Humans have a suite of cognition (mental processing) that is unique from other primates. The research conducted by the Primate and Cognitive Evolution Lab examines the building blocks of complex cognitive processes in diverse species of primates to understand the evolutionary context for why and how a skill evolved. We also measure individual differences within and between species to investigate how cognition may impact real world behavior. In particular, we are interested in language evolution, motor control, and executive functions.
All complex plans, including linguistic & motor, require hierarchical planning. This line of research looks at primate motor planning to help explain the evolution of the sequence planning we find in language and human action planning.
There are measurable differences in domains of cognition across primates. By testing both closely and distantly related species, we can start to understand the evolutionary context under which certain skills evolved.
Language is uniquely human, but are all features of language special to us? This line of research examines different prerequisites of speech in nonhuman primates.