I am interested in how animals acquire and spread behavior and how this is affected by individual and environmental factors and social relationships. Recently, my focus has also shifted to the reverse influence: how culture may affect social interactions.

 

In an article​ we describe a captive female chimpanzee rapidly adopting a local tradition after introduction to her new group, possibly aiding her integration. For my doctoral research, I studied the use of stone tools by white-faced capuchins in Coiba National Park, Panama with Dr. Brendan Barrett & Prof. Dr. Meg Crofoot. To read more about this project, click here. My first chapter, which explores the relationship between tool use and tidal cycles can be found here. The second chapter of my PhD, considering potential drivers for an observed male-bias in stone tool use can be read here. We also uncovered the rise and spread of a novel tradition of interspecies abduction (article here).

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During my Master's degree, I examined a social custom (the grooming handclasp) in chimpanzees at Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia. The grooming handclasp (pictured to the right) is a socially learned tradition found in some chimpanzee groups, of which the function is currently unknown. Under the supervision of Dr. Edwin van Leeuwen & Dr. Anne-Marijke Schel, I considered how individuals initiate and coordinate a grooming handclasp interaction, showing that they actively communicate (article here).