Cognition and learning Chapters

The traditional view of insects, as driven primarily by instinct, has changed dramatically in the past few decades. It begins with a brief review of insects’ sophisticated cognition, defined as the neuronal processes concerned with the acquisition, retention, and use of information. Three illuminating examples that illustrate adaptive aspects of cognitive traits in the context of night vision, memory and antipredatory decisions are given. Most insects possess good individual learning abilities and learning is positively associated with insect fitness. While social learning has been instrumental in social insects’ lives, its prevalence and importance in other insect taxa is still unknown. The chapter concludes by highlighting promising topics for future investigation, including research on heritable variation in insect cognitive traits and its association with fitness, expertise development, social learning in non-social insects, and the role of emotion in guiding insect decisions.