Comparative cognition and assessment of cognitive processes in animals

Comparative cognition is an approach that seeks to describe cognitive processes in general computational terms so that the appropriate behavioral testing procedures can be established for any animal, including humans. Some examples of this approach are discussed in the context of memory and attention, emphasizing the ways in which historically disparate research traditions can be integrated together to provide new approaches for behavioral testing in animals. This comparative approach helps to integrate animal models using different species, and to develop tasks that have more direct connection to the assessment of cognitive processes in people.