{"id":{"repo_id":"utc","oai_identifier":"oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1579"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/utc/oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1579","repository":{"repo_id":"utc","name":"University of Tennessee - Chattanooga","base_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Problem solving and tool use in three species of otter","abstract":"Sea otters are well known tool users, yet the cognitive capacities of other otter species have been sparsely studied. Precedent exists for non-tool using species closely related to native tool users to display comparable abilities under experimental conditions. The social intelligence hypothesis predicts complex cognitive capacities in socially complex species. Using the Aesop’s Fable paradigm – wherein subjects drop stones into a cylinder half-filled with water to acquire floating out-of-reach food items – I assessed North American river otters’, Asian small-clawed otters, and giant river otters abilities to solve a novel tool-mediated problem. Sticks and water were presented with the stones, providing opportunities for tool use. No otters successfully completed the task. Interaction with the apparatus decreased significantly across sessions, possibly contributing to the otters not solving the task. A better understanding of the similarities and differences in the cognitive abilities of these species can inform future conservation efforts.","abstract_html":"Sea otters are well known tool users, yet the cognitive capacities of other otter species have been sparsely studied. Precedent exists for non-tool using species closely related to native tool users to display comparable abilities under experimental conditions. The social intelligence hypothesis predicts complex cognitive capacities in socially complex species. Using the Aesop’s Fable paradigm – wherein subjects drop stones into a cylinder half-filled with water to acquire floating out-of-reach food items – I assessed North American river otters’, Asian small-clawed otters, and giant river otters abilities to solve a novel tool-mediated problem. Sticks and water were presented with the stones, providing opportunities for tool use. No otters successfully completed the task. Interaction with the apparatus decreased significantly across sessions, possibly contributing to the otters not solving the task. A better understanding of the similarities and differences in the cognitive abilities of these species can inform future conservation efforts.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gormley, Robert F."],"institution":"University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Foerder, Preston G.","Warren, Amye; Shelton, Jill","College of Arts and Sciences"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:28Z","subjects":["North American river otter","Oriental small-clawed otter","Otters"],"languages":["English","eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/443","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Foerder, Preston G.","Warren, Amye; Shelton, Jill","College of Arts and Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gormley, Robert F."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2015-12-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Masters theses","Text"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["North American river otter","Oriental small-clawed otter","Otters"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/443"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Dept. of Psychology","M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Sea otters are well known tool users, yet the cognitive capacities of other otter species have been sparsely studied. Precedent exists for non-tool using species closely related to native tool users to display comparable abilities under experimental conditions. The social intelligence hypothesis predicts complex cognitive capacities in socially complex species. Using the Aesop’s Fable paradigm – wherein subjects drop stones into a cylinder half-filled with water to acquire floating out-of-reach food items – I assessed North American river otters’, Asian small-clawed otters, and giant river otters abilities to solve a novel tool-mediated problem. Sticks and water were presented with the stones, providing opportunities for tool use. No otters successfully completed the task. Interaction with the apparatus decreased significantly across sessions, possibly contributing to the otters not solving the task. A better understanding of the similarities and differences in the cognitive abilities of these species can inform future conservation efforts."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Problem solving and tool use in three species of otter"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Foerder, Preston G.","Warren, Amye; Shelton, Jill","College of Arts and Sciences"],"dc:creator":["Gormley, Robert F."],"dc:date":["2015-12-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Dept. of Psychology","M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."],"dc:description.abstract":["Sea otters are well known tool users, yet the cognitive capacities of other otter species have been sparsely studied. Precedent exists for non-tool using species closely related to native tool users to display comparable abilities under experimental conditions. The social intelligence hypothesis predicts complex cognitive capacities in socially complex species. Using the Aesop’s Fable paradigm – wherein subjects drop stones into a cylinder half-filled with water to acquire floating out-of-reach food items – I assessed North American river otters’, Asian small-clawed otters, and giant river otters abilities to solve a novel tool-mediated problem. Sticks and water were presented with the stones, providing opportunities for tool use. No otters successfully completed the task. Interaction with the apparatus decreased significantly across sessions, possibly contributing to the otters not solving the task. A better understanding of the similarities and differences in the cognitive abilities of these species can inform future conservation efforts."],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/443"],"dc:language":["English","eng"],"dc:publisher":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"],"dc:relation":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"],"dc:rights":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"dc:subject":["North American river otter","Oriental small-clawed otter","Otters"],"dc:title":["Problem solving and tool use in three species of otter"],"dc:type":["Masters theses","Text"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:28Z"}