On Friday, March 28 at 3 PM in Hibben 105, Dr. Alexandra Rosati of the Departments of Psychology and Anthropology at the University of Michigan will present the Anthropology Colloquia, The Primate Origins of Human Cognition.

Abstract

Humans cognition is marked by high levels of cognitive control and flexible decision-making. What are the evolutionary roots of these cognitive traits?  Dr. Rosati will present research examining different aspects of value-based decision-making, executive function, and social decision making capacities in primates. She will use this comparative data to test hypotheses about when and why different facets of ‘intelligent’ behavior emerge. Specifically, she will compare across different species that show variation in their natural history, examine the comparative developmental trajectories of these skills, and finally test patterns of individual variation in animal cognition to understand the biological context of different cognitive capacities.