Cognition of dairy cattle: Implications for animal welfare and dairy science

The study of dairy cattle cognition has gained increasing attention over the past several decades, offering insights into the relationship between cognition and animal welfare. The objectives of this narrative review are to summarize a selection of studies exploring different cognitive processes in dairy cattle, discuss how these processes relate to common management practices and animal welfare, and identify knowledge gaps to guide future research. We begin with a brief overview of research into how dairy cattle perceive and sense the world around them, followed by a description of different types of learning and memory studied in dairy cattle, including nonassociative and associative learning, as well as short- and long-term memory. We then discuss how researchers have explored cognitive processes in dairy cows to understand their social lives, their ability to cope with challenges, and how they feel under different management conditions. Continued research into dairy cattle cognition is encouraged, including both foundational studies asking questions about the cognitive abilities of dairy cattle, as well as applied questions that can lead to improvements to their housing and management. We end by offering several avenues of future research into the cognition of dairy cattle, including a better understanding of competence and resilience, factors that influence cognition such as sleep and individual differences, as well as other under-investigated topics, such as problem-solving and metacognition.