Comparative Cognition Needs Big Team Science: How Large-Scale Collaborations Will Unlock the Future of the Field

Comparative cognition research has been largely constrained to isolated facilities, small teams, and a limited number of species. This has led to challenges such as conflicting conceptual definitions and underpowered designs. Here, we explore how Big Team Science (BTS) may remedy these issues. Specifically, we identify and describe four key BTS advantages — increasing sample size and diversity, enhancing task design, advancing theories, and improving welfare and conservation efforts. We conclude that BTS represents a transformative shift capable of advancing research in the field.