Lori Marino - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Lori Marino

Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, 2015

Reviews in the Neurosciences, 2021

The present review assesses the potential neural impact of impoverished, captive environments on ... more The present review assesses the potential neural impact of impoverished, captive environments on large-brained mammals, with a focus on elephants and cetaceans. These species share several characteristics, including being large, wide-ranging, long-lived, cognitively sophisticated, highly social, and large-brained mammals. Although the impact of the captive environment on physical and behavioral health has been well-documented, relatively little attention has been paid to the brain itself. Here, we explore the potential neural consequences of living in captive environments, with a focus on three levels: (1) The effects of environmental impoverishment/enrichment on the brain, emphasizing the negative neural consequences of the captive/impoverished environment; (2) the neural consequences of stress on the brain, with an emphasis on corticolimbic structures; and (3) the neural underpinnings of stereotypies, often observed in captive animals, underscoring dysregulation of the basal gangl...

Animal Behavior and Cognition, 2017

We are grateful for the thoughtful commentaries on our targeted review paper: The Psychology of C... more We are grateful for the thoughtful commentaries on our targeted review paper: The Psychology of Cows. These responses added important knowledge, insights, and analyses that greatly extended the discussion that we attempted to seed on the social, emotional, and cognitive complexity of cows. This review paper was, as King noted in her response, an "invitation to dialogue" about scientific knowledge of cows as complex sentient beings. We agree with King that this undertaking perhaps has latent challenges due to the cultural context in which it is embedded. In particular, we concur with several of our commentators, that the ubiquity of consumption and economic use of cows and the powerful ideology surrounding it has long shaped empirical inquiry and reactions to it. We acknowledge that we are attempting to summarize the psychological complexity of individuals whose bodies are a source of significant palate pleasure and profit. Americans consumed 24.8 billion tons of beef in 2015 (USDA ERS, 2017), and the beef industry in the US alone is worth the retail equivalent of over 105 billion dollars per year (USDA ERS, 2017). We appreciate King's recognition that we presented a comprehensive analysis of the literature on cows and did not succumb to "cherry-picking" favorable results. More importantly King acknowledges the widespread objectification of cows and other farmed animals even among other scientists, and that objectification leads to inhumane treatment. Andrews underscores the dearth of non-applied research by noting the need for additional research that relates to personhood and moral consideration for cows. For example, she noted that, missing from the current cow data, are investigations of moral agency, in the form of data on cooperation, obedience to authority, guilt behaviors, mutualism, reciprocity, and solidarity behaviors. Additional data, she notes, could also strengthen our understanding of self-awareness, rational problem-solving, and autonomy in cows. We fully agree. All of these areas are valuable for ethicists to evaluate moral consideration of cows utilizing her model of a personhood stereotype. But as we found in our review paper, experiments on cows have largely been related to maximizing production and profit, or, only in some cases, to improve welfare, a point also noted by Nawroth and Langbein. We recognized early on that the existing literature on cow behavior and cognition is biased toward applied themes. But, rather than simply summarizing the applied data, we structured the paper to hold the space for questions beyond it. We were not attempting to introduce bias, but to make explicit the bias that already exists but is currently denied. Our review paper had several goals: to bring to the scientific discourse the available evidence on cow complexity, and to juxtapose it alongside questions for its ethical implications; to combine fragmented empirical data into a coherent whole that represents the

Animal Sentience, 2020

Mikhalevich & Powell (2020) argue for considering the welfare of invertebrates, especially insect... more Mikhalevich & Powell (2020) argue for considering the welfare of invertebrates, especially insects, by asking whether invertebrates have the cognitive and neural characteristics necessary for sentience. This approach assumes that human neural and cognitive complexity is the basis of sentience. But insight might also be gained by turning this approach on its head and examining the notion that sentience may be a fundamental biological property, appearing very early in the evolution of life in all organisms with centralized nervous systems.

Animal Sentience, 2019

Domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are among the earliest animals domesticated for human use. They are c... more Domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are among the earliest animals domesticated for human use. They are consumed worldwide as mutton, hogget, and lamb, kept as wool and milk producers, and used extensively in scientific research. The popular stereotype is that sheep are docile, passive, unintelligent, and timid, but a review of the research on their behavior, affect, cognition, and personality reveals that they are complex, individualistic, and social.

Animal Sentience, 2019

Our Response is centered on five major themes: (1) our presentation of human mythologies about sh... more Our Response is centered on five major themes: (1) our presentation of human mythologies about sheep; (2) the relevance of cognitive complexity ("intelligence") as a dimension underlying the way people perceive and treat sheep; (3) whether our review is too anthropocentric or anthropomorphic; (4) animal welfare versus animal rights (abolitionism); and (5) whether knowledge and education are enough to change human attitudes and behavior. Lori Marino, neuroscientist, President, Whale Sanctuary Project, and Executive Director, Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, has written over 130 publications on dolphin and whale brain evolution and anatomy; intelligence and self-awareness; and the effects of captivity on social mammals, including cetaceans, elephants and primates. Website Debra Merskin, Professor of media studies, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon, focuses on how the media and popular press represent animals, resulting in species stereotypes, and how these affect the lived experiences of real animals. Website

Animal Behavior and Cognition, 2017

Domestic cows (Bos taurus) are consumed worldwide as beef and veal, kept as dairy product produce... more Domestic cows (Bos taurus) are consumed worldwide as beef and veal, kept as dairy product producers, employed as draft animals in labor, and are used for a long list of other products, including leather and manure. But despite global reliance on cows for thousands of years, most people's perception of them is as plodding herd animals with little individual personality and very simple social relationships or preferences. Yet, a review of the scientific literature on cow behavior points to more complex cognitive, emotional and social characteristics. Moreover, when cow behavior is addressed, it is almost entirely done within the framework of and applied to their use as food commodities. Therefore, there is relatively little attention to the study of cow intelligence, personality and sociality at a basic comparative level. In this review, we examine the current state of scientific knowledge about cows within an objective comparative framework, describing their cognitive, emotional, and social characteristics. Our aim is to provide a more veridical and objective current summary of cow psychology on its own terms and in ways which will facilitate better-informed comparisons with other animals. Moreover, an understanding of the capabilities and characteristics of domestic cows will, it is hoped, advance our understanding of who they are as individuals.

Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 2019

Society & Animals, 2011

The criticisms of Falk et al. (2010) are addressed, and the question of whether claims made by Fa... more The criticisms of Falk et al. (2010) are addressed, and the question of whether claims made by Falk et al. (2007) are valid is revisited. This rebuttal contends that Falk et al. (2007) misconstrue Popper’s role in philosophy of science and hence do not provide a strong test of their hypothesis. Falk et al. (2010) claim that they never made causal statements about the impact of zoo and aquarium visits in their 2007 study. Yet, this commentary shows that Falk et al. (2007) draw several unsupported, strong causal conclusions. The criticism that primary documents were not used in Marino et al. (2010) is also addressed, as this refutation demonstrates that the analysis was based on all available documents. Finally, this commentary aims, through its criticisms of Falk et al. (2007), to catalyze better-quality research on the effects of zoo and aquarium visits.

Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 2006

Due to a decimal place error for body weight of S. longirostris in table 1 we discovered subseque... more Due to a decimal place error for body weight of S. longirostris in table 1 we discovered subsequent to the on-line appearance of this paper (Brain Behav Evol 2006;68:218–228), we have had to re-analyze our data. Although the body weight value has now been corrected and is accurately listed in table 1, upon re-analysis with the corrected value we havefound our conclusions to change in a way that does not warrant publication at this time. Therefore, we retract this paper. Louis Lefebvre , Montréal, Canada Lori Marino , Atlanta, Ga., USA Daniel Sol , Barcelona, Spain Sébastien Lemieux-Lefebvre , Montréal, Canada Saima Arshad , Atlanta, Ga., USA

Animal Sentience, 2019

Mather argues convincingly for the existence of minds in octopuses based largely on laboratory ex... more Mather argues convincingly for the existence of minds in octopuses based largely on laboratory experiments. Many of these experiments are highly invasive and involve mutilation and death. Moreover, octopuses are now being hailed as a "new model" for biological research and are being enthusiastically bred in captivity, both for research and for food. We argue that the compelling evidence for mind in octopuses must be accompanied by intense scrutiny of the ethics that shape how we treat them and that the intrinsic value of their individual lives must be recognized. Barbara J. King, Professor Emerita of Anthropology, College of William and Mary, writes and speaks about animal thinking, feeling, and ethics. Among her books are How Animals Grieve and Personalities on the Plate: The Lives & Minds of Animals We Eat. Her work has appeared on NPR and in Scientific American, the Atlantic, Aeon, Undark, and TLS. Website Lori Marino, neuroscientist, President, Whale Sanctuary Project, and Executive Director, Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, has written over 130 publications on dolphin and whale brain evolution and anatomy; intelligence and self-awareness; and the effects of captivity on social mammals, including cetaceans, elephants and primates. Website

Animal Sentience, 2017

Editor's Note: Lori Marino's article is published in Animal Cognition. The article is Open Access... more Editor's Note: Lori Marino's article is published in Animal Cognition. The article is Open Access. Open Peer Commentary in Animal Sentience is intended primarily for target articles published in Animal Sentience, but in special cases it can be extended to articles that have already been published elsewhere, if it is judged that Open Peer Commentary in Animal Sentience would be useful to the field. Commentators should access the Marino target article online, and then prepare a commentary for Animal Sentience in the same way as when it is published directly in this journal. Marino, L. (2017). Thinking chickens: A literature review of cognition, emotion, and behavior in the domestic chicken. Animal Cognition, 20(2): 127-141.

Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People & Animals, 2012

Animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted activities involve a nonhuman animal as a key therape... more Animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted activities involve a nonhuman animal as a key therapeutic agent in some kind of intervention that may range from highly specified, as in AAT, to more casual, as in AAA. In this review I address the question: How important is the animal in animal therapy? In other words, does the recent literature strongly support the notion that a live animal, as opposed to another novel stimulating component, is specifically necessary for therapeutic success. Two meta-analyses and 28 single empirical studies were reviewed in order to address this issue. I conclude that the effects of AAT and AAA are likely to be moderate and broad at best and that, although improving, the literature has not yet reached an experimentally rigorous enough level to provide a definitive robust conclusion about the effectiveness of these approaches, particularly with regard to the question of whether a live animal is necessary for a therapeutic effect.

Society and …, 2011

The criticisms of Falk et al. (2010) are addressed, and the question of whether claims made by Fa... more The criticisms of Falk et al. (2010) are addressed, and the question of whether claims made by Falk et al. (2007) are valid is revisited. This rebuttal contends that Falk et al. (2007) misconstrue Popper's role in philosophy of science and hence do not provide a strong test of their hypothesis. Falk et al. (2010) claim that they never made causal statements about the impact of zoo and aquarium visits in their 2007 study. Yet, this commentary shows that Falk et al. (2007) draw several unsupported, strong causal conclusions. The criticism that primary documents were not used in Marino et al. (2010) is also addressed, as this refutation demonstrates that the analysis was based on all available documents. Finally, this commentary aims, through its criticisms of Falk et al. (2007), to catalyze better-quality research on the effects of zoo and aquarium visits.

Dolphins and whales are highly complex, large-brained social mammals. To date, thousands are kept... more Dolphins and whales are highly complex, large-brained social mammals. To date, thousands are kept in concrete tanks in marine parks and aquariums around the world. In these environments, they endure lack of control, lack of stimulation, and loss of the ability to engage in activities necessary for them to thrive. The fact that they are such complex, self-aware, intelligent beings makes it more difficult for them to cope in artificial environments, not less, as might be expected. This is because their needs cannot be met outside of their natural habitat. The only ethical response to this situation is to phase out the keeping of dolphins and whales for entertainment and to move those in commercial facilities to sanctuaries that prioritize their needs.

International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2015

While relatively little is known about the psychology of domestic pigs, what is known suggests th... more While relatively little is known about the psychology of domestic pigs, what is known suggests that pigs are cognitively complex and share many traits with animals whom we consider intelligent. This paper reviews the scientific evidence for cognitive complexity in domestic pigs and, when appropriate, compares this literature with similar findings in other animals, focusing on some of the more compelling and cutting-edge research results. The goals of this paper are to: 1) frame pig cognition and psychology in a basic comparative context independent of the livestock production and management setting; and 2) identify areas of research with pigs that are particularly compelling and in need of further investigation. We summarize and discuss several areas of comparative psychology, including nonsocial and social cognition, self-awareness, emotion, and personality. We conclude that there are several areas of research in which the findings are suggestive of complex psychology in pigs. We ...

Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, 2015

Reviews in the Neurosciences, 2021

The present review assesses the potential neural impact of impoverished, captive environments on ... more The present review assesses the potential neural impact of impoverished, captive environments on large-brained mammals, with a focus on elephants and cetaceans. These species share several characteristics, including being large, wide-ranging, long-lived, cognitively sophisticated, highly social, and large-brained mammals. Although the impact of the captive environment on physical and behavioral health has been well-documented, relatively little attention has been paid to the brain itself. Here, we explore the potential neural consequences of living in captive environments, with a focus on three levels: (1) The effects of environmental impoverishment/enrichment on the brain, emphasizing the negative neural consequences of the captive/impoverished environment; (2) the neural consequences of stress on the brain, with an emphasis on corticolimbic structures; and (3) the neural underpinnings of stereotypies, often observed in captive animals, underscoring dysregulation of the basal gangl...

Animal Behavior and Cognition, 2017

We are grateful for the thoughtful commentaries on our targeted review paper: The Psychology of C... more We are grateful for the thoughtful commentaries on our targeted review paper: The Psychology of Cows. These responses added important knowledge, insights, and analyses that greatly extended the discussion that we attempted to seed on the social, emotional, and cognitive complexity of cows. This review paper was, as King noted in her response, an "invitation to dialogue" about scientific knowledge of cows as complex sentient beings. We agree with King that this undertaking perhaps has latent challenges due to the cultural context in which it is embedded. In particular, we concur with several of our commentators, that the ubiquity of consumption and economic use of cows and the powerful ideology surrounding it has long shaped empirical inquiry and reactions to it. We acknowledge that we are attempting to summarize the psychological complexity of individuals whose bodies are a source of significant palate pleasure and profit. Americans consumed 24.8 billion tons of beef in 2015 (USDA ERS, 2017), and the beef industry in the US alone is worth the retail equivalent of over 105 billion dollars per year (USDA ERS, 2017). We appreciate King's recognition that we presented a comprehensive analysis of the literature on cows and did not succumb to "cherry-picking" favorable results. More importantly King acknowledges the widespread objectification of cows and other farmed animals even among other scientists, and that objectification leads to inhumane treatment. Andrews underscores the dearth of non-applied research by noting the need for additional research that relates to personhood and moral consideration for cows. For example, she noted that, missing from the current cow data, are investigations of moral agency, in the form of data on cooperation, obedience to authority, guilt behaviors, mutualism, reciprocity, and solidarity behaviors. Additional data, she notes, could also strengthen our understanding of self-awareness, rational problem-solving, and autonomy in cows. We fully agree. All of these areas are valuable for ethicists to evaluate moral consideration of cows utilizing her model of a personhood stereotype. But as we found in our review paper, experiments on cows have largely been related to maximizing production and profit, or, only in some cases, to improve welfare, a point also noted by Nawroth and Langbein. We recognized early on that the existing literature on cow behavior and cognition is biased toward applied themes. But, rather than simply summarizing the applied data, we structured the paper to hold the space for questions beyond it. We were not attempting to introduce bias, but to make explicit the bias that already exists but is currently denied. Our review paper had several goals: to bring to the scientific discourse the available evidence on cow complexity, and to juxtapose it alongside questions for its ethical implications; to combine fragmented empirical data into a coherent whole that represents the

Animal Sentience, 2020

Mikhalevich & Powell (2020) argue for considering the welfare of invertebrates, especially insect... more Mikhalevich & Powell (2020) argue for considering the welfare of invertebrates, especially insects, by asking whether invertebrates have the cognitive and neural characteristics necessary for sentience. This approach assumes that human neural and cognitive complexity is the basis of sentience. But insight might also be gained by turning this approach on its head and examining the notion that sentience may be a fundamental biological property, appearing very early in the evolution of life in all organisms with centralized nervous systems.

Animal Sentience, 2019

Domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are among the earliest animals domesticated for human use. They are c... more Domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are among the earliest animals domesticated for human use. They are consumed worldwide as mutton, hogget, and lamb, kept as wool and milk producers, and used extensively in scientific research. The popular stereotype is that sheep are docile, passive, unintelligent, and timid, but a review of the research on their behavior, affect, cognition, and personality reveals that they are complex, individualistic, and social.

Animal Sentience, 2019

Our Response is centered on five major themes: (1) our presentation of human mythologies about sh... more Our Response is centered on five major themes: (1) our presentation of human mythologies about sheep; (2) the relevance of cognitive complexity ("intelligence") as a dimension underlying the way people perceive and treat sheep; (3) whether our review is too anthropocentric or anthropomorphic; (4) animal welfare versus animal rights (abolitionism); and (5) whether knowledge and education are enough to change human attitudes and behavior. Lori Marino, neuroscientist, President, Whale Sanctuary Project, and Executive Director, Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, has written over 130 publications on dolphin and whale brain evolution and anatomy; intelligence and self-awareness; and the effects of captivity on social mammals, including cetaceans, elephants and primates. Website Debra Merskin, Professor of media studies, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon, focuses on how the media and popular press represent animals, resulting in species stereotypes, and how these affect the lived experiences of real animals. Website

Animal Behavior and Cognition, 2017

Domestic cows (Bos taurus) are consumed worldwide as beef and veal, kept as dairy product produce... more Domestic cows (Bos taurus) are consumed worldwide as beef and veal, kept as dairy product producers, employed as draft animals in labor, and are used for a long list of other products, including leather and manure. But despite global reliance on cows for thousands of years, most people's perception of them is as plodding herd animals with little individual personality and very simple social relationships or preferences. Yet, a review of the scientific literature on cow behavior points to more complex cognitive, emotional and social characteristics. Moreover, when cow behavior is addressed, it is almost entirely done within the framework of and applied to their use as food commodities. Therefore, there is relatively little attention to the study of cow intelligence, personality and sociality at a basic comparative level. In this review, we examine the current state of scientific knowledge about cows within an objective comparative framework, describing their cognitive, emotional, and social characteristics. Our aim is to provide a more veridical and objective current summary of cow psychology on its own terms and in ways which will facilitate better-informed comparisons with other animals. Moreover, an understanding of the capabilities and characteristics of domestic cows will, it is hoped, advance our understanding of who they are as individuals.

Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 2019

Society & Animals, 2011

The criticisms of Falk et al. (2010) are addressed, and the question of whether claims made by Fa... more The criticisms of Falk et al. (2010) are addressed, and the question of whether claims made by Falk et al. (2007) are valid is revisited. This rebuttal contends that Falk et al. (2007) misconstrue Popper’s role in philosophy of science and hence do not provide a strong test of their hypothesis. Falk et al. (2010) claim that they never made causal statements about the impact of zoo and aquarium visits in their 2007 study. Yet, this commentary shows that Falk et al. (2007) draw several unsupported, strong causal conclusions. The criticism that primary documents were not used in Marino et al. (2010) is also addressed, as this refutation demonstrates that the analysis was based on all available documents. Finally, this commentary aims, through its criticisms of Falk et al. (2007), to catalyze better-quality research on the effects of zoo and aquarium visits.

Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 2006

Due to a decimal place error for body weight of S. longirostris in table 1 we discovered subseque... more Due to a decimal place error for body weight of S. longirostris in table 1 we discovered subsequent to the on-line appearance of this paper (Brain Behav Evol 2006;68:218–228), we have had to re-analyze our data. Although the body weight value has now been corrected and is accurately listed in table 1, upon re-analysis with the corrected value we havefound our conclusions to change in a way that does not warrant publication at this time. Therefore, we retract this paper. Louis Lefebvre , Montréal, Canada Lori Marino , Atlanta, Ga., USA Daniel Sol , Barcelona, Spain Sébastien Lemieux-Lefebvre , Montréal, Canada Saima Arshad , Atlanta, Ga., USA

Animal Sentience, 2019

Mather argues convincingly for the existence of minds in octopuses based largely on laboratory ex... more Mather argues convincingly for the existence of minds in octopuses based largely on laboratory experiments. Many of these experiments are highly invasive and involve mutilation and death. Moreover, octopuses are now being hailed as a "new model" for biological research and are being enthusiastically bred in captivity, both for research and for food. We argue that the compelling evidence for mind in octopuses must be accompanied by intense scrutiny of the ethics that shape how we treat them and that the intrinsic value of their individual lives must be recognized. Barbara J. King, Professor Emerita of Anthropology, College of William and Mary, writes and speaks about animal thinking, feeling, and ethics. Among her books are How Animals Grieve and Personalities on the Plate: The Lives & Minds of Animals We Eat. Her work has appeared on NPR and in Scientific American, the Atlantic, Aeon, Undark, and TLS. Website Lori Marino, neuroscientist, President, Whale Sanctuary Project, and Executive Director, Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, has written over 130 publications on dolphin and whale brain evolution and anatomy; intelligence and self-awareness; and the effects of captivity on social mammals, including cetaceans, elephants and primates. Website

Animal Sentience, 2017

Editor's Note: Lori Marino's article is published in Animal Cognition. The article is Open Access... more Editor's Note: Lori Marino's article is published in Animal Cognition. The article is Open Access. Open Peer Commentary in Animal Sentience is intended primarily for target articles published in Animal Sentience, but in special cases it can be extended to articles that have already been published elsewhere, if it is judged that Open Peer Commentary in Animal Sentience would be useful to the field. Commentators should access the Marino target article online, and then prepare a commentary for Animal Sentience in the same way as when it is published directly in this journal. Marino, L. (2017). Thinking chickens: A literature review of cognition, emotion, and behavior in the domestic chicken. Animal Cognition, 20(2): 127-141.

Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People & Animals, 2012

Animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted activities involve a nonhuman animal as a key therape... more Animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted activities involve a nonhuman animal as a key therapeutic agent in some kind of intervention that may range from highly specified, as in AAT, to more casual, as in AAA. In this review I address the question: How important is the animal in animal therapy? In other words, does the recent literature strongly support the notion that a live animal, as opposed to another novel stimulating component, is specifically necessary for therapeutic success. Two meta-analyses and 28 single empirical studies were reviewed in order to address this issue. I conclude that the effects of AAT and AAA are likely to be moderate and broad at best and that, although improving, the literature has not yet reached an experimentally rigorous enough level to provide a definitive robust conclusion about the effectiveness of these approaches, particularly with regard to the question of whether a live animal is necessary for a therapeutic effect.

Society and …, 2011

The criticisms of Falk et al. (2010) are addressed, and the question of whether claims made by Fa... more The criticisms of Falk et al. (2010) are addressed, and the question of whether claims made by Falk et al. (2007) are valid is revisited. This rebuttal contends that Falk et al. (2007) misconstrue Popper's role in philosophy of science and hence do not provide a strong test of their hypothesis. Falk et al. (2010) claim that they never made causal statements about the impact of zoo and aquarium visits in their 2007 study. Yet, this commentary shows that Falk et al. (2007) draw several unsupported, strong causal conclusions. The criticism that primary documents were not used in Marino et al. (2010) is also addressed, as this refutation demonstrates that the analysis was based on all available documents. Finally, this commentary aims, through its criticisms of Falk et al. (2007), to catalyze better-quality research on the effects of zoo and aquarium visits.

Dolphins and whales are highly complex, large-brained social mammals. To date, thousands are kept... more Dolphins and whales are highly complex, large-brained social mammals. To date, thousands are kept in concrete tanks in marine parks and aquariums around the world. In these environments, they endure lack of control, lack of stimulation, and loss of the ability to engage in activities necessary for them to thrive. The fact that they are such complex, self-aware, intelligent beings makes it more difficult for them to cope in artificial environments, not less, as might be expected. This is because their needs cannot be met outside of their natural habitat. The only ethical response to this situation is to phase out the keeping of dolphins and whales for entertainment and to move those in commercial facilities to sanctuaries that prioritize their needs.

International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2015

While relatively little is known about the psychology of domestic pigs, what is known suggests th... more While relatively little is known about the psychology of domestic pigs, what is known suggests that pigs are cognitively complex and share many traits with animals whom we consider intelligent. This paper reviews the scientific evidence for cognitive complexity in domestic pigs and, when appropriate, compares this literature with similar findings in other animals, focusing on some of the more compelling and cutting-edge research results. The goals of this paper are to: 1) frame pig cognition and psychology in a basic comparative context independent of the livestock production and management setting; and 2) identify areas of research with pigs that are particularly compelling and in need of further investigation. We summarize and discuss several areas of comparative psychology, including nonsocial and social cognition, self-awareness, emotion, and personality. We conclude that there are several areas of research in which the findings are suggestive of complex psychology in pigs. We ...