Who formulated Morgan's Canon for explaining animal behavior?

C. Lloyd Morgan formulated Morgan’s Canon for explaining animal behavior.

The canon is a rule of parsimony in comparative psychology. In essence, it says that researchers should not explain an animal’s behavior using a higher psychological process if a simpler process can account for it. Morgan developed the principle partly in reaction to overly anthropomorphic interpretations of animal actions.

His own terrier, Tony, provided a famous example. The dog learned to open a garden gate through repeated approximations and practice. Although the finished behavior might look like sudden insight, Morgan’s observations suggested that gradual trial-and-error learning was enough to explain it.

Morgan’s Canon strongly influenced twentieth-century behaviorism and remains a reference point in animal-cognition research. It is not a claim that animals lack consciousness or sophisticated abilities. Rather, it urges investigators to establish simpler explanations before attributing reasoning, intention or insight. Modern researchers also debate how strictly the canon should be applied, especially when evidence indicates advanced cognition.