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PhD project : Characterising complex cognitive abilities of the domestic hen. Supervisor : Ludovic Calandreau.

The way animals are considered in the society depends actually on the knowledge level about their cognitive abilities. Few studies have addressed the existence of complex cognitive abilities in farm animals. My work will focus on characterising so-called high level cognitive abilities in the domestic hen. More precisely, I will investigate the nature and the modalities of the declarative memory in this species, which involves the ability to manipulate mental representations. My research work will be centred on the reasoning capacities of the domestic hen in relation to its physical environment. In this regard, we will adapt some methodological approaches developped by the studies carried on the classic species used in avian cognition, as the principle of matching-to-sample. Our results may contribute to the scientific effort about the phylogenic evolution of avian cognition.

Contact:

Rachel Degrande

Mail: rachel.degrande@inrae.fr