The comparative approach is a powerful way to explore the relationship between brain
structure and cognitive function. Thus far, the field has been dominated by the assumption …

Determining how variation in brain morphology affects cognitive abilities is important to
understand inter-individual variation in cognition and, ultimately, cognitive evolution. Yet …

Highlights•We tested repeatability and heritability of exploration and cognition in
lizards.•Only exploration and spatial learning were moderately repeatable between …

Cognitive flexibility can enhance the ability to adjust to changing environments. Here, we
use learning simulations to investigate the possible advantages of flexible learning in …

Cognition is an essential tool for animals to deal with environmental challenges.
Nonetheless, the ecological forces driving the evolution of cognition throughout the animal …

Highlights•Heliconiini butterflies learnt twice-reversed colour–food associations.•Heliconius
did not outperform other Heliconiini in this reversal learning task.•Heliconius showed higher …

Optimal holding conditions are key to animal welfare. How stressful husbandry is perceived
by the animal can be determined via an assessment of an animal's mental state–where it is …

Behaviour change lies at the heart of many observable collective phenomena such as the
transmission and control of infectious diseases, adoption of public health policies, and …

Learning to adjust to changing environments is an important aspect of behavioral flexibility.
Here we investigate the possible advantages of flexible learning rates in volatile …

The evolution of cognition is one of the most enigmatic topics within biology. In particular,
which exact (socio-) ecological forces shape the evolution of cognition remains unclear …