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Related Experiment Videos

Reflections on animal selves.

Marc Bekoff1, Paul W Sherman

  • 1Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0334, USA. marc.bekoff@colorado.edu

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|May 17, 2006
PubMed
Summary
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Self-cognizance may not be unique to humans. This study proposes a new framework suggesting varying degrees of self-awareness in animals, influenced by social complexity and evolution.

Area of Science:

  • Comparative psychology
  • Evolutionary biology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • The question of animal self-cognizance remains debated.
  • Previous research faced challenges with terminology, species focus, and data interpretation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a new conceptual and terminological framework for understanding self-cognizance in animals.
  • To explore how social structures and life-history influence degrees of self-awareness.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis and framework development.
  • Emphasis on evolutionary pressures and social complexity.

Main Results:

  • Self-cognizance exists on a continuum, not as an all-or-nothing trait.

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  • Species-specific social structures and evolutionary history shape cognitive demands related to self-awareness.

    • Conclusions:

    • A nuanced framework is needed to study animal self-cognizance.
    • Degrees of self-cognizance are linked to an organism's position on a spectrum of social complexity and conscious involvement.