Animal Behavior Analysis, Essay Example

The objective of this research paper is to determine whether animals can cognitively understand people’s emotions or are their responses simply learned conditional responses to visual stimuli. In order to facilitate this paper I will examine the research paper Comparing the Emotional Brain of Humans and Other Animals by Kent C. Berridge and another two articles. “The fact that people feel very comfortable confiding their emotions in animals are a suretale sign animals have emotions.” (Flintoff 2009).  There is a clear distinction that the human brain operates distinctly from the neocortex and adjacent areas and the non-human brain operates from the subcortial brain structures. So what does this mean in relation to understanding emotions? The structure of the brain plays a minimal role with relation to emotions in humans and animals, rather “emotional substrates are due largely to differences in the goals and procedures of studies of humans and animals.” (Berridge 2003). The degree of functioning and emotional processing in humans and non-humans is different and that is what causes a difference in the ability to understand emotions. Emotions in animals proceed in a downward trend from the amygdale and proceed in an upward fashion in humans. Humans and animals respond to unpleasant sensory with visual perceptions alike.

“In order to comprehend the theory of animal emotions, our vernacular understanding of emotion must be universalized.”  (Paton 2009). The way humans respond to emotions such as crying or laughing are only outside expressions of their true feelings. Animals have no linguistic ability but they do express emotion such as scratching due to an uneasy feeling or licking due to a feeling of happiness or contentment. “This expression of emotion is similar to the biting of a nail when a human is in fear or has anxiety.” (Paton 2009).  Just because an animal does not possess a high mind like humans does not mean they do not feel. That would be the same as saying a disabled person does not feel the same feelings as a normally developed person. “The difference between animal emotions and human emotions, from the perspective of an autistic author, is that emotions in animals are not experienced ambivalently.” (Paton 2009).  We should not connect a person’s true feelings with how they express them outwardly. When a person acts out in anger they are not always angry or violent for the true underlying feeling may be fear, depression or shame, hence behaviour is not a truly indicative expression of a feeling of emotion. Hence with this said I conclude that animals have the innate ability to understand people’s emotions just as humans do. The best part about being an animal is they feel emotions and are able to empathize to a certain level.  One might hypothesize and interpret this information as animals being better at dealing with emotion because they carry no vengeance like humans do. They love you no matter what you do to them!

Works Cited

Berridge, K. In Handbook of Affective Sciences, R. Davidson, K. Scherer, H. Hill Goldsmith (Eds.), Chapter 3: pp. 25-51., Oxford University Press, N.Y., 2003

Paton, Brandon (2009) Emotion in Animals Retrieved November 28, 2009 from, http://www.brandonpaton.com/2009/09/emotion-in-animals/

Flintoff, J. (2009) Do Animals Have Emotions? Retrieved November 28, 2009 from, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4595810.ece