Animal Cognition: Evolution, Psychology Annotated Bibliography.

Animal Cognition: Annotated Bibliography
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Animal Cognition: Annotated Bibliography
Introduction
The aim of this research is to investigate animal cognition and relate to the debate on the use animals in scientific studies. The field of animal cognition has been advanced by a number of disciplines, including cognitive sciences, animal learning and behavior, behavioral ecology, ethology, evolutionary psychology, and comparative psychology. Animal cognition seeks to describe the mental faculties of animals and how animals process and use the information they derive from their immediate environment. In particular, this research will assess the philosophical and ethological aspects of animal cognition using the past and existing knowledge. Ways of testing animal cognition provide means of understanding the subject and using the theory of mind in both animals and humans will be critical in drawing conclusions in regards to the question of animal cognition and animal experimentation (Marino & Christina, 2015). Conclusion from this research will serve as an invaluable reference while formulating policies that protect animals from cruel treatment in scientific laboratories.
Allen, C. (1998). Assessing animal cognition: ethological and philosophical perspectives. Journal of Animal Science, 76(1), 42-47.
Over recent times, animal cognition has been done in scientific laboratories. Consequently, animal scientists have faced scrutiny over the treatment of animals and the atrocities the species face. This process results in questions over the philosophical and ethological attributions in the study of animal cognition. It is an ordinary expectation that animals used in these studies will be subjected to both great and uncouth methods in the quest to extract answers, but then questions linger on whether there are better methods toarticulate these procedures. It is a public concern and thus, animal scientists need to provide justifications as to what they do and defend possible consequences.
Ethologists can offer animal scientists a lesson or two when it comes to handling animals because they incorporate evolutionary and comparative perspectives in their study of animal cognition and mentality. These professionals have become acquainted with naturalistic and laboratory techniques of observation and experimentation when conducting and revealing their deductions related to the cognitive and mental properties of nonhuman animals. The philosophy of mind and that of science are quite complementary and the coordination of the two creates a firm methodological and philosophical foundation. Scientists and philosophers have a great connection and can work together to extrapolate better experimental mechanisms and eventually, results.
Allen makes the utmost sense in the manner that he outlines the ensuing ethical aspect of animal cognition. Even if human beings must expand their knowledge inthis field of study, animal scientists and their methods of inquiry have been questioned. The concern arises from the mere fact that these procedures are unethical and pose a significant danger to the animals. Therefore, Allen's aspect contributes to the quality and quantity of knowledge surrounding th...