— BLAB —
Brains, Learning and Animal Behavior
a reading group funded by
The Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research
In the BLAB, faculty and graduate students from a variety of departments read classic and contemporary research
on animal cognition and consciousness.
Specific topics have included pain, problem solving, mirror self-recognition, planning, theory of mind, etc.
Departments represented have included Animal Science, Biology, the College of Medicine, Computer Science, Philosophy, Psychology, and Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences.
To be added to the BLAB's mailing list, contact Gary Varner: gary@philosophy.tamu.edu.
Meetings and readings for 2012-2013:
James Serpell (Center for the Interaction of Animals & Society, University of Pennsylvania), "The Evolutionary Psychology of Pet Keeping."
This presentation is funded by the Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research and the Applied Ethics Initiative in the Department of Philosophy.
Leading up to this public talk by Serpell, the BLAB will meet to discuss the following related papers (reading order and meeting dates and times to be determined.
Reading for discussion:
James Serpell and Elizabeth S. Paul, "Pets in the Family: An Evolutionary Perspective," in Catherine A. Salmon and Todd K. Shackelford, eds., The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Family Psychology (2011), pp. 297-328.
Readings for discussion:
James Serpell, "People in Disguise: Anthropomorphism and the Human-Pet Relationship," in Lorraine Daston and Gregg Mitman, eds., Thinking with Animals: New Perspectives on Anthropomorphism (2005), pp. 121-36.
Melissa Hunt, Cynthia M. Otto, James A. Serpell, and Elizabeth Jennifer Alvarez, "Interactions between Handler Well-Being and Canine Health and Behavior in Search and Rescue Teams," Anthrozoos 25 (2012), pp. 323-35.
Meetings and readings for 2011-2012:
Reading for discussion:
John Archer, "Pet Keeping: A Case Study in Maladaptive Behavior," in Catherine A. Salmon and Todd K. Shackelford, eds., The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Family Psychology, pp. 281-296.
Readings for discussion:
Brian Hare, Michelle Brown, Christina Williamson, and Michael Tomasello, "The Domestication of Social Cognition in Dogs," Science (2002): 1634-36.
A. Miklosi, J. Topalt, and V. Casanyi, "Comparative social cognition: what can dogs teach us," Animal Behaviour (2004): 995-1004.
Reading for discussion:
Larry Shapiro, "James Bond and the Barking Dog: Evolution and Extended Cognition," Philosophy of Science 77 (2010): 400-418.
Readings for discussion:
1. "Review: Reducing Handling Stress Improves Both Productivity and Welfare" (or http://www.grandin.com/references/reduce.hand.stress.html),
2. "Minimizing Stress in Pig Handling" (http://www.grandin.com/references/minimizing.stress.in.pig.handling.html), and
3. "Human Interaction and Cortisol: Can human contact reduce stress for shelter dogs?"
Meetings and readings for 2010-2011:
Readings for discussion (with the visiting author):
Duncan, Ian. 1996. “Animal Welfare Defined in Terms of Feelings.” Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section A, Animal Science Supplement 27:29-35.
Duncan, Ian and J. Carol Petherick. 1991. “The Implications of Cognitive Processes for Animal Welfare.” Journal of Animal Science 69:5017-22.
Fraser, David and Ian Duncan. 1998. "'Pleasures', 'Pains', and Animal Welfare: Toward a Natural History of Affect." Animal Welfare 7: 383-96.
Public Lecture: "Asking Animals What They Want"
By Ian Duncan, Animal Behaviour and Welfare, University of Guelph.
Sponsored by the BLAB with funding from the Glasscock Center for Humanities Research.
Readings for discussion:
David Hancocks, “Most Zoos do not Deserve Elephants,” in Christen Wemmer and Catherine A. Christen, eds., Elephants and Ethics: Toward a Morality of Coexistence (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008), pp. 259-83.
Michael Hutchins et al., “Zoos as Responsible Stewards of Elephants,” in Christen Wemmer and Catherine A. Christen, eds., Elephants and Ethics: Toward a Morality of Coexistence (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008), pp. 285-305.
Reading for discussion: Kiiru 2008, "Human-elephant Conflicts in Africa: Who has the Right of Way?" in Christen Wemmer and Catherine A. Christen, eds., Elephants and Ethics: Toward a Morality of Coexistence (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008), pp. 383-97.
Reading for discussion (with the visiting author): Bermudez 2007, "Thinking Without Words: An Overview for Animal Ethics." Ethics 11:319–335.
Reading for discussion: Sneddon et al. 2003, "Novel Object Test: Examining Nociception and Fear in the Rainbow Trout," Journal of Pain 4:431-40.
Optional background materials:
