New Publication on Dolphin Social Cognition
- © Charlie Phillips
Pack, A. A., & Herman, L. M. (2006). Dolphin Social Cognition and Joint Attention: Our Current Understanding. Aquatic Mammals, 32, 443-460.
Recent intense interest in social cognition in dolphins reflects findings that wild dolphins live in complex societies that rely on following attributes: individual recognition, a protracted period of development, coalition formation, and cooperative, as well as competitive, social behaviors. Laboratory studies have revealed a host of cognitive skills that can support such complex behaviors: broad imitative abilities, abilities to understand another's indicative cues, and spontaneous use of pointing to communicate with human companions. Joint attention is recognized as a key element of social cognition that extends from simply following another's gaze to using pointing or gazing cues of another to select objects or locations. Click here to download full article
