Citation

Author Website

https://www.uleth.ca/artsci/neuroscience/dr-sergio-pellis

Thread

Lori Marino and Debra Merskin, Intelligence, complexity, and individuality in sheep

Abstract

Sheep have had a bad rap with regard to their behavioral capabilities, and to a large extent, that negative view of sheep has arisen from our failure as human observers to view the world from the perspective of the sheep themselves. Studies sensitive to what sheep identify as of value in the world have revealed a different picture: sheep have cognitive, emotional and social complexity beyond our crude stereotype. Clearly, what we need to do is to evaluate non-human animals on their own terms and not as a reflection of ourselves.

Author Biography

Sergio M. Pellis is a Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge whose primary research focus has been on the mechanisms and evolution of play behavior. A key finding has been that social play refines executive function skills by modifying the development of the prefrontal cortex. Website

DOI

10.51291/2377-7478.1454