{"id":47228,"date":"2026-05-13T19:42:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T00:42:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/?p=47228"},"modified":"2026-05-14T14:58:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T19:58:46","slug":"inside-dr-pepperbergs-lab-rethinking-animal-consciousness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/inside-dr-pepperbergs-lab-rethinking-animal-consciousness\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Dr. Pepperberg’s Lab: Rethinking Animal Consciousness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Grey Parrot Consciousness\u00a0(Summarized from\u00a0Pepperberg, 2026)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"grey
Griffin involved in delayed gratification:\u00a0(a)\u00a0being shown the two different sets of rewards; (b)\u00a0one being taken away and the other being briefly covered while he is told to \u201cwait\u201d; (c) Griffin sitting with the first,\u00a0less appealing\u2014although still desired\u2014reward\u00a0during the delay.\u00a0(From\u00a0Koepke et al., 2015). Image courtesy of Dr. Irene Pepperberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It has been 50 years since Donald Griffin (1976) wrote his seminal book proposing that nonhumans were conscious, that they had levels of self-awareness that could be compared to that of humans. At the time, the argument was completely revolutionary. Back then, the general consensus was that nonhumans were mostly instinctual beings or, at most, creatures that learned to respond to stimuli based on whether their actions were rewarded or punished (see review in Pepperberg, 1999). However, even now, the question of nonhuman consciousness \u2014 the extent to which it exists and how to evaluate its possible existence, particularly with respect to nonprimates such as birds\u2014 remains unsettled, although recently hundreds of scientists signed a declaration (An\u00addrews et al., 2024), arguing that \u201cstrong scientific support\u201d exists for nonhuman consciousness in mammals, birds, and possibly even all other vertebrates. However, actual proof<\/em> of such consciousness is difficult to uncover in\u00a0both<\/em>\u00a0humans and nonhumans.<\/p>\n

Many studies focus on\u00a0using\u00a0sentience, <\/em>the abil\u00adity to experience emotions and sensations, as an indicator of consciousness. Of course, focusing on sentience as a marker for consciousness leads to further questions: How do we evaluate emotions and sensations in nonhumans? Given that humans often find it difficult to evaluate their own emotions (e.g., for a basic review, see Plutchik, 2001), it would seem that understanding nonhuman emotions would be exceptionally problematic.<\/p>\n

A simple metric, then, might be deciding to examine only one sensation \u2014 sensitivity to pain, as that is somewhat more easily determined \u2014 but that would really be quite basic. It might be a necessary aspect, but is it a sufficient one to argue for human-like consciousness? The quest is ongoing.<\/p>\n

Several researchers such as Birch et al. (2020) and Bayne et al. (2024) have developed complicated metrics that are extremely interesting but often too strongly biased toward human capacities. Several decades ago, a then-graduate student and I (Pepperberg & Lynn, 2000) argued that\u00a0levels<\/em>\u00a0of consciousness existed and that these levels might be related to the\u00a0levels of cognitive abilities that could be quantified\u00a0in a given\u00a0species.\u00a0We also argued that levels of cognitive processing were\u00a0likely\u00a0a\u00a0consequence of homologous or convergent brain evolution, perceptual structures, and learning mechanisms.\u00a0Of course,\u00a0we were then faced with issues of whether\u00a0parallels\u00a0existed\u00a0between cognitive processes\u00a0in nonhumans and nonhumans\u00a0and\u00a0whether there might be\u00a0some kind of \u201cneural\u00a0correlate\u00a0of\u00a0consciousness\u00a0(NCC)\u201d in\u00a0both humans and nonhumans. Interestingly, the search for an NCC in\u00a0humans<\/em>\u00a0is still in process (Cognitive Consortium, 2025), so\u00a0finding parallels in nonhumans is even more\u00a0complicated!<\/p>\n

Plus, the issue is confounded even further by the impressive levels of cognitive processing currently demonstrated by current AI sys\u00adtems \u2026 if only processing power were important, then AI systems would be likely candidates for consciousness, and \u2014 at least at present \u2014 we know that such systems lack self-awareness. So, does that pull us back to examining sentience rather than higher-order cognitive processing (note Block, 2025)?<\/p>\n

The Scientific Debate Around Animal Consciousness<\/h3>\n
\"Grey
Griffin’s delayed gratification test involves showing him two types of treat rewards so he knows what’s at stake treat-wise.\u00a0Image courtesy of Dr. Irene Pepperberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Well, not exactly. Full consciousness encompasses not only monitoring of sensory inputs and mental states but also executive control of decision making and voluntary action, and awareness of one\u2019s own thoughts; specifically, being aware that one is aware. And it is this last bit, self-awareness, that is particularly tricky to examine in nonhumans, because even those nonhumans that have some level of referential communication do not have the kind of symbolic labels to discuss and report to us instances of self-awareness.<\/p>\n

So, where does\u00a0all this\u00a0leave us?\u00a0Another possibility is that we can examine various behavior patterns\u00a0or\u00a0successful\u00a0task\u00a0completion\u00a0in nonhumans\u00a0that, when\u00a0observed\u00a0in humans, provide evidence of such self-awareness. I give several examples in Pepperberg (2026). [It\u00a0is an open-access paper, free for anyone to read.]\u00a0Specifically, what is important in\u00a0these\u00a0tasks\u00a0is that,\u00a0in order to\u00a0succeed,\u00a0the subject must\u00a0exhibit\u00a0abilities that require self-awareness.<\/p>\n

For example, in tasks of delayed gratification (discussed in a previous blog; forgoing a current treat so that one can obtain a better or much larger treat by waiting), the subject must recognize, understand, and suppress their immediate impulses, needs, and desires; must understand the potential conflict between immediate gratification and long-term goals; must keep the long-term goal active in memory; and, finally, devise a strategy that actively engages their thoughts in order to achieve that goal. Grey parrots are particularly adept at succeeding at this task (Koepke et al., 2015; Pepperberg & Hartsfield, 2023; Pepperberg & Rosenberger, 2022)! (However, I also note some general, potentially problematic issues with delayed gratification tasks in Peppeberg, 2026.)<\/p>\n

Of course, the\u00a0illustrative examples\u00a0I provide\u00a0in Pepperberg (2026)\u00a0do<\/em>\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0prove\u00a0<\/em>the existence of avian consciousness (or even Grey parrot consciousness) but do provide possible insights: evidence that must be evaluated in addition to that which would be collected in the kinds of consciousness tests proposed in the references cited above when trying to determine the levels and qualities of avian conscious behavior.<\/p>\n

Whatever the difficulties, I\u00a0do\u00a0believe that\u00a0we must\u00a0col\u00adlect\u00a0the best possible evidence with respect to nonhuman consciousness, whether the evidence is positive, negative, or even contradictory, as well as\u00a0appreciate the existence of alternative explanations\u00a0to that of conscious behavior\u00a0in what is observed.\u00a0However, when deciding how best to\u00a0coexist<\/em>\u00a0with nonhumans, prudence might dictate that the\u00a0high levels\u00a0of certainty that are considered necessary for scientific evidence of consciousness be\u00a0lowered somewhat. In the spirit of \u201cDo no harm\u201d (as per Andrews et al., 2024), material that is merely indicative of consciousness should be considered integral to the design of protocols on\u00a0wel\u00adfare, humane treatment, and conservation.<\/p>\n

Griffin involved in delayed gratification:\u00a0(a)\u00a0being shown the two different sets of rewards; (b)\u00a0one being taken away and the other being briefly covered while he is told to \u201cwait\u201d; (c) Griffin sitting with the first,\u00a0less appealing\u2014although still desired\u2014reward\u00a0during the delay.\u00a0(From\u00a0Koepke et al., 2015).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References<\/h5>\n

Andrews, K., Birch, J., Sebo, J., & Sims, T. (2024, April 19).\u00a0Background to the New York Declaration on\u00a0Ani<\/em>\u00admal\u00a0Consciousness.\u00a0<\/em>nydeclaration.com<\/p>\n

Bayne, T., Seth, A. K., Massimini, M., Shepherd, J., et al. (2024). Tests for consciousness in humans and beyond.\u00a0Trends in Cognitive Science<\/em>,\u00a028<\/em>(5), 454\u2013466.<\/p>\n

Birch, J., Schnell, A. K., & Clayton, N. S. (2020).\u00a0Di\u00admensions\u00a0of animal consciousness.\u00a0Trends in Cognitive Science<\/em>,\u00a024<\/em>(10), 789\u2013801.<\/p>\n

Block, N. (2025). Can only meat machines be\u00a0conscious?.\u00a0Trends in Cognitive Sciences<\/em>,\u00a030<\/em>(4), 298\u2013308.<\/p>\n

Cogitate Consortium. (2025). Adversarial testing of global neuronal workspace and integrated information theories of consciousness.\u00a0Nature<\/em>,\u00a06422<\/em>(8066), 133\u2013142<\/p>\n

Griffin, D.R. (1976).\u00a0The question of animal awareness<\/em>. Rockefeller University Press.<\/p>\n

Koepke, A. E., Gray, S. L., & Pepperberg, I. M. (2015).\u00a0De\u00adlayed\u00a0gratification: A Grey parrot (Psittacus\u00a0erithacus<\/em>) will wait for a better reward.\u00a0Journal of Comparative Psychology<\/em>,\u00a0129<\/em>(4), 339\u2013346<\/p>\n

Pepperberg, I.M. (1999)\u00a0The Alex studies<\/em>. Harvard University\u00a0Press.Pepperberg, I.M. (2026).\u00a0Comments on consciousness in\u00a0Grey\u00a0parrots.\u00a0Comparative Cognition and Behavior Reviews.\u00a0<\/em>DOI:10.3819\/CCBR.2026.210011<\/p>\n

Pepperberg, I. M., & Hartsfield, L-A. (2023). A study of executive function in\u00a0Grey\u00a0parrots: Experience can affect delay of gratification.\u00a0Journal of Comparative Psychology<\/em>,\u00a0138<\/em>(1), 8\u201319.<\/p>\n

Pepperberg, I. M., & Lynn, S. K. (2000).\u00a0Possible levels\u00a0of animal consciousness with reference to\u00a0Grey\u00a0par\u00adrots\u00a0(Psittacus\u00a0erithacus<\/em>).\u00a0American Zoologist<\/em>,\u00a040<\/em>(6), 893\u2013901.<\/p>\n

Pepperberg, I. M., & Rosenberger, V. A. (2022) Delayed gratification: A Grey parrot (Psittacus\u00a0erithacus<\/em>) will wait for more tokens.\u00a0Journal of Comparative\u00a0Psycholo<\/em>\u00adgy<\/em>,\u00a0136<\/em>(1), 79\u201389.<\/p>\n

Plutchik, R. (2001). The nature of emotions: Human emotions have deep evolutionary roots, a fact that may explain their complexity and provide tools for clinical practice.\u00a0American Scientist<\/em>,\u00a089<\/em>(4), 344\u2013350.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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You can help Dr. Pepperberg continue the groundbreaking parrot research she began more than 30 years ago with Alex, the African grey parrot who won admirers from around the world with his cognitive abilities. If you shop online through sites such as Amazon.com, you can designate the Alex Foundation to receive a percentage of your final sales, or register with the Alex Foundation at iGive.com and a percentage of sales from companies associated with iGive will go to the foundation. The Alex Foundation also has a \u201cDonate\u201d button linked to PayPal. Visit\u00a0The Alex Foundation\u00a0and click on the \u201cSupport Us\u201d link for more information. 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You can help Dr. Pepperberg continue the groundbreaking parrot research she began more than 30 years ago with Alex, the African grey parrot who won admirers from around the world with his cognitive abilities. If you shop online through sites such as Amazon.com, you can designate the Alex Foundation to receive a percentage of your final sales, or register with the Alex Foundation at iGive.com and a percentage of sales from companies associated with iGive will go to the foundation. The Alex Foundation also has a \u201cDonate\u201d button linked to PayPal. Visit\u00a0The Alex Foundation\u00a0and click on the \u201cSupport Us\u201d link for more information. 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