Behavioral indicators of heterogeneous subjective experience in animals across the phylogenetic spectrum: Implications for comparative animal phenomenology
Heliyon March 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28421 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational behavioral study Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | 12 animal species representing two invertebrate phyla and six vertebrate classes |
| Duration | 15-minute observation episodes |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key findings | Volitional behavior was the most prevalent and dynamic mode for nearly all 12 species, largely independent of phylogenetic position, while interactive behavior varied inconsistently across the evolutionary spectrum. Egocentric behavior was concentrated among avian and mammalian species but was also observed in invertebrates. The authors argue these patterns support the view that subjective experience is heterogeneous, multimodal, and non-linear across the animal kingdom. |
Abstract
This behavioral study was undertaken to provide empirical evidence in favor of or opposed to the notion that animals across a wide breadth of the animal kingdom have subjective (personal) experience that varies with their lifestyles, ecological constraints, or phylogeny. Twelve species representing two invertebrate phyla and six vertebrate classes were observed unobtrusively in 15-min episodes, during which three modes of behavior (volitional, interactive, and egocentric) were quantified according to the frequency, variety, and dynamism of each mode. Volitional behavior was the most prevalent and dynamic mode for nearly all species, largely without regard to phylogenetic position. Interactive behavior likewise varied inconsistently across the entire evolutionary spectrum. Egocentric behavior was concentrated among the avian and mammalian species, but evidence of it were observed in the invertebrate species as well. Diagrams of the matrix constructed from the three qualitative modes and three quantitative attributes for each mode provide a metaphorical representation of the unique experiential profile of each species. To the extent that these behavioral measures correlate with the nature of the animal's subjective experience, they support the growing view that phenomenology is heterogeneous, multimodal, and non-linear in extent across the animal kingdom.