Understanding Animal Intelligence: Practical Behavior Theory for Biology, Psychology, and Cognitive Science synthesizes theories and practice to comprehend animal cognition. Using the framework of reinforcement learning, this book combines current knowledge of animal intelligence, focusing on decision-making, memory retrieval, associative learning, training, and more. It evaluates how evolutionary and environmental factors influence cognition and behavior. Additionally, the book explores motivational states and how these fulfill different goals, such as seeking food and water. Moreover, this book is a valuable reference and essential reading for courses in animal behavior, animal physiology, and ethology.
It provides a comprehensive analysis of animal intelligence by examining decision-making processes, memory retrieval, and associative learning. The book also delves into the interplay between evolutionary and environmental influences on cognition and behavior and demonstrates how learning can align with genetic predispositions.
Part I: Fundamental questions
1. What does it mean to understand animal intelligence?
2. Different purposes of mechanistic, developmental, and evolutionary explanations
3. Describing behavior – responses to stimuli, individual history, evolutionary history
4. Modeling animal intelligence – decision-making, learning, and evolution
Part II: Decision-making
5. Using available information to select the best action – external stimuli, memories, and motivational states
6. Evaluation of current stimuli – perception, generalization, relationship with deep learning
7. Memory retrieval – selecting which information to use
8. Motivational systems – selecting which goal to pursue
9. Inborn contributions to decision-making strategies
Part III: Learning and development
10. Associative learning – a modern perspective on reinforcement learning
11. Specialized memory systems – purposes and algorithms
12. Genetic guidance of learning
13. Learned information
14. Maturation – changing behavioral mechanisms with age and experience
15. Training – teaching animals beyond their inherent scope
Part IV: Evolution of behavior
16. Evolution’s effect on learning and decision-making
17. Innate value landscapes
18. Co-evolution of animal intelligence with environmental demands
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