Alvaro Lopez Caicoya, Ph.D.
Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN)
Working Group Psychophysiology
Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2
18196 Dummerstorf
Working Group Psychophysiology
Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2
18196 Dummerstorf
Research interests
My research applies a comparative approach to understand animal cognition, emotion, and social dynamics. While my previous work explored physical and social cognition across zoo-housed ungulates, I am currently focused on prosociality in pigs, investigating mechanisms like consolation and helping behaviour. By combining behavioural and physiological data, I aim to decode how social mammals experience emotional contagion, utilizing this knowledge to advance both fundamental ethology and applied animal welfare.
- Comparative Cognition
- Prosocial Behaviour
- Animal Welfare
Curriculum Vitae
- Since 2023: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, FBN Dummerstorf, Germany
- 2018-2023: PhD, University of Barcelona, Spain
Topic: Cognition in ungulates: a new perspective in the evolutionary field - 2017: Research assistant: Innovation in wild barbary macaques
- 2016: Master in Research in Behaviour and Cognition
Publications
Schaffer, A.; Caicoya, Á. L.; Loidi, I.; Widdig, A.; Holland, R.; Amici, F. (2026):
Cognitive differences between two Zebra species (Equus burchelli chapmanni and E. grevyi)—The possible role of fission–fusion dynamics
Journal of Comparative Psychology
https://doi.org/10.1037/com0000447
Loidi, I.; Caicoya, Á. L.; Amici, F.; Padilla-Solé, P.; Galbany, J. (2026):
Assessing quantity combination and dissociation in giraffes
Scientific Reports 16: 19615, 1-14
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-54126-7
Schaffer, A.; Caicoya, Á. L.; Widdig, A.; Holland, R.; Amici, F. (2024):
Quantity discrimination in 9 ungulate species: Individuals take item number and size into account to discriminate quantities
Cognition 254, 105979, 1-10
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105979
Berardo, C.; Holland, R.; Schaffer, A.; Caicoya, Á. L.; Liebal, K.; Valsecchi, P.; Amici, F. (2024):
Perception of optical illusions in ungulates: insights from goats, sheep, guanacos and llamas
Animal Cognition 27: 40, 1-11
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01878-2
Lopez Caicoya, A.; Colell, M.; Amici, F. (2023):
Giraffes make decisions based on statistical information
Scientific Reports 13: 5558, 1-7
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-32615-3
Amici, F.; Widdig, A.; MacIntosh, A.J.J.; Francés, V.B.; Castellano-Navarro, A.; Lopez Caicoya, A.; Karimullah, K.; Maulany, R.I.; Ngakan, P.O.; Hamzah, A.S.; Majolo, B. (2021):
Giraffes go for more: a quantity discrimination study in giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis)
Animal Cognition 24: 483–495
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01442-8
Lopez Caicoya, A.; Amici, F.; Ensenyat, C.; Colell, M. (2021):
Problem solving in European bison (Bison bonasus): two experimental approaches
Royal Society Open Science 8 (4): 201901, 1-10
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.201901
Schaffer, A.; Lopez Caicoya, A.; Colell, M.; Holland, R.; von Fersen, L.; Widdig, A.; Amici, F. (2021):
Comparative cognition in three understudied ungulate species: European bison, forest buffalos and giraffes
Frontiers in Zoology18: 30, 1-10
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-021-00417-w
Amici, F.; Widdig, A.; ; Lopez Caicoya, A.; Majolo, B. (2021):
Neophobia in 10 ungulate species-a comparative approach
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 75: 102, 1-12
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-021-03041-0
Lopez Caicoya, A.; Colell, M.; Holland, R.; Ensenyat, C.; Amici, F. (2021):
Intra-specific Variation in the Social Behavior of Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus)
Frontiers in Psychology 12: 666166, 1-14
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.666166
Amici, F.; Lopez Caicoya, A.; Majolo, B.; Widdig, A. (2020):
Innovation in wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus)
Scientific Reports 10: 4597, 1-12
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61558-2
Schaffer, A.; Lopez Caicoya, A.; Colell, M.; Holland, R.; Ensenyat, C.; Amici, F. (2020):
Gaze following in ungulates: domesticated and non-domesticated species follow the gaze of both humans and conspecifics in an experimental context
Frontiers in Psychology 11: 604904, 1-9
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.604904
Gomez-Melara, J.L.; Acosta-Naranjo, R.; Castellano-Navarro, A.; Francés, VB; Lopez Caicoya, A.; MacIntosh, A.J.J.; Maulany, R.I.; Ngakan, P.O.; Amici, F. (2020):
Dominance style only partially predicts differences in neophobia and social tolerance over food in four macaque species
Scientific Reports 10: 22069, 1-10
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-79246-6
Lopez Caicoya, A.; Amici, F.; Ensenyat, C.; Colell, M. (2019):
Object Permanence in Giraffa camelopardalis: First Steps in Giraffes' Physical Cognition
Journal Of Comparative Psychology 133 (2): 207–214
https://doi.org/10.1037/com0000142
Gómez-Laplaza, L.M.; Lopez Caicoya, A.; Gerlai, R. (2017):
Quantity discrimination in angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) is maintained after a 30-s retention interval in the large but not in the small number range
Animal Cognition 20: 829–840
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-017-1104-8