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Planning over changes in viewpoint, reality-monitoring, and consciousness in jumping spiders?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2026

Robert William Kentridge Open the ORCID record for Robert William Kentridge [Opens in a new window]
Robert William Kentridge*
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, The University of Durham, Durham, UK robert.kentridge@durham.ac.uk https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/robert-kentridge Canadian Institute for Advance Research (CIFAR) Program in Brain, Mind and Consciousness, Toronto, Canada
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Arthropods, such as jumping spiders, depend on vision over a distance when hunting. Their tactics suggest planning. Experimental evidence indicates that they use representations acquired from one location when acting in another. These tiny creatures should, therefore, depend upon reality-monitoring and be conscious. Is this necessarily the case? Could we know what sort of consciousness they might possess?

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e178
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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