The Value of Research in Comparative Cognition
Autor: | Thomas R. Zentall |
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Rok vydání: | 2018 |
Předmět: |
Value (ethics)
Comparative psychology 040301 veterinary sciences Comparative method 0402 animal and dairy science Cognition 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences 040201 dairy & animal science 0403 veterinary science Comparative research Comparative cognition Reinforcement Psychology Control (linguistics) General Psychology Cognitive psychology |
Zdroj: | International Journal of Comparative Psychology. 31 |
ISSN: | 2168-3344 0889-3667 |
Popis: | Author(s): Zentall, Thomas | Abstract: Most research of comparative cognition has focused on the degree to which cognitive phenomena that have been reported in humans, especially children, can also be demonstrated in other animals. The value of such comparative research has not only been the finding that other animals show behavior that is qualitatively similar to that of humans but because the comparative approach calls for the careful control of variables often confounded with the mechanisms being tested, the comparative approach has identified procedures that could also improve the design of research with humans. The comparative approach has also been used to study the degree to which other animals demonstrate human biases and suboptimal behavior (e.g., commercial gambling). When applied to this field of research, the comparative approach has generally taken the position that human biases generally thought to be established by complex social and societal mechanisms (e.g., social reinforcement and entertainment) may be more parsimoniously accounted for by simpler mechanisms (i.e., conditioned reinforcement and positive contrast). When explained in terms of these mechanisms, the results have implications for explaining in simpler and more general terms the results of similar research with humans. Thus, comparative psychology tells us not only about the similarities and possible differences in behavior among species but it also may have implications for our understanding of similar behavior in humans. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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