All Outputs (10)

Brown Bear Cognition and Welfare (2023)
Journal Article

The welfare of large-brained wide-roaming carnivores in captivity has been of longstanding public and professional concern. Bears are one such example. Ursids have unexpectedly large relative brain sizes, indeed showing brain size increases similar t... Read More about Brown Bear Cognition and Welfare.

Problem-solving and spontaneous tool-using ability in European Brown Bears (Ursus arctos arctos) (2023)
Journal Article

Little is known about the cognitive abilities of bears, despite possessing relatively large brains for their body size. One reason this group is perhaps overlooked is because they are thought to fail to conform to the “social brain” hypothesis, by be... Read More about Problem-solving and spontaneous tool-using ability in European Brown Bears (Ursus arctos arctos).

From brains to bears. understanding brain size evolution: causes, costs and benefits (2022)
Thesis

Developmental and energetic costs result in brains being expensive organs to grow and maintain, yet large brains have evolved in many mammalian species. The adaptive value of increased brain size has come under scrutiny over the past few decades and... Read More about From brains to bears. understanding brain size evolution: causes, costs and benefits.

Why big brains? A comparison of models for both primate and carnivore brain size evolution (2021)
Journal Article
Chambers, H., Heldstab, S., & O'Hara, S. (2021). Why big brains? A comparison of models for both primate and carnivore brain size evolution. PLoS ONE, 16(12), e0261185. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261185

Despite decades of research, much uncertainty remains regarding the selection pressures responsible for brain size variation. Whilst the influential social brain hypothesis once garnered extensive support, more recent studies have failed to find supp... Read More about Why big brains? A comparison of models for both primate and carnivore brain size evolution.

A cost-effective, simple measure of emotional response in the brain for use by behavioral biologists (2019)
Journal Article
O'Hara, S., & Worsley, H. (2019). A cost-effective, simple measure of emotional response in the brain for use by behavioral biologists. Biologia Futura, 70(2), 143-148. https://doi.org/10.1556/019.70.2019.18

Studies combining brain activity measures with behavior have the potential to reveal more about animal cognition than either on their own. However, brain measure procedures in animal studies are often practically challenging and cost-prohibitive. The... Read More about A cost-effective, simple measure of emotional response in the brain for use by behavioral biologists.

Gaze following in an asocial reptile (Eublepharis macularius) (2018)
Journal Article
Simpson, J., & O'Hara, S. (2018). Gaze following in an asocial reptile (Eublepharis macularius). Animal Cognition, 22(2), 145-152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-018-1230-y

Gaze following is the ability to utilise information from another's gaze. It is most often seen in a social context or as a reflexive response to interesting external stimuli. Social species can potentially reveal utilisable knowledge about another's... Read More about Gaze following in an asocial reptile (Eublepharis macularius).

Cross-species referential signalling events in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) (2018)
Journal Article
Worsley, H., & O'Hara, S. (2018). Cross-species referential signalling events in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). Animal Cognition, 21(4), 457-465. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-018-1181-3

Referential gestures are used by a signaller to draw a recipient’s attention to a specific object, individual or event in the environment. These gestures have received much research attention in relation to human and non-human primates with great ape... Read More about Cross-species referential signalling events in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris).

Calculating association indices in captive animals : controlling for enclosure size and shape (2015)
Journal Article
Chadwick, C., Springate, D., Rees, P., Armitage, R., & O’Hara, S. (2015). Calculating association indices in captive animals : controlling for enclosure size and shape. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 169, 100-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2015.05.001

Indices of association are used to quantify and evaluate social affiliation among animals living in groups. Association models assume that physical proximity is an indication of social affiliation; however, individuals seen associating might simply b... Read More about Calculating association indices in captive animals : controlling for enclosure size and shape.

Social behaviour and personality assessment as a tool for improving the management of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) in captivity
Thesis

The wild cheetah population is rapidly declining, and the captive population is not self-sustaining. This is of great concern for cheetah conservation and the latter might indicate underlying captive welfare concerns. This research measured the behav... Read More about Social behaviour and personality assessment as a tool for improving the management of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) in captivity.

The Social Cognition of Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris) During Cross-Species Interactions with Humans
Thesis

Domestic dog (Canis familiaris) research has revealed an impressive cognitive skillset within the species; however, little research is conducted in naturalistic settings. Thus, much of what is currently known about dog cognition comes from laboratory... Read More about The Social Cognition of Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris) During Cross-Species Interactions with Humans.