Comparative Psychology - Species Studied

Species Studied

A wide variety of species have been studied by comparative psychologists. However, a small number have dominated the scene. Ivan Pavlov's early work used dogs; although they have been the subject of occasional studies, since then they have not figured prominently. Increasing interest in the study of abnormal animal behavior has led to a return to the study of most kinds of domestic animal. Thorndike began his studies with cats, but American comparative psychologists quickly shifted to the more economical rat, which remained the almost invariable subject for the first half of the 20th century and continues to be used.

Skinner introduced the use of pigeons, and they continue to be important in some fields. There has always been interest in studying various species of primate; important contributions to social and developmental psychology were made by Harry F. Harlow's studies of maternal deprivation in rhesus monkeys. Cross-fostering studies have shown similarities between human infants and infant chimpanzees. Kellogg and Kellogg found that a cross-fostered chimpanzee named Gua was better at recognizing human smells and clothing and that their infant (Donald) recognised humans better by their faces. The study ended 9 months after it had begun, because the infant began to imitate the noises of Gua. Interest in primate studies has increased with the rise in studies of animal cognition. Other animals thought to be intelligent have also been increasingly studied. Examples include various species of corvid, parrots—especially the African Gray Parrot— and dolphins. Alex (Avian Learning EXperiment) is a well known case study (1976-2007) which was developed by Pepperberg, who found that the African gray parrot Alex did not only mimic vocalisations but understood the concepts of same and different between objects. The study of non-human mammals has also included the study of dogs. Due to their domestic nature and personality humans have lived closely with dogs and parallels in communication and cognitive behaviours have therefore been recognised and further researched. Pilley and Reid found that a Border Collie named Chaser was able to successfully identify and retrieve 1,022 distinct objects.