from Part III - Social Cognition
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 July 2021
The social intelligence hypothesis states that a complex social life is cognitively challenging and thus a driving force for mental evolution. Support for the hypothesis comes mainly from studies on primates, and more recently also from birds, specifically corvids. In this paper, I review what is known about the socio-cognitive skills of common ravens, a corvid species that has been intensively studied over the past twenty-five years. The findings show that temporary foraging groups are composed of individuals with different degrees of familiarity and structured by different types of social relationships. Familiar ravens show profound knowledge about their own and others’ relationships, and they appear to use this knowledge selectively and strategically in cooperative and competitive settings. The studies on ravens may thus inform our understanding of what constitutes social complexity and which cognitive skills are selected for.
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