BPS Core Textbooks Series

Developed in collaboration with the British Psychological Society

Chapter 10 – After the Flood: Companion Species and the Co-production of Psychology

Chapter Summary

This chapter reconsiders the role of animals in the development of psychological science through the critical lens of Donna Haraway’s concept of companion species. Moving beyond the view of animals as passive tools or experimental objects, the chapter argues that animals have consistently shaped psychological knowledge as active participants, resisting, adapting, and interacting in ways that challenge traditional models of objectivity and control.

Through a re-examination of iconic experiments, including Pavlov’s dogs, Harlow’s monkeys, Köhler’s apes, and Skinner’s pigeons, the chapter demonstrates how animals’ individual behaviours often disrupted the assumptions of behavioural psychology. Historical shifts are traced from anecdotal approaches to standardised experiments, culminating in contemporary insights from thinkers such as Peter Godfrey-Smith. The chapter introduces key epistemological and ontological issues concerning the role of animals in psychological research. It examines how knowledge is produced with animals and explores the assumptions psychological methods make about what kinds of beings animals are. These concerns are situated within broader debates about power, ethics, and replicability. The chapter concludes by arguing that taking animals seriously, as companions in knowledge production, is ethically essential and methodologically and conceptually transformative. It encourages students to engage in critical, reflective, and ethically grounded thinking about the future of psychological science.

Chapter 10 – Quiz

  • Chapter 10 – Flashcards

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  • Chapter 10 – Key Readings

    Adams, M. (2020). The kingdom of dogs: Understanding Pavlov’s experiments as human–animal relationships. Theory & Psychology, 30(1), 121-141. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354319895597 

    Brantz, D. (2010). Beastly natures: Animals, humans, and the study of history. University of Virginia Press. 

    Gillaspy, J.A., Jr., Brinegar, J.L. & Bailey, R.E. (2014). Operant psychology makes a splash—in marine mammal training (1955–1965). Journal of the History of Behavioral Sciences., 50(3), 231-248. https://doi.org/10.1002/jhbs.21664 

    Godfrey-Smith, P. (2016). Other minds: The octopus, the sea, and the deep origins of consciousness. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 

    Haraway, D. (2008). When species meet. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.  

    Haraway, D. J. (2003). The companion species manifesto: Dogs, people, and significant otherness. Prickly Paradigm Press. 

    Kirk, R. G. W. (2014). In dogs we trust? Intersubjectivity, response-able relations, and the making of mine detector dogs. Journal of the History of the Behavioural Sciences, 50(1), 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1002/jhbs.21642 

    Linge, I. (2020). The potency of the butterfly: The reception of Richard B. Goldschmidt’s animal experiments in German sexology around 1920. History of the Human Sciences, 34(1), 40-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/0952695119890545 

    Smuts. (2001). Encounters with animal minds. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 8(5/7), 293–309. 

    Sorabji, R. (1993).  Animal minds and human morals: the origins of the Western debate. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.  

    Wilson, D. (2001). ‘A ‘precipitous dégringolade’ The uncertain progress of British comparative psychology in the twentieth century.’ In G.C. Bunn, A.D. Lovie & G. Richards, (Eds.), Psychology in Britain: Historical essays and personal reflections. British Psychological Society. 

  • Chapter 10 – Reflective Questions

    1. What does the concept of ‘companion species’ reveal about the relationship between researcher and animal in psychology? 
    2. In what ways did Pavlov’s dogs—and their reactions after the flood—disrupt the assumption that conditioning is purely mechanical? 
    3. Can animals be considered co-authors of psychological knowledge? If so, what are the implications for experimental design and scientific ethics? 
    4. How do cases like Clever Hans or Alex the parrot complicate the boundary between understanding and interpretation? 
    5. How might Barbara Smuts’ or Jane Goodall’s approach to animal research exemplify the idea of ‘situated knowledge’?

  • Chapter 10 – Weblinks

    The Dolphin House – Atrocity Guide (YouTube)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UziFw-jQSks

    This 45-minute video discusses the experiment run by Dr. John C. Lilly and Margaret Howe in which an attempt to bridge the interspecies communication gap between humans and animals by teaching a dolphin to understand and speak English. This experiment has been met with fascination and ridicule since, and this video presents the topic in an entertaining but factual way, making it accessible to students new to this concept.

    The Kingdom of Dogs – The British Psychological Society (Educational Resource)

    https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/kingdom-dogs

    This article discusses the Pavlov’s research with dogs and the myths that developed alongside it, which enables students to develop a deeper understanding of classical conditioning narratives and how they can be deconstructed, and introduces ideas of emotional and philosophical engagement with animals.

    Koko the Gorilla with Robin Williams – Anecdotal Footage

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GorgFtCqPEs

    This 5-minute video is a popular example of the types of interactions that prompt examination of the boundaries between science and sentimentality when looking at animal studies, whilst also being a genuinely interesting interaction to observe when considering it through these lenses.

    The Moth: Alex & Me – Irene Pepperberg

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrX1nrvPbLY

    Irene Pepperberg, a research scientist and lecturer at Harvard discusses the 30-year bond she formed with a parrot named Alex and covers the ideas of cognition beyond just primates. The information presented in this video is accessible and entertaining, making it an excellent resource for building student’s theoretical understanding of counterpoints to behaviourist models of learning.

    Tool bending in New Caledonian crows – Royal Society Open Science (Academic Resource)

    https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.16043

    This article talks about tool use and animal innovation, specifically about Caledonian Crows like Betty, a famous example in which a crow was documented ‘spontaneously’ bending pieces of wire into foraging tools. It provides an accessible gateway into discussions of contextual knowledge and species-specific intelligence, which extensive resource citations throughout.

    Donna Haraway: “From Cyborgs to Companion Species”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9gis7-Jads

    This 1-hour and 15 minute lecture features Donna Haraway discussing concepts like Techno Humanism, Cyborgs and other figures like Thomas Longtin. The lecture provides a comprehensive and interesting discussion of these theoretical concepts, whilst remaining accessible for students new to these more ‘vague’ ideas.

    Personal Digital Data as a Companion Species – The Sociological Life (Blog by Professor Deborah Lupton)

    https://simplysociology.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/personal-digital-data-as-a-companion-species

    This article provides an interesting, more ‘modern’ application of the theories discussed by Haraway on cyborgs and theories on companion species. This type of analytical application of the theories discusses in this chapter will help students to expand and solidify their understanding of this concept, and be able to apply these theories more confidently in their own research.