Where Is the Cognizing in Comparative Cognition?

Research in comparative cognition has increasingly focused on the evolutionary origins of cognitive variation. This approach has diversified the species studied and increased awareness of biological predispositions that affect cognition, but at the cost of dissociating comparative research from more mainstream cognitive science studies. Alternative approaches that focus more on basic principles can potentially foster a fresh rapprochement between human and animal cognition researchers. Studies of cognitive exotica, in particular, may yield important insights into how animals (including humans) cognize.