Abstract
Although categorization abilities may serve as the foundation for most other complex cognitive processes, this topic has been grossly understudied in the order Carnivora. However, there are a growing number of studies examining the abilities of bears, felines, and canines to discriminate among stimuli that could represent conceptual categories. These studies are few in number compared to the extensive work conducted on non-human primates, but, thus far, results suggest that carnivores show comparable abilities to, for example; form natural categories, discriminate quantities, recognize cues of human emotion, and to discriminate kin. There is little existing work exploring concepts of sameness and relational reasoning in carnivores, and work on social concepts, such as representations of mental states, exist only in canines. Future studies are necessary to better understand the mechanisms underlying carnivores’ categorization abilities and conceptual representations. Furthermore, future work should focus on differences in conceptual ability as a function of social lifestyle and dietary preferences within carnivores. Such studies will be helpful in understanding the evolutionary pressures responsible for conceptual processes in a variety of species, including humans.
Highlights
Categorization abilities may serve as the foundation for most other complex cognitive processes, this topic has been relatively understudied in the order Carnivora compared to the extensive work on, for example, nonhuman primates
Researchers have acknowledged that the study of carnivore cognition is important to the extent that it can inform hypotheses about the evolution of cognitive traits in species that vary in both sociality and dietary challenges
One of the early studies that compared a large number of carnivores on a spatial successive discrimination reversal found that only one species performed comparably to previously tested black-faced capuchins (Sapajus nigritus, Gossette & Inman, 1966) with regard to a lower number of errors on reversal trials compared to the other carnivores tested; coati-mundis (Nasua nasua), kinkajous (Potos flavus), raccoons (Procyon lotor), and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis; Gossette, Krause, & Speiss, 1968)
Summary
Categorization is a fundamental cognitive building block, and whereas the ability to engage in this process should be widely shared in the animal kingdom, the extent to which concepts can be said to be abstract may be limited to species that evidence other forms of cognitive complexity This complexity may arise as a result of facing challenges in the social or physical domain or both. We begin our view with a discussion of relatively simple categorical discriminations (e.g., those based on observable sensory or spatial cues) and work our way up to discussion of more cognitively complex conceptual discriminations, such as those involving abstract and relational concepts
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