The DOI matches its Crossref record; 54 of the 54 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Animal Sentience: Where Are We and Where Are We Heading?
Open accessAbstract
The science of animal sentience underpins the entire animal welfare movement. Demonstrating objectively what animals are capable of is key to achieving a positive change in attitudes and actions towards animals, and a real, sustainable difference for animal welfare. This paper briefly summarises understanding and acceptance of animal sentience through the ages. Although not an exhaustive history, it highlights some of the leading figures whose opinions and work have most affected perspectives of animal sentience. There follows a review of the current state of animal sentience, what is known, and what the main limitations have been for the development of the study of sentience. The paper concludes with some thoughts for the future of the science, and where it should be going in order to most benefit animal welfare.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“These attributes are also indicators of sentience, which is only now being empirically proven in animals.”
From The Dog-Eared Dictionary: Human-Animal Alliance in Chinese Civilization (2015) · cites this paper as Proctor 2012
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
The expression of the emotions in man and animals.
Darwin, C. D. (1872) · J. Murray eBooks · doi:10.1037/10001-000 · Cited by 12,120
An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation
de Champs, E. (2017) · HAL · Cited by 6,669
Harlow, H. F. (1958) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/h0047884 · Cited by 2,022 · cited 1×
“Studies such as Harlow’s infamous experiments with infant rhesus macaques [44], and more modern preference tests [45], have clearly shown us that our assumptions of what an animal would prioritise or choose in any given situation can often be wrong.”
BackgroundGallup, G. G. (1970) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.167.3914.86 · Cited by 1,794
An Introduction to Social Psychology
McDougall, W. (2015) · Psychology Press eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781315724256 · Cited by 1,042
Empathy and pro-social behavior in rats
Bartal, I. B.-A., Decety, J., & Mason, P. (2011) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1210789 · Cited by 934
Social Modulation of Pain as Evidence for Empathy in Mice
Langford, D. J., Crager, S. E., Shehzad, Z., Smith, S. B., Sotocinal, S. G., Levenstadt, J. S., Chanda, M. L., Levitin, D. J., & Mogil, J. S. (2006) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1128322 · Cited by 865
Mirror self-recognition in the bottlenose dolphin: a case of cognitive convergence
Reiss, D., & Marino, L. (2001) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.101086398 · Cited by 711
Mirror-Induced Behavior in the Magpie (Pica pica): Evidence of Self-Recognition
Prior, H., Schwarz, A., & Güntürkün, O. (2008) · PLoS Biology · doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060202 · Cited by 586
Agitated Honeybees Exhibit Pessimistic Cognitive Biases
Melissa Bateson, B., Desire, S., Gartside, S. E., & Wright, G. A. (2011) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2011.05.017 · Cited by 453
Kennedy, J. S. (1992) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511623455 · Cited by 430
The neurobehavioral nature of fishes and the question of awareness and pain.
Rose, J. D. (2002) · Reviews in Fisheries Science · doi:10.1080/20026491051668 · Cited by 413
The Great Ape Project: Equality Beyond Humanity
Singer, P., & Cavalieri, P. (1994) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 405
The evidence for pain in fish: the use of morphine as an analgesic
Sneddon, L. U. (2003) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/s0168-1591(03)00113-8 · Cited by 357
The changing concept of animal sentience
Duncan, I. J. H. (2006) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2006.04.011 · Cited by 355
The Science of Animal Suffering
Dawkins, M. S. (2008) · Ethology · doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.2008.01557.x · Cited by 352
Animal Machines: The New Factory Farming Industry
Harrison, R. (1964) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 295
Spontaneous prosocial choice by chimpanzees
Horner, V., Carter, J. D., Suchak, M., & de Waal, F. Β. Μ. (2011) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1111088108 · Cited by 275
Dogs showing separation-related behaviour exhibit a ‘pessimistic’ cognitive bias
Mendl, M., Brooks, J., Basse, C., Burman, O. H. P., Paul, E. S., Blackwell, E. J., & Casey, R. A. (2010) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2010.08.030 · Cited by 267
Hof, P. R., & Van Der Gucht, E. (2007) · The Anatomical Record · doi:10.1002/ar.20407 · Cited by 257
Melissa Bateson, B., & Matheson, S. M. (2007) · Animal Welfare · doi:10.1017/s0962728600031705 · Cited by 213
Consciousness, emotion and animal welfare: insights from cognitive science
Mendl, M., & Paul, E. (2004) · Animal Welfare · doi:10.1017/s0962728600014330 · Cited by 199
Von Economo Neurons in the Elephant Brain
Hakeem, A. Y., Sherwood, C. C., Bonar, C. J., Butti, C., Hof, P. R., & Allman, J. M. (2008) · The Anatomical Record · doi:10.1002/ar.20829 · Cited by 173
Avian maternal response to chick distress
Edgar, J. L., Lowe, J. C., Paul, E. S., & Nicol, C. J. (2011) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.2701 · Cited by 172
Pain Perception in Fish: Indicators and Endpoints
Sneddon, L. U. (2009) · ILAR Journal · doi:10.1093/ilar.50.4.338 · Cited by 170
Pain and stress in crustaceans?
Elwood, R. W., Barr, S., & Patterson, L. (2009) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2009.02.018 · Cited by 168
Through animal eyes: What behaviour tells us
Dawkins, M. S. (2006) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2006.04.010 · Cited by 162
Cognitive ability and sentience: Which aquatic animals should be protected?
Broom, D. M. (2007) · Diseases of Aquatic Organisms · doi:10.3354/dao075099 · Cited by 161
Can Invertebrates Suffer? or, How Robust is Argument-By-Analogy?
Sherwin, C. M. (2001) · Animal Welfare · doi:10.1017/s0962728600023551 · Cited by 154
Pain perception, aversion and fear in fish
Braithwaite, V. A., & Boulcott, P. (2007) · Diseases of Aquatic Organisms · doi:10.3354/dao075131 · Cited by 148
Animal pleasure and its moral significance
Balcombe, J. P. (2009) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2009.02.012 · Cited by 145
Nociception or pain in a decapod crustacean?
Barr, S., Laming, P. R., Dick, J. T. A., & Elwood, R. W. (2007) · Animal Behaviour · doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.07.004 · Cited by 136
Braithwaite, V. A. (2010) · Cited by 128
Fish and welfare: do fish have the capacity for pain perception and suffering?
Braithwaite, V. A., & Huntingford, F. A. (2004) · Animal Welfare · doi:10.1017/s096272860001441x · Cited by 119
(2011) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9780470960806 · Cited by 90
Can domestic fowl, Gallus gallus domesticus, show self-control?
Abeyesinghe, S. M., Nicol, C. J., Hartnell, S., & Wathes, C. M. (2005) · Animal Behaviour · doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.10.011 · Cited by 89
Brain measures which tell us about animal welfare
Broom, D. M., & Zanella, A. (2004) · Animal Welfare · doi:10.1017/s0962728600014366 · Cited by 76
Plotnik, J. M., de Waal, F. Β. Μ., Moore, D., & Reiss, D. (2009) · Zoo Biology · doi:10.1002/zoo.20257 · Cited by 74
Animal Suffering: An Invertebrate Perspective
Mather, J. A. (2001) · Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science · doi:10.1207/s15327604jaws0402_9 · Cited by 71
Damásio, A. R., & Meyer, K. (2008) · Nature · doi:10.1038/454167a · Cited by 67
Arnould, C., Bizeray, D., Faure, J., & Leterrier, C. (2004) · Animal Welfare · doi:10.1017/s0962728600026713 · Cited by 62
Mirror Self‐recognition in Nonhuman Primates: A Phylogenetic Approach
Inoue‐Nakamura, N. (1997) · Japanese Psychological Research · doi:10.1111/1468-5884.00059 · Cited by 56
Awe for the tiger, love for the lamb: a chronicle of sensibility to animals
Preece, R. (2003) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.41-0663 · Cited by 55
Dawkins, M. S. (2001) · Animal Welfare · doi:10.1017/s0962728600023484 · Cited by 50
Kawai, N., Kono, R., & Sugimoto, S. (2003) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/s0166-4328(03)00261-4 · Cited by 48
Asch, S. E. (2004) · Prentice-Hall, Inc eBooks · doi:10.1037/10025-007 · Cited by 40
Philosophical Background of Attitudes toward and Treatment of Invertebrates
Mather, J. A. (2011) · ILAR Journal · doi:10.1093/ilar.52.2.205 · Cited by 39
A Cultural History of Animals in the Age of Enlightenment
Senior, M. (2007) · doi:10.5040/9781350049536 · Cited by 33
Multitrial inhibitory avoidance learning in the crab chasmagnathus
Fernández‐Duque, E., Valeggia, C. R., & Maldonado, H. (1992) · Behavioral and Neural Biology · doi:10.1016/0163-1047(92)90136-r · Cited by 27
Spencer, K. A., Harris, S., Baker, P., & Cuthill, I. C. (2007) · Animal Welfare · doi:10.1017/s0962728600030876 · Cited by 15
Bekoff, H. M. (2012) · doi:10.4324/9781849770484-11 · Cited by 11
Can domestic fowl show self-control?
Abeyesinghe, S. M., Nicol, C. J., Hartnell, S., & Wathes, C. M. (2005) · Bristol Research (University of Bristol) · Cited by 11
Burgh, J. (2013) · Cited by 2
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Cornish, A., Raubenheimer, D., & McGreevy, P. D. (2016) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani6110074 · Cited by 284
Ethical considerations regarding animal experimentation
Kiani, A. K., Pheby, D., HENEHAN, G. T. M., Brown, R. E., Sieving, P. A., Sýkora, P., Marks, R. S., Falsini, B., Capodicasa, N., Miertuš, S., et al. (2022) · Journal of preventive medicine and hygiene · doi:10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2022.63.2s3.2768 · Cited by 284
Browning, H., & Birch, J. (2022) · Philosophy Compass · doi:10.1111/phc3.12822 · Cited by 173
Searching for Animal Sentience: A Systematic Review of the Scientific Literature
Proctor, H. S., Carder, G., & Cornish, A. (2013) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani3030882 · Cited by 147
Self-citationMellor, D. J. (2019) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani9070440 · Cited by 144
Metadata
- Authors
- Proctor, H.
- Affiliations
- World Animal Protection (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Proctor, Helen
- ORCID
- Proctor, Helen
- Venue
- Animals
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2012-11-14
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 628-639
- ISSN
- 2076-2615 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4494284
- OpenAlex
- W2064865761
- Cited by
- 143
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 0.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Animals (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Social Sciences › Law › Animal Law and Welfare
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal testing and alternatives
- Keywords
- animal sentience, animal welfare, animal cognition, attitudes toward animals
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
