everything.study
PSYCH 515

ANIMAL COGNITION

4 credits.

With intricate cultures, impressive technology, and layered social lives, humans seem to stand apart from their animal kin. However, humans and non-human animals share many aspects of their mental lives, and, upon closer inspection, some animals even reveal cognitive abilities far beyond the capacities of humans. Through comparing and contrasting human and non-human cognition, learn about human psychological uniqueness and its evolutionary origins, and fundamental properties of cognitive processes in general.

Prerequisites & course information

Requisites: PSYCH 406 , 414 , 449 , 450 , 454 , 460 , 462 , or 464 Course Designation: Core GenEd - Natural Science & Wellness + Lab Breadth - Biological Science Level - Intermediate L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Describe and and discuss the fundamentals of cognitive science through the lens of comparative cognition Audience: Undergraduate 2. Analyze the evolutionary process and how human and animal minds are the product of it Audience: Undergraduate 3. Analyze methods of experimentation in animal cognition and cognitive science Audience: Undergraduate 4. Read and interpret data from graphs Audience: Undergraduate 5. Critically evaluate primary research articles, secondary news articles about science, and observations of animal cognition and "intelligence" Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Describe and and discuss the fundamentals of cognitive science through the lens of comparative cognition Audience: Undergraduate 2. Analyze the evolutionary process and how human and animal minds are the product of it Audience: Undergraduate 3. Analyze methods of experimentation in animal cognition and cognitive science Audience: Undergraduate 4. Read and interpret data from graphs Audience: Undergraduate 5. Critically evaluate primary research articles, secondary news articles about science, and observations of animal cognition and "intelligence" Audience: Undergraduate

Sources