TY - JOUR
T1 - Understanding fish cognition
T2 - a review and appraisal of current practices
AU - Salena, Matthew G.
AU - Turko, Andy J.
AU - Singh, Angad
AU - Pathak, Avani
AU - Hughes, Emily
AU - Brown, Culum
AU - Balshine, Sigal
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - With over 30,000 recognized species, fishes exhibit an extraordinary variety of morphological, behavioural, and life-history traits. The field of fish cognition has grown markedly with numerous studies on fish spatial navigation, numeracy, learning, decision-making, and even theory of mind. However, most cognitive research on fishes takes place in a highly controlled laboratory environment and it can therefore be difficult to determine whether findings generalize to the ecology of wild fishes. Here, we summarize four prominent research areas in fish cognition, highlighting some of the recent advances and key findings. Next, we survey the literature, targeting these four areas, and quantify the nearly ubiquitous use of captive-bred individuals and a heavy reliance on lab-based research. We then discuss common practices that occur prior to experimentation and within experiments that could hinder our ability to make more general conclusions about fish cognition, and suggest possible solutions. By complementing ecologically relevant laboratory-based studies with in situ cognitive tests, we will gain further inroads toward unraveling how fishes learn and make decisions about food, mates, and territories.
AB - With over 30,000 recognized species, fishes exhibit an extraordinary variety of morphological, behavioural, and life-history traits. The field of fish cognition has grown markedly with numerous studies on fish spatial navigation, numeracy, learning, decision-making, and even theory of mind. However, most cognitive research on fishes takes place in a highly controlled laboratory environment and it can therefore be difficult to determine whether findings generalize to the ecology of wild fishes. Here, we summarize four prominent research areas in fish cognition, highlighting some of the recent advances and key findings. Next, we survey the literature, targeting these four areas, and quantify the nearly ubiquitous use of captive-bred individuals and a heavy reliance on lab-based research. We then discuss common practices that occur prior to experimentation and within experiments that could hinder our ability to make more general conclusions about fish cognition, and suggest possible solutions. By complementing ecologically relevant laboratory-based studies with in situ cognitive tests, we will gain further inroads toward unraveling how fishes learn and make decisions about food, mates, and territories.
KW - Behavior
KW - Decision-making
KW - Intelligence
KW - Learning
KW - Memory
KW - Teleosts
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101066202&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10071-021-01488-2
DO - 10.1007/s10071-021-01488-2
M3 - Review article
C2 - 33595750
AN - SCOPUS:85101066202
VL - 24
SP - 395
EP - 406
JO - Animal Cognition
JF - Animal Cognition
SN - 1435-9448
IS - 3
ER -