ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the different ideas that have been brought forward and argues that a consensus has now been found. The majority of psychologists, whether they work with humans or with other animals, would find it surprising that anyone could seriously suppose that animals might be able to think. Given the long association of behaviourism with experiments on animal learning, and the all-pervading influence of human language on human cognition, it is hardly surprising that cognitive psychology perceived a gulf between human and animal cognitive processes so deep as to override the basic Darwinian continuity between humans and other animals. Byrne similarly makes representation the hallmark of animal thought, although he draws its boundaries rather more closely than the peoples are going to do. In the terms of research strategy, animals’ capacity to manipulate the mental representations is a convenient focus.
