Comparative Analysis of Cognitive Evolution: Exploring the Role of Brain Structure, Behavior, and Genes in Shaping Cognitive Abilities in Humans, Chimpanzees, and Dogs
Jayden Moon
Yongsan International School of Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
Publication date: May 31, 2025
Yongsan International School of Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
Publication date: May 31, 2025
DOI: http://doi.org/10.34614/JIYRC2025I10
ABSTRACT
This study presents a comparative analysis of cognitive evolution, focusing on how brain structure, behavioral dynamics, and genetic factors collectively shape cognitive abilities in humans, chimpanzees, and dogs. By synthesizing findings from existing behavioral, neuroimaging, and genetic studies, alongside conducting independent gene network interaction analyses, we explore how evolutionary pressures and ecological contexts have fostered both shared cognitive traits and species-specific adaptations. Human cognition is characterized by advanced abstract reasoning, complex problem-solving, and long-term planning, while chimpanzees demonstrate sophisticated tool use, strong memory retention, and intricate social organization. Dogs, shaped by a bidirectional process of domestication, excel at interpreting human social cues and display flexible problem-solving abilities. Key cognition-associated genes, including FOXP2, HAR1, SRGAP2, MEF2C, and NOTCH2NL in primates and OXTR, AVPR1A, DRD4, CD38, and SLC6A4 in canines, were selected based on established literature and analyzed using GeneMANIA, with functional networks identified under a significance threshold of p < 0.05. Despite commonalities in memory and problem-solving capacities, each species exhibits unique evolutionary adaptations. This study highlights the complex genetic and behavioral interplay underlying cognitive evolution and suggests future directions for broader, genome-wide explorations in cognitive science, neurobiology, and evolutionary genetics.
This study presents a comparative analysis of cognitive evolution, focusing on how brain structure, behavioral dynamics, and genetic factors collectively shape cognitive abilities in humans, chimpanzees, and dogs. By synthesizing findings from existing behavioral, neuroimaging, and genetic studies, alongside conducting independent gene network interaction analyses, we explore how evolutionary pressures and ecological contexts have fostered both shared cognitive traits and species-specific adaptations. Human cognition is characterized by advanced abstract reasoning, complex problem-solving, and long-term planning, while chimpanzees demonstrate sophisticated tool use, strong memory retention, and intricate social organization. Dogs, shaped by a bidirectional process of domestication, excel at interpreting human social cues and display flexible problem-solving abilities. Key cognition-associated genes, including FOXP2, HAR1, SRGAP2, MEF2C, and NOTCH2NL in primates and OXTR, AVPR1A, DRD4, CD38, and SLC6A4 in canines, were selected based on established literature and analyzed using GeneMANIA, with functional networks identified under a significance threshold of p < 0.05. Despite commonalities in memory and problem-solving capacities, each species exhibits unique evolutionary adaptations. This study highlights the complex genetic and behavioral interplay underlying cognitive evolution and suggests future directions for broader, genome-wide explorations in cognitive science, neurobiology, and evolutionary genetics.
