Many animals use deception to get what they want, but only a few creatures engage in tactical deception: They adapt their tricks depending on their goal or audience. Tactical deception involves some sophisticated cognition, and research on the phenomenon often focuses on primates or brainy birds like corvids. Recently, scientists suggested that a different group of animals may be ideal for the study of tactical deception: cephalopods like octopuses, squids, and cuttlefish.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Do Octopuses Mean to Deceive?

Some captive apes have more experience participating in research than others. Could this prior experience affect how they think and behave, biasing results from cognitive studies?

Check out my latest Animal Minds blog post: Are Research-Savvy Chimpanzees Skewing Study Results?

Numerous companies sell neurofeedback devices directly to consumers. The idea is that by measuring a person’s brain activity and showing it to them in real time, the individual can learn to self-regulate their brainwaves and, in turn, change their behavior. Proponents of neurofeedback say it can improve attention, mood, sleeping habits, meditation, and even athletic performance. Yet, there are still outstanding questions about the effectiveness of neurofeedback.

Read more at IEEE Pulse: Why Consumer Neurofeedback Devices Are More Than Hype for Brain Health.

Get to know a most unusual primate: the golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana). These colorful, social, and tough monkeys live in the mountains of central and southwestern China - and it’s more than just their appearance that makes them unique.

Elephants indicate a playful mood with specific trunk positions and head movements. Now, a new study in African elephants demonstrates rapid motor mimicry of these play signals — a behavioral phenomenon shared with other mammals and linked to empathic abilities.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Play Encourages Cooperation and Tolerance in Elephants.