Research Overview
Human cognitive abilities are remarkable, but not exceptional. In light of evolution, humans are just an extreme primate on one end of an already-sophisticated spectrum. One hypothesis for explaining the evolution of primate cognition is that living in social groups selected for a “social mind”, a larger brain to aid in navigating a myriad of unique social challenges. If so, we might expect to see sophisticated decision-making that changes dependent upon the social context. My research addresses the overarching questions of how primates actually make decisions surrounding social challenges, in what contexts these decisions are adaptive, and the underlying mechanisms that may be responsible for these choices.
I answer these questions at the following facilities:
I answer these questions at the following facilities:
Research Interests
Behavioral endocrinology, communication, cooperation, decision-making, evolution of social behavior, sexual selection, signaling, social cognition, primatology.
Current Research Projects
1. How do primates make informed social decisions? What factors influence these choices?
I am currently studying how primates make social decisions in a cooperative context, by examining the factors that influence decision-making in both captive and wild capuchin monkeys (Sapajus apella and Cebus capucinus). To date, the majority of studies on social decision-making in primates have been confined to dyadic interactions in artificial lab settings, controlling against, rather than allowing for normal social interactions. This lack of external validity means we can only speculate about the social and ecological pressures that may promote or impede social choices. My research addresses this gap by applying experimentally controlled paradigms, to understand how decisions are made, in socially and ecologically relevant contexts, to determine when and why these decisions are adaptive. To do this, my lab focuses on developing methods to test decision-making, similar to lab based paradigms, but in wild primates. This "cognition gone wild" approach will give us valuable insight into how monkeys actually make decision, how these choices can change with social and ecological pressures, and provide a comparative lens across capuchins and between wild and captive populations.
I am currently studying how primates make social decisions in a cooperative context, by examining the factors that influence decision-making in both captive and wild capuchin monkeys (Sapajus apella and Cebus capucinus). To date, the majority of studies on social decision-making in primates have been confined to dyadic interactions in artificial lab settings, controlling against, rather than allowing for normal social interactions. This lack of external validity means we can only speculate about the social and ecological pressures that may promote or impede social choices. My research addresses this gap by applying experimentally controlled paradigms, to understand how decisions are made, in socially and ecologically relevant contexts, to determine when and why these decisions are adaptive. To do this, my lab focuses on developing methods to test decision-making, similar to lab based paradigms, but in wild primates. This "cognition gone wild" approach will give us valuable insight into how monkeys actually make decision, how these choices can change with social and ecological pressures, and provide a comparative lens across capuchins and between wild and captive populations.
2. How does between-group conflict influence within-group social dynamics, affiliative behavior, and cooperative decision-making?
A common pattern in human social behavior is that we are highly cooperative with group members when competing with an out-group, even at a cost to ourselves. This phenomenon, known as parochial altruism, may have been an important factor in the evolution of cooperation, yet we know little about how conflict influences cooperation in nonhuman primates. My lab examines how conflict drives cooperation across primates. If parochial altruism contributed to the evolution of cooperation in humans, cooperative primates should increase cooperation in the face of between-group conflict. To test this, we take a comparative approach, comparing the degree to which competition actively promotes cooperation across four primate species (i.e., capuchins, squirrel monkeys, chimpanzees, and humans). In addition, we are building a similar field-based paradigm in the wild with white-faced capuchins in Costa Rica where, unlike in captivity, the threat of intergroup conflict is a constant stressor. The goal of this research is to discern to what extent conflict is a driver of cooperation across primates, and whether the threat of conflict is enough to increase rates of cooperation in wild monkeys.
3. What strategies do monkeys use to solve novel problems? What factors influence these strategies?
Despite over a century's worth of research on social learning in nonhuman animals, it’s only recently that we have begun to shift from examining if animals learn from others, now well documented, to how, when, and why they may do so. This shift provides a significant challenge as it requires comparing social learning strategies across multiple species in different social and ecological contexts to examine which factors may promote a propensity for social learning and innovation. We address this challenge by examining the roles of evolution, ecology, and experience on social learning strategies in tufted (Sapajus) and white-faced (Cebus) capuchin monkeys by implementing a large-scale test using a food acquisition task with multiple solutions, across captive and wild Sapajus and a wild population of Cebus, to compare a) problem solving ability, b) behavioral flexibility and c) reliance on social learning.
4. How do hormones impact social behavior, conflict, cooperation, and social decision-making?
In addition to examining social and ecological factors, our lab examines the hormonal mechanism underlying decision- making, specifically during conflict and cooperation, and the hormonal correlates of social behavior more broadly. We have a number of ongoing studies examining the relationship between several different hormones and all aspects of social behavior, including male competition, female reproduction, memory and attention, cooperation, and attentional bias. While most of our methods are correlational, through the analysis of fecal and urinary hormones, we have developed a noninvasive method of inducing oxytocin in capuchin monkeys by increasing fur-rubbing behavior. By integrating this novel method of inducing fur-rubbing behavior in capuchins, we can now noninvasively and endogenously manipulate oxytocin in a biologically relevant way, an important step in examining the causal effects of oxytocin on cooperation and social behavior.
A common pattern in human social behavior is that we are highly cooperative with group members when competing with an out-group, even at a cost to ourselves. This phenomenon, known as parochial altruism, may have been an important factor in the evolution of cooperation, yet we know little about how conflict influences cooperation in nonhuman primates. My lab examines how conflict drives cooperation across primates. If parochial altruism contributed to the evolution of cooperation in humans, cooperative primates should increase cooperation in the face of between-group conflict. To test this, we take a comparative approach, comparing the degree to which competition actively promotes cooperation across four primate species (i.e., capuchins, squirrel monkeys, chimpanzees, and humans). In addition, we are building a similar field-based paradigm in the wild with white-faced capuchins in Costa Rica where, unlike in captivity, the threat of intergroup conflict is a constant stressor. The goal of this research is to discern to what extent conflict is a driver of cooperation across primates, and whether the threat of conflict is enough to increase rates of cooperation in wild monkeys.
3. What strategies do monkeys use to solve novel problems? What factors influence these strategies?
Despite over a century's worth of research on social learning in nonhuman animals, it’s only recently that we have begun to shift from examining if animals learn from others, now well documented, to how, when, and why they may do so. This shift provides a significant challenge as it requires comparing social learning strategies across multiple species in different social and ecological contexts to examine which factors may promote a propensity for social learning and innovation. We address this challenge by examining the roles of evolution, ecology, and experience on social learning strategies in tufted (Sapajus) and white-faced (Cebus) capuchin monkeys by implementing a large-scale test using a food acquisition task with multiple solutions, across captive and wild Sapajus and a wild population of Cebus, to compare a) problem solving ability, b) behavioral flexibility and c) reliance on social learning.
4. How do hormones impact social behavior, conflict, cooperation, and social decision-making?
In addition to examining social and ecological factors, our lab examines the hormonal mechanism underlying decision- making, specifically during conflict and cooperation, and the hormonal correlates of social behavior more broadly. We have a number of ongoing studies examining the relationship between several different hormones and all aspects of social behavior, including male competition, female reproduction, memory and attention, cooperation, and attentional bias. While most of our methods are correlational, through the analysis of fecal and urinary hormones, we have developed a noninvasive method of inducing oxytocin in capuchin monkeys by increasing fur-rubbing behavior. By integrating this novel method of inducing fur-rubbing behavior in capuchins, we can now noninvasively and endogenously manipulate oxytocin in a biologically relevant way, an important step in examining the causal effects of oxytocin on cooperation and social behavior.
This research is funded by National Science Foundation Broaden and Build Grant, National Science Foundation SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (SMA- 1714923), the National Science Foundation IBSS Interdisciplinary Research Grant (SMA- 1620391), the National Science Foundation Biological Anthropology Research Grant (BCS-73133571), the World Templeton Foundation, and Georgia State University (B&B Seed Grant)
Doctoral Research
How do gelada males make informed decisions about strangers?
For my dissertation I studied the interplay between individual recognition and the sexual selection in gelada monkeys (Theropithecus gelada) in the Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. Specifically, my research focused on one putative sexually-selected signal for male geladas – the “loud call” vocalization used in male displays to determine if males assessed the competitive abilities of rivals based on the frequency, duration, or acoustic properties of these calls. |
This research was funded by National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (BCS-1340911), the Leakey Foundation, and the University of Michigan.