantly related species. Research on memory for stored food in birds provides a detailed example of this latter program. Other examples include research on bird song learning and foraging and ecological analyses of human cognition.
