Animal cognition

Complementing the lecture, the seminar focused on recent advances in the field of animal cognition. Seven guest speakers presented their work. All used an experimental ethology approach, which consists in assessing the cognitive capacities of animals by placing them in controlled experimental situations (in the wild or in the laboratory). Examining their behavior reveals mental operations of often unsuspected complexity. The debate has naturally focused on the existence of a clear boundary with human cognitive capacities , particularly in the field of communication and syntax.