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NEW YORK, September 9, 2026 — Researchers at the CUNY Graduate Center and Hunter College have found that Asian elephants can suppress impulsive behaviors and adjust their actions when circumstances change—a cognitive ability that may help explain the animals’ sophisticated problem-solving skills and social behavior.
The study, led by CUNY Graduate Center and Hunter College Psychology Professor Joshua Plotnik and postdoctoral researcher Sydney Hope, provides the first evidence that Asian elephants demonstrate this form of inhibitory control, an important component of decision-making and cognitive flexibility in humans and other animals. The research was published in PLOS ONE.
The findings could ultimately contribute to conservation strategies aimed at reducing conflict between elephants and people, particularly in areas of Asia where elephants and human communities increasingly share the same landscapes.
“We found that, when elephants were faced with a situation in which they needed to suppress an impulsive behavior, either the impulse to reach directly toward a food reward behind a transparent barrier or the impulse to continue using a previously effective technique, they were generally able to suppress the impulse,” Hope said. “This ability may be important for elephants' social interactions or for other aspects of cognition, such as problem-solving.”
