Mapping profiles of animal affect
Mapping profiles of animal affect
The study of animal consciousness typically focuses on the distribution question: i.e., which animal taxa are conscious. However, recent work has instead suggested a dimensional approach to build up ‘consciousness profiles’ for different species; giving us the what it is like to be that animal. Here I apply a similar approach to understanding animal affect, the dimension most relevant to welfare. Different animals will have varied sets of affects, that they may experience to differing degrees. I introduce a framework for mapping out the affective ranges and intensities of different animals, using clusters of physiological and behavioural markers to construct affect profiles for each species or taxa. These profiles could help inform research on the evolution, function, and distribution of animal consciousness and affect, as well as identify the interests and welfare risks for different species.
Affect, Animal welfare, Consciousness, Sentience
Browning, Heather
8d13aa04-7648-4403-b29c-11f7674f6618
15 April 2026
Browning, Heather
8d13aa04-7648-4403-b29c-11f7674f6618
Abstract
The study of animal consciousness typically focuses on the distribution question: i.e., which animal taxa are conscious. However, recent work has instead suggested a dimensional approach to build up ‘consciousness profiles’ for different species; giving us the what it is like to be that animal. Here I apply a similar approach to understanding animal affect, the dimension most relevant to welfare. Different animals will have varied sets of affects, that they may experience to differing degrees. I introduce a framework for mapping out the affective ranges and intensities of different animals, using clusters of physiological and behavioural markers to construct affect profiles for each species or taxa. These profiles could help inform research on the evolution, function, and distribution of animal consciousness and affect, as well as identify the interests and welfare risks for different species.
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s10539-026-10019-7
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Accepted/In Press date: 7 April 2026
e-pub ahead of print date: 15 April 2026
Published date: 15 April 2026
Keywords:
Affect, Animal welfare, Consciousness, Sentience
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Local EPrints ID: 511616
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/511616
ISSN: 0169-3867
PURE UUID: 8440df3c-6785-41dc-b14f-8257e4083c8b
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Date deposited: 26 May 2026 16:32
Last modified: 27 May 2026 02:05
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Author:
Heather Browning
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