第 13 期白眉研究者紹介● グローバル型（従来型）／ Global Type

Introduction of 13th-batch Hakubi Researchers★ 部 局 連 携 型（卓越研究員型）／ Tenure ‒Track Type● 高 潔 特定助教
Jie GAO (Assistant Professor)
研 究 課 題： Four-legged intelligence: how domestic animals see the world
専 門 分 野： 比較認知科学（Comparative cognitive science）
受 入 先 部 局： 野生動物研究センター（Wildlife Research Center）
前職の機関名： 国立研究開発法人情報通信研究機構

未来 ICT 研究所

脳情報通信融合研究センター（Center for Information and Neural Networks, Advanced ICT Research Institute, National
Institute of Information and Communications Technology）

Humans have been domesticating animals for thousands ofception. Studies on their form and shape perception will showyears. While many studies have focused on how domestic

the basic and critical properties of animals’ visual perception.

DQLPDOVEHQH¿WKXPDQVPRUHUHVHDUFKLVULVLQJRQKRZWKH\Studies on social cue perception, e.g., perception for faces andfundamentally perceive the world and how humans could

bodies, will help clarify how they receive social cues fromimprove their welfare. I plan to focus on domestic ungulates

both humans and conspecifics. Studies on cross-modal per-to systematically study their perception, and to compare

ception will provide insights into how they coordinate infor-them with their wildlife relatives. These investigations will

mation from multiple sensory channels and pathways. At theelucidate how they perceive and adapt to the environment, assame time, I plan to compare across species to examine thewell as the function of the evolutionary and human factors onH൵HFWVRIGL൵HUHQWSK\VLRORJLFDOVWUXFWXUHVDQGGRPHVWLFDWLRQ

shaping minds.

history. Together, these investigations will reveal intriguingareas of the picture of how domestic animals perceive the0RUHVSHFL¿FDOO\,DPLQWHUHVWHGLQVWXG\LQJSHUFHSWLRQIRU

world, how they adapt to the anthropogenic environment, andforms and shapes, social cue perception, and cross-modal per-how their mind is shaped by evolution and human factors.

Comparative cognitive science
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This shows a part of an evolutionary tree. In comparative

how our mind is shaped to become what it is. To answer thiscognitive science, we compare the perception and cognition

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animals. There is no fossil of mind. By comparing non-hu- VRWKDWZHFRXOGLQIHUWKHSHUFHSWLRQDQGFRJQLWLRQRIWKH

man animals and humans, or comparing among animals, we

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could infer the possible status of the common ancestors, thus

being able to rebuild the evolutionary path of the mind.

rebuilding the evolutionary path of the mind. Therefore, comparative cognitive science provides valuable information on

I would like to use an example from my previous studies

how the mind is shaped by evolution.

to explain the rationale further. I have been studying body
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XSULJKWWKDQZKHQWKH\DUHLQYHUWHG XSVLGHGRZQ DQGWKLVLQYHUVLRQH൵HFWLVQRWIRXQGIRURWKHUREMHFWVVXFKDVKRXVHVThis indicates a holistic way to perceive bodies, which may
UHVXOWLQTXLFNHUGHWHFWLRQDQGUHFRJQLWLRQRIERGLHVDQH[WUHPHO\ DQGTXLWHOLWHUDOO\ YLWDOJURXSRIREMHFWVIRUXV0\VWXGLHVLQFKLPSDQ]HHVVKRZHGWKDWFKLPSDQ]HHVDOVRKDYHWKLVLQYHUVLRQH൵HFWDQGRQO\IRUERGLHVQRWIRURWKHUREMHFWVFig. 1 A scheme on the rationale of comparative cognitivescience.

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白眉プロジェクト 2023
This result suggests that the common ancestor of humans and)RUH[DPSOHGRPHVWLFDQLPDOVPD\KDYHEHFRPHEHWWHUDWFKLPSDQ]HHV PLJKW DOVR EH HTXLSSHG ZLWK WKLV VSHFLDOL]HGUHFRJQL]LQJFHUWDLQVKDSHVDQGIRUPVIUHTXHQWO\DSSHDULQJLQ

body processing, indicating that the brain already had some-DQDQWKURSRJHQLFHQYLURQPHQWVXFKDVVTXDUHV$OVRWKH\WKLQJVSHFLDOIRUDQLPSRUWDQWREMHFWLQOLIH ERGLHV HDUO\LQ

PD\WHQGWRDYRLGVRFLDOFRQÀLFWVDQGPD\EHPRUHVRSKLVWL-evolution. If other studies found this phenomenon in othercated at processing social cues compared to wild ones.

animals, we could then conclude that this appeared earlier inevolution. At the same time, we would learn that this special-MethodsL]HGYLVXDOSURFHVVLQJPDQQHULVUDWKHUIXQGDPHQWDOIRUDQL-I will use behavioral observations and tasks for my research.

mals.

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about the experimental paradigms. Experiments usually re-Why domestic ungulates?

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and cognition will contribute to our understanding of the evo-example, they provide information on animals’ arousal levels

OXWLRQDU\IDFWRUVLQVKDSLQJWKHEUDLQ)RUGRPHVWLFXQJXODWHVso that we could infer their emotional status in experiments

more theory-driven research is gradually rising apart fromrelated to social contexts. Based on my experience, I will try

research from applied perspectives. It is anticipated that thisto design suitable devices and paradigms to test ungulates. I

will reveal how they see the world in a more systematic andKRSHLWZLOOQRWRQO\KHOSZLWKP\UHVHDUFKEXWDOVREHQH¿Wcomprehensive way.

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these four-legged beings.

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cies, the traits that are preserved by evolution often indicate*DR- 7RPRQDJD0  7KHERG\LQYHUVLRQH൵HFWLQ

PRUHHYROXWLRQDULO\IXQGDPHQWDOIXQFWLRQVZKLOHWKHGL൵HUHQWFKLPSDQ]HHV Pan troglodytes 3/R62QH  H

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By comparing domestic ungulates and their wildlife relatives,

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we could examine the effect of a particular kind of envi-

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and shape discrimination compared with other mammals.

changes animals’ perception and cognition could deepen our%LRORJ\ OHWWHUV     KWWSGRLRUJ

knowledge of how the mind is shaped. Also, by using thisUVEO

knowledge, we could provide better living conditions for do-

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mestic animals.

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Research contents

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systematically, from basic visual perception to more complex,
integrated perception for a comprehensive understanding.
Apart from understanding ungulates’ cognitive abilities, another aim of my research is to compare domestic and wild
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domestication can exist in many aspects, including morphology, physiology, personality, and of course, perception, cognition, and behavior of animals. I am particularly interested in
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