Description: This handbook lays out the science behind how animals think, remember, create, calculate, and remember. It provides concise overviews on major areas of study such as animal communication and language, memory and recall, social cognition, social learning and teaching, numerical and quantitative abilities, as well as innovation and problem solving. The chapters also explore more nuanced topics in greater detail, showing how the research was conducted and how it can be used for further study. The authors range from academics working in renowned university departments to those from research institutions and practitioners in zoos. The volume encompasses a wide variety of species, ensuring the breadth of the field is explored.
Brief description: James C. Kaufman is Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, USA. He is the author or editor of more than 45 books, including The Cambridge Handbook in Creativity, 2nd edition (Cambridge 2019). He has also published more than 400 papers and won many awards, including from Mensa, the American Psychological Association, and the National Association for Gifted Children.
Review Quotes: 'The creative research and wealth of information presented in this handbook exceed all expectations. We are at the cusp of an entirely new field of evolutionary cognition. Experts in their field offer commentary on all of the hot topics, from altruism to planning, citing a wide range of species.' Frans de Waal, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Primate Behavior and Director of the Living Links Center, Emory University, USA, and author of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?