Lauren Highfill

Do Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Have Distinct and Stable Personalities

Psychologists have long been interested in the role of individual differences in the behavior of many species, particularly consistent differences that might reflect temperament or personality. Only recently has animal personality become an important and credible topic of research, however. In an effort to add to the literature on animal personality, the possibility of consistent personality characteristics was explored for a previously unstudied species, the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Dolphin personality was assessed using a measure that evaluated possible personality characteristics. The measure consisted of a list of adjectives and descriptions commonly associated with dolphin behaviors (e.g., “curious: appears to be interested in new situations or objects”). Judges rated each animal on each description using a seven-point rating scale. The stability of individual dolphin personality characteristics was assessed by comparing results from judgments of individual dolphin personalities collected prior to Hurricane Katrina with those collected approximately 15 months later. In the interval between these two ratings, the dolphins’ home at MarineLife Oceanarium was destroyed, and the dolphins were subsequently relocated to a facility in the Bahamas. The second set of judgments was made by individuals in the Bahamas who had no experience with the dolphins prior to Hurricane Katrina and no information about the results of the earlier dolphin personality assessments. The results support the notions that dolphins demonstrate different personalities and that these personalities are relatively stable over time and across situations.

Dolphin play: Evidence for cooperation and culture?

We agree that human culture is unique. However, we also believe that an understanding of the evolution of culture requires a comparative approach. We offer examples of collaborative behaviors from dolphin play, and argue that consideration should be given to whether various forms of culture are best viewed as falling along a continuum or as discrete categories.

Rating vs. coding in animal personality research

Animal personality research has become increasingly popular over the past few decades. The two main methods used to examine individual differences in animals are rating and coding. The rating method involves human scoring of an animals behavioral tendencies along various behavioral dimensions, such ratings are typically based on the human raters experience with the animal. The coding method also requires humans to score an animals behavior, but differs in that the scoring is based on the animals immediate behavior in a specific context. This brief report describes the use of both the rating and coding methods to examine personality within a group of 10 Garnetts bushbabies (Otolemur garnettii). The results indicated that individual personalities do exist in bushbabies, but also suggested that the rating method is heavily influenced by the raters experience with an animal. Consequently, it is important that the nature of the raters interactions with the target animals be considered when using the rating method to assess animal personality.

Why Do Dolphins Smile? A Comparative Perspective on Dolphin Emotions and Emotional Expressions

Although emotions have proven difficult to define, they nonetheless influence the lives of humans and non-human animals. Processing emotions is particularly important for members of species with dynamic social lives. For such animals, the ability to recognize and respond to the emotional states of others facilitates successful social interactions. For example, dolphins live in dynamic fission/fusion societies, and it seems likely that dolphins are sensitive to the emotional states of other dolphins. In this chapter, we consider the evidence for emotional states and emotional recognition in dolphins from a comparative perspective. This includes a discussion of methodologies used to study emotions in animals as well as a consideration of the overlap between animal personality research and animal emotion research. We conclude that there are many challenges facing those who study animal emotions, but also believe that a better understanding of animal emotions will increase our understanding of animal behavior and our ability to improve the welfare of wild animals in captivity and domestic animals.

The Interpersonal Circumplex: A Complementary Approach for Understanding Animal Personality

This chapter reviews the benefits of adopting the interpersonal circumplex as a supplement to current approaches for understanding animal personality. The interpersonal circumplex is a representation of social behavior that is organized in a circular fashion as it is defined by a two-coordinate system consisting of agency (as the vertical axis) and communion (as the horizontal axis). The interpersonal circumplex was developed to describe and understand the social behavior of humans. We believe that the interpersonal circumplex may be helpful in gaining a better understanding of animal personality as well, because it may have implications for (1) conceptualizing the structure of animal personality and (2) accounting for the role of social behavior in animal personality. We review the limited research that has been conducted using the interpersonal circumplex in animals and suggest directions for future research.

Reflections: Students' Tribute to Stan Kuczaj (1950-2016)

On April 14, 2016, Animal Behavior and Cognition lost its Editor-in-Chief. But the scientific community and the friends and colleagues of Stanley ‘Stan’ Kuczaj III lost so much more. As many know, Stan began his career in Developmental Psychology, making enormous contributions in the area of language development, but became best known for his many innovative contributions in the area of marine mammal behavior. Stan founded Animal Behavior and Cognition because he was deeply passionate about research with a broad range of topics concerning animal behavior, animal cognition, and animal welfare. He was equally passionate about the idea that science should be accessible to all, and that accessibility should not come at a financial burden to researchers. The current editorial team is committed to carrying on Stan’s vision for the journal, and we believe that its continuation will pay homage to Stan as a researcher, and as a leader within the scientific community.