Behaviour and Evolution Research

Behaviour and Evolution Research Group

About Our Group

The study of animal behaviour has long been a distinctive feature of our department and we have a particular emphasis on primate behaviour. Research within the group covers a wide range of areas including: behaviour, cognition, conservation, ecology and welfare. Species studied include chimpanzees, baboons, macaques, capuchins, squirrel monkeys, marmosets and tamarins.We conduct research through collaborative links with research institutes and zoos in Europe and the USA and fieldsites in Africa, South America and Asia.

Our group forms part of the larger Scottish Primate Research Group, with primatologists from Stirling amongst the original founder members of the SPRG when it was formed in 1987. The SPRG regularly brings together researchers from Stirling with those from St Andrews, Edinburgh and Abertay.

Research Interests

Staff
Dr James Anderson	Nonhuman primate learning and behaviour including tool use, self-control, self-recognition and emotional contagion.
Dr Hannah Buchanan-Smith	Behavioural ecology and social organisation of New World primates, primate welfare, colour vision.
Dr Christine Caldwell	Animal cognition, particularly social learning and the evolution and development of human social learning processes and mechanisms.
Dr Phyllis Lee	Field and comparative studies of primate and hominid behaviour and ecology, social development from infancy to adolescence, growth and nutrition in mammals, the evolution of sociality, and conservation and sustainable development.
Dr Sarah Vick	Social cognition and the evolution of communication, including the facial expressions in chimpanzees and humans, and the understanding of gaze cues in nonhuman primates.
Researchers & Postgraduate Students
Verity Bowell	Positive reinforcement training.
Alex Farrand	The impact of vistors upon zoo animals.
Kim Hockings	Tool use in wild chimpanzees.
Michele Klaikova
Anna Roberts	Gestural communication in chimpanzees

Honorary Research Fellows

Dr. Lois Basset, Dr. Kay Farmer, Dr Cliff Henty, Dr. Tatyana Humle, Dr. Jean McKinley, Dr. Annika Paukner, Dr Corri Waitt, Dr. Liz Williamson

Teaching

Animal Behaviour is taught throughout the psychology degree here at Stirling

Year 1: Introductory lectures and practicals as part of Introductory Psychology Units

Year 2: Animal communication taught as core component of the Social Communication Unit

Year 3: Animal Behaviour Unit

Year 4: Several electives which vary from year to year such as Animal Welfare, Comparative Cognition, Evolution of Culture, and Animal Play. Students may also conduct their final year project on animal behaviour (projects are usually conducted at Edinburgh Zoo or Blair Drummond Safari Park, and other opportunities for animal related projects are available)..

Related activities

We hold weekly seminars during semesters, sponsored by the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare.

Recent events:

Animality! International Symposium on Personailty in Animals, February 2005

Primate Society of Great Britain Spring Meeting, March 2006

Links

The Primate Society of Great Britain

Universities Federation of Animal Welfare

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