On 5/18/20, Hunter hosted this online public program as part of the Hunter@Home series.
Assistant professor in Hunter College’s Department of Psychology and the Animal Behavior and Conservation Program, Dr. Joshua Plotnik, discussed his research on Asian Elephants over the past 13 years, and how studying the behavior and cognition of an endangered species can aid in promoting coexistence rather than conflict with humans.
The study of how animals think, known as comparative cognition, is a growing field within psychology that aims to help us understand how intelligence evolves across species. As our interactions with wildlife grow in frequency and intensity around the world, understanding how animals make decisions can also have critical implications for their conservation.
The event concluded with a live Q&A and a very special video call-in from the elephants of the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation in Chiang Rai, Thailand.
Watch Hunter@Home – How Elephants Think: Studying Their Behavior Can Help Us Protect Them below.
