The Proposal

Helena Digney  

Independent Study Proposal   

Introduction; 

There is much debate surrounding the topic of animal intelligence and how it compares to human intelligence. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, intelligence is defined as "the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations: the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one's environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria." To what extent can we compare human and animals intelligence? We are two different species, but how similar are we? The purpose of my independent study is to explore this question in depth through conducting behavioral experiments with our farm animals on Home Winds. The study will take place in 2 parts; testing the animals ability to learn through the classical conditioning method and testing if animals can complete the same simple tasks as a child going through different stages of cognitive development. 

Part 1; Testing the animals ability to learn  

One aspect of intelligence I would like to focus on is the ability to learn. Through the process of classical conditioning, I will test the learning capabilities of the chosen animals. In order to compare the results, I will replicate my experiment exactly with each group.  

My experiment will be a close replication of Pavlov's with his dog. The goal of Pavlov's experiment was to see if his dog would learn to associate an unconditioned stimulus (in this scenario food) with a new conditioned stimulus (a bell). The dog would already salivate when food was presented. So Pavlov began ringing a bell each time he was about to give his dog food. Sure enough, the dog learned to associate the stimuli, and when it only heard the sound of the bell, it still salivated, expecting food.  

In my experiment my neutral stimulus will be a bell noise. The unconditioned stimulus will be treats. Naturally, when I have treats in my hands, the animals will approach me. Each time I present treats to the animals, I will ring the bell. My goal is for the animals to associate the bell noise with getting treats. So, when I ring the bell, they will learn to expect treats. I am curious to see if one particular group learns faster than another. I hypothesis that if one of the animals can learn this process quicker, they will more easily complete tasks I present to them later.  

Neutral stimulus – bell 

Unconditioned stimulus – treats  

Unconditioned response – approaching the treats  

Conditioned stimulus – bell  

Conditioned response – approaching the bell 

Part 2; Comparing animal cognition and human cognition   

The second part of the this study to is determine to what extent does animal intelligence compare to human intelligence. I will be using Piaget's stage theory of cognitive development as a basis for my research. Jean Piaget's Stage Theory of Cognitive Development four-stage model of how the mind processes new information encountered. There are a few basic skills we learn during each stage.  The four stages are as followed; sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. 

During the sensorimotor stage children (ages 0-2) gain an understanding of object permanence. Children comprehend that objects continue to exist even when they can not be observed.  

How to test if that animals have this ability; I will show the animal an object and then go hide it behind another object, such as a tree. If the animal perceives that the object has simply disappeared, then they do not have an understanding of object permanence. If the animal proceeds to go look for the object, then they demonstrate an understanding of this concept. Meaning that animals have the same cognitive abilities as young children.  

During the preoperational stage children (ages 2-7) begin to understand the idea of symbolic representation. That is, the ability to make one thing - a word or an object - stand for something other than itself. If the animals have succeeded in the previous classical conditioning task, then they understand symbolic representation.  

During the concrete and formal operational stages children (ages 7+) learn to think rationally and abstractly.  

How to test if the animals have this ability; This could be assessed through a maze task. If they animals can systematically reason how to get out of the maze, they have shown abstract thinking.  

An important variable to note is that, even if the animals can not complete some of these tasks, it does not mean that they are not intelligent. Humans are considered creatures of reason and knowledge, but in reality there are quite a few skills that animals have that we do not. Not just farm animals, but animals in general, have certain interesting capabilities. For example, even though animals can not speak, they are still very good at communication. When in danger, animals send alarm vocalization and some release pheromones that indicate alarm so others are warned. Also, animals in the wild must forage for their food. Meaning they must search for food in particular locations at specific times. Which requires a great deal of intelligence and skill.  

The purpose of this study would not be to prove how smart an animal is simply based on a few successfully completed tasks, that would not be reliable. Rather, the focus would be if there are certain tasks both humans and animals are capable of completing. What I hope to discover through these experiments is how similar humans and animals may actually be in cognitive learning abilities. I will use this blog to document my experiments and findings throughout the study.