How Do Animals Think?: A Seven-Point Summary

In this book, I have discussed and proposed answers to (most of) the big and, at the same time, most difficult questions in comparative cognitive research. Starting with the question of whether we can ascribe rationality to animals and, if so, to which species and to what degree, I have highlighted recent research findings that either challenge preferred interpretations or even require entirely new ones. It was particularly important for me to critically question hasty categorisations, often derived from human and everyday psychological notions, and to look at animal (mis)performance from the perspective of species-specific, natural requirements. The most important questions that I have addressed in this book can be briefly summarised as follows: