Dolphin behavior and cognition have been studied in both the laboratory and the wild. Laboratory
studies provide high levels of control over experimental variables and the opportunity to investigate
the cognitive mechanisms of behavior. However, laboratory studies are typically limited to a few
subjects. Field studies have the benefit of examining behavior and social interactions among large
numbers of individuals. They can reveal how cognitive abilities are expressed naturally, and can
provide external validity for observations in the laboratory. However, there is typically less control
over experimental variables in field studies than in the laboratory. Thus, a synergistic relationship has
emerged between laboratory and field studies of dolphin behavior and cognition with each
contributing information and ideas to the other that can lead to new questions and insights. This
relationship is demonstrated using four issues: a) the types of percepts and mental representations
dolphins can form through echolocation; b) the complexity of relationships that dolphins can
understand; c) the dolphin‟s competency in symbolic referential communication; and d) the dolphin‟s
ability to manage joint attention through pointing and gazing.