Don Griffin and the Dawn of Cognitive Ethology: A Personal Reflection
Abstract
This commentary focuses primarily on my interactions with Don, particularly during my sabbatical at Rockefeller University when his campaign for cognitive ethology was gaining momentum. I recount my research on reptile behavior and cognition, my collaboration with Don and others at RU, and my role in advancing his ideas while contextualizing them within 19th-century comparative psychology. I also discuss some later developments in cognitive ethology, including critical anthropomorphism, the challenges of integrating subjective experience into behavioral science, and Griffin’s lasting influence on animal cognition research.
Keywords: cognitive ethology, critical anthropomorphism, Donald Griffin, snakes, Thomas Sebeok