Cognitive ethology studies the mental states, emotions, and decision-making of animals in natural contexts, providing crucial evidence for animal welfare science and challenging traditional views that dismissed animal inner lives.
Cognitive ethology has transformed animal welfare science by providing methods to assess subjective emotional states rather than just behavior and physiology. The finding that animals show pessimistic cognitive biases when in poor welfare conditions provides a welfare-relevant measure of negative emotional experience. Evidence for positive emotions including play-induced joy, satisfaction from problem-solving, and pleasure from social bonds strengthens the case for providing positive welfare experiences rather than merely preventing suffering.