Simon Reader: Behaviour Internships

<body> <p><B>Internships (stages) with Simon Reader</B><br> <font size="1">(Follow <a href="../teaching/stages.html" target="_top">this link</a> for stages within the group as a whole)</font> </p> <p>Please contact Simon Reader in Behavioural Biology if you are interested in the following masters or specialisatiefase projects. </p> <p><strong>Innovation, exploration and social learning in guppy fish</strong><br> <br> When a novel behaviour pattern spreads through an animal group, what are the processes underlying its invention and spread? Who invents the new behaviour? What information is gained by observing or interacting with more informed conspecifics? Is innovator identity important to the subsequent spread of the new behaviour? How do animals trade-off information gathered personally against that obtained from others? Do particular individuals specialise in parasitising the information gathering of others? What affects the longevity of socially learned traditions? 10 month to 5.5-month masters projects are available to examine such questions in guppies, focusing initially on foraging behaviour, but with the possibility of extension to anti-predator, sexual and mate choice behaviour.<br> <br> <em><font size="1">Relevant references</font></em><font size="1"><br> Lachlan, R. F., Crooks, L. & Laland, K. N. 1998. Who follows whom? Shoaling preferences and social learning of foraging information in guppies. Animal Behaviour, 56, 181-190.<br> Laland, K. N. & Williams, K. 1998. Social transmission of maladaptive information in the guppy. Behavioral Ecology, 9, 493-499.<br> Laland, K. N. & Reader, S. M. 1999. Foraging innovation in the guppy. Animal Behaviour, 57, 331-340.<br> Reader, S. M., Kendal, J. R. & Laland, K. N. In press. Social learning of foraging sites and escape routes in wild Trinidadian guppies. Animal Behaviour.<br> Reader, S. M. & Laland, K. N. 2000. Diffusion of foraging innovations in the guppy. Animal Behaviour, 60, 175-180.<br> Swaney, W., Kendal, J., Capon, H., Brown, C. & Laland, K. N. 2001. Familiarity facilitates social learning of foraging behaviour. Animal Behaviour, 62, 591–598.</font><br> <strong><br> Primate brain evolution: comparative studies</strong><br> <br> I am interested in the evolution of brains and cognition, particularly in primates. Behavioural innovation, new or modified learned behaviour, provides an ecologically relevant measure of cognitive ability. Innovation rate can be operationally measured as the frequency of published reports of novel behaviour, and thus provides a useful tool to quantify inter-taxon differences in cognition and to test classic hypotheses regarding the evolution of the brain. Comparative analyses have established that innovation frequencies are positively correlated with species’ relative neocortex volumes, and there are a number of important possible extensions to this work. For example, studies could examine the role of past and present climatic variability, perceptual and motor specialisations, or diet. For those of a more ecological bent, the role of innovation and enhanced brain size as a determinant of extinction risk could be studied. This will be a literature-based project. <br> <br> <em><font size="1">Relevant references</font></em><font size="1"><br> Barton, R. A. & Harvey, P. H. 2000. Mosaic evolution of brain structure in mammals. Nature, 405, 1055 - 1058.<br> Byrne, R. W. & Whiten, A. 1988. Machiavellian Intelligence: Social Expertise and the Evolution of Intellect in Monkeys, Apes and Humans. Oxford: Oxford University Press.<br> Lefebvre, L., Nicolakakis, N. & Boire, D. 2002. Tools and brains in birds. Behaviour, 139, 939-973.<br> Reader, S. M. & Laland, K. N. 2002. Social intelligence, innovation and enhanced brain size in primates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 99, 4436-4441.</font><br> <br> <strong>The spread of innovations in primate groups (projected start date mid-2004)</strong><br> <br> It is well established that primates can learn from one another, and that novel behaviour patterns (‘innovations’) can spread through social groups in such a manner. However, less is known about the pathways of spread, or the processes underlying the diffusion of novel behaviour patterns. For example, how does group composition or the identity of the innovator affect the spread of innovations? Is the spread of novel information restricted? How does the context of the innovation affect the rate of spread? Is there evidence for frequency-dependent social learning in primates? Is individual behaviour consistent – for example, are particular individuals ‘innovators’? What are the determinants of innovation, and how do they link to performance in a standard learning test? 10 month to 7-month masters projects are available to examine these or similar questions.<br> <br> <em><font size="1">Relevant references</font></em><font size="1"><br> Coussi-Korbel, S. & Fragaszy, D. M. 1995. On the relation between social dynamics and social learning. Animal Behaviour, 50, 1441-1453.<br> Huffman, M. A. 1996. Acquisition of innovative cultural behaviours in nonhuman primates: a case study of stone handling, a socially transmitted behaviour in Japanese macaques. In: Social Learning in Animals: the Roots of Culture (Ed. by C. M. Heyes & B. G. Galef, Jr.), pp. 267-290. London: Academic Press. <br> Lefebvre, L. 1995. Culturally-transmitted feeding behaviour in primates: evidence for accelerating learning rates. Primates, 36, 227-239.<br> Nishida, T. 1987. Local traditions and cultural transmission. In: Primate Societies (Ed. by B. B. Smuts, D. L. Cheney, R. M. Seyfarth, R. W. Wrangham & T. T. Struhsaker), pp. 462-474: University of Chicago. <br> Reader, S. M. & Laland, K. N. 2001. Primate innovation: sex, age and social rank differences. International Journal of Primatology, 22, 787-805.</font></p> <p><strong>Field study: Learning and nest-site selection in rooks in Drenthe</strong><br> <br> Projects are available to study the role of learning in nest-site selection in rooks, as part of a government management scheme. Rooks are a nuisance in many urban areas, and a large-scale scheme to be conducted in 6 parishes aims to relocate these protected birds from problem areas to new areas outside of towns. This provides a unique opportunity to examine the role of learning in nest-site selection in the wild, as the influence of both social and individual learning will be addressed. You will work in conjunction with Diederik van Liere (CABWIM), Maarten Loonen (Groningen University), council workers and myself. Access to a car would be an asset. <br> <br> The scheme began in one town (Steenwijk) in November 2003. It will expand to another 5 towns in November 2004. Internships are available beginning either early or late 2004. The internships can run from 4.5 to 8 months. </p> <p><A href="index.html" target=_top>[Research]</A> - <A href="stagesFRM.html" target=_top>[Available Internships (stages)]</A> - <a href="studentsFRM.html" target="_top">[Students]</a> - <A href="publicsFRM.html" target=_top>[Publications]</A> - <a href="contactFRM.html" target="_top">[Contact]</a>- <A href="../events.html" target=_top>[Group Events & Seminars]</A> - <a href="../vacancies.html" target="_blank">[Postdoctoral Opportunities in Behavioural Biology]</a></p> <p>  </p> </body>