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dc.contributor.authorThornton, A
dc.contributor.authorLukas, D
dc.date.accessioned2014-07-11T15:03:48Z
dc.date.issued2012-10-05
dc.description.abstractAnimal cognition experiments frequently reveal striking individual variation but rarely consider its causes and largely ignore its potential consequences. Studies often focus on a subset of high-performing subjects, sometimes viewing evidence from a single individual as sufficient to demonstrate the cognitive capacity of a species. We argue that the emphasis on demonstrating species-level cognitive capacities detracts from the value of individual variation in understanding cognitive development and evolution. We consider developmental and evolutionary interpretations of individual variation and use meta-analyses of data from published studies to examine predictors of individual performance. We show that reliance on small sample sizes precludes robust conclusions about individual abilities as well as inter- and intraspecific differences. We advocate standardization of experimental protocols and pooling of data between laboratories to improve statistical rigour. Our analyses show that cognitive performance is influenced by age, sex, rearing conditions and previous experience. These effects limit the validity of comparative analyses unless developmental histories are taken into account, and complicate attempts to understand how cognitive traits are expressed and selected under natural conditions. Further understanding of cognitive evolution requires efforts to elucidate the heritability of cognitive traits and establish whether elevated cognitive performance confers fitness advantages in nature.en_GB
dc.identifier.citationVol. 367, Issue 1603, pp. 2773 - 2783en_GB
dc.identifier.doi10.1098/rstb.2012.0214
dc.identifier.otherrstb.2012.0214
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10871/15181
dc.publisherRoyal Societyen_GB
dc.relation.urlhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22927576en_GB
dc.subjectAdaptation, Physiologicalen_GB
dc.subjectAnimalsen_GB
dc.subjectBehavior, Animalen_GB
dc.subjectBiological Evolutionen_GB
dc.subjectCognitionen_GB
dc.subjectCompetitive Behavioren_GB
dc.subjectEnvironmenten_GB
dc.subjectGenetic Fitnessen_GB
dc.subjectIndividualityen_GB
dc.subjectInheritance Patternsen_GB
dc.subjectLearningen_GB
dc.subjectTool Use Behavioren_GB
dc.titleIndividual variation in cognitive performance: developmental and evolutionary perspectives.en_GB
dc.typeArticleen_GB
dc.date.available2014-07-11T15:03:48Z
dc.identifier.issn0080-4622
exeter.place-of-publicationEngland
dc.descriptionnotes: PMCID: PMC3427550en_GB
dc.descriptiontypes: Journal Article; Meta-Analysis; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Reviewen_GB
dc.identifier.journalPhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciencesen_GB


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