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Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments
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Extended spider cognition.

Hilton F Japyassú1,2, Kevin N Laland3

  • 1Biology Institute, Federal University of Bahia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo s/n, Campus de Ondina, Salvador, Bahia, 40170-115, Brazil. japyassu@ufba.br.

Animal Cognition
|February 9, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Spiders exhibit extended cognition, using their webs as part of their cognitive system. This challenges the traditional view of cognition solely within the central nervous system, offering insights into animal evolution.

Keywords:
EvolvabilityExtended cognitionModular cognitionNiche constructionWeb building

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Ethology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Cognition is traditionally viewed as a central nervous system (CNS) process, requiring complex brains for complex environments.
  • An alternative view proposes extended cognition, where information processing is outsourced to the body or environment, reducing CNS demands.
  • This extended cognition model is particularly relevant for small, generalist predators like spiders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate empirical data on spider cognition against centralized and extended cognition models.
  • To determine if spiders' cognitive processes extend beyond their central nervous system.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of spider cognition and behavior.
  • Application of the mutual manipulability criterion to assess reciprocal causal links.
  • Analysis of spider learning, numerosity, and web interaction.

Main Results:

  • Spiders display diverse learning abilities, including habituation, contextual learning, and numerosity.
  • The mutual manipulability criterion suggests that web threads and configurations are integral to spider cognitive systems.
  • Extended cognition in spiders explains puzzling behaviors and promotes evolvability.

Conclusions:

  • Spider cognition extends to their webs, integrating environmental structures into their cognitive systems.
  • Extended cognition in spiders may explain variations in relative brain size and drive evolutionary innovation.
  • Niche-constructed environments are key candidates for extending animal cognition and shaping evolutionary pressures.