Subject: Cognition

Bien-être et comportement des poules domestiques

Cécile Arnould

Published in 2026

Book detailing the sensory, social, emotional, and cognitive abilities of domestic chickens in order to improve recognition of their sensitivities and the importance of their welfare, drawing on scientific advances, changes in legislation, and the author's experience.

Document Types: Scientific work

Animal categories: Poultry

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Flexible use of a multi-purpose tool by a cow

Antonio J. Osuna-Mascaró, Alice M.I. Auersperg

Published in 2026

Scientific article reporting on the different and adaptive ways that an individual cow was observed to use a deck brush. This individual case study invites a reexamination of the flexible use of tools and, more broadly, the cognitive abilities of farm animals.

Document types: Scientific documents

Animal categories: Bovines

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Cognition of dairy cattle: Implications for animal welfare and dairy science

Kathryn L. Proudfoot, Thomas Ede, Catherine L. Ryan, Heather W. Neave

Published in 2025

Review of current knowledge on cognitive processes in dairy cows and how they are linked to farming practices and welfare. It identifies major gaps and priorities to guide future research.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

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Bien-être animal : avancées scientifiques et innovations pour des systèmes d’élevage durables

research group

Published in 2026

Special issue of INRAE Productions Animales featuring ten articles on scientific advances and technological innovations to develop sustainable livestock farming systems that incorporate animal welfare

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

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How do domestic chickens perceive humans—and why does it matter?

Ferreira, V. H. B., Lansade, L., Calandreau, L.

Published in 2025

Scientific review showing that chickens have developed socio-cognitive capabilities that enable them to perceive human attentional states, distinguish between individual humans, and interpret human social cues, with direct implications for their welfare and farming practices.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

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Review of the evidence of sentience in cephalopod mollusks and decapod crustaceans

Jonathan Birch, Heather Browning, Charlotte Burn, Alexandra K. Schnell, Andrew Crump

Published in 2021

Scientific report describing the cognitive and emotional abilities of invertebrates (insects, cephalopod molluscs, decapod crustaceans, etc.)

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Invertebrates

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A systematic review of the effect of individual characteristics and management practices on equine cognition

Ricci-Bonot, C., Brosche, K., Baragli, P., Nicol C.

Published in 2025

Review summarizing current knowledge on equine cognition, stressing  the broad range of cognitive abilities investigated and the strong influence of contextual factors (breed, age, sex and management conditions) on performance.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

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The exploration of consciousness in insects

Chittka Lars, Skeels Sarah, Dyakova Olga, and Janbon Maxime

Published in 2025

Scientific summary compiling evidence that supports the likelihood that insects possess some form of subjective experience.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Insects

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A functional framework for a comprehensive study of welfare in fishes

Alvarado Maria Victoria, Cerdá-Reverter Jose Miguel, Espigares Felipe

Published in 2025

Study proposing an integrative framework to assess fish welfare, combining physiological, behavioral and affective measurements that allow users to go beyond traditional approaches that focus  on biological disorders.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Fish

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Chickens perceive humans as social buffers and may follow human-given cues: A pilot study

Vitor Hugo Bessa Ferreira, Elise Calesse, Lucille Dumontier, Fabien Cornilleau, Julie Lemarchand, Auriane Foreau, Maxime Quentin, Léa Lansade, Céline Tallet, Xavier Boivin, Ludovic Calandreau

Published in 2025

Study showing that chickens, especially those with positive human interactions, can perceive humans in a beneficial way and associate them with rewarding experiences. It also highlights the importance of taking racial specificities into account to adapt human-animal interactions and improve poultry welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

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