Projects

At the basis of music appreciation 

Parallel studies in chicks (which do not sing), zebra finches (singing birds), and parrots (which entertain on external rhythms) will disentangle the common basic mechanisms shared between species that probably evolved initially for the recognition at birth of living organisms - alongside with several well-known basic visual mechanisms

[read what we found on consonances in vocalizations; a review here]

Lateralisation and distractor filtering

In humans, distractor filtering is achieved by means of different cognitive and neural mechanisms, among which a phylogenetically preserved one is habituation. Although widely studied, little is known concerning the possible cerebral lateralisation of this ancestral form of learning. We are exploring the contribution of each hemisphere to habituation in the newborn of the domestic fowl

[read what we found on interhemispheric transfer]

Exploiting generalisation 

The invasive Procambarus Clarkii shows tremendous flexibility. Its visual abilities have been meagrely explored by past research, but very likely played a role in its adaptive strategies especially because the distances they can cover, even on land, expose them to mutable contexts and environmental clutter in which they have might exploit such an ability more than native species

[read what we found on mental rotation and generalization]

Probabilistic reasoning

Many animal species show some prerequisite of discriminating between proportions of discrete items, but whether they are able to make true intuitive probabilist inferences remains to be explored. With this project we are testing the phylogenesis and the the ontogenesis of probabilistic reasoning by testing dogs' and humans infants' ability to make inferences on the basis of different probabilities

Illusory worlds

How ancient are the mechanisms responsible for visual illusions? Are they independent from the environmental medium in which each species lives? And, more importantly, can visual illusions be exploited to promote animal welfare? ​

Cognitive abilities and environmental changes

Each species lives in its own sensory universe. Humans interfere with that of other species, transforming the environment to suit their own needs. With this project we want to understand the impact of such transformations on the cognition and behavior of invertebrates, the largest group of animals on Earth

[read what we found on light pollution on isopods]

Sign- and Goal-tracking behaviour 

With this project we aim at developing a new translational model to identify the endophenotype of psychiatric disorders related to a dysregulation of impulsive control by direct comparison of the human and animal model. We are testing human infants and chicks in a comparable task to assess their individual profile

MUSEUMS and their activities 

Tourists' perception of the quality of their experience in the local museums will be evaluated, also considering the relevance attributed to companion animals

[read the results summary]

Goal-directed behaviour in larvae 

Insect larvae do not act solely on instinct: they can understand the link between their actions and the consequences. This ability, often considered exclusive to humans, extends, at least in part, to simple creatures like mealworms. As they gain popularity as a sustainable food source, recognizing their capacity to somehow know what they want raises questions about their place in the food chain. 

[read what we found on T molitor]

Higher abilities in lower invertebrates 

What if a jellyfish of the Aurelia genus showed curiosity-like behavior? A real challenge to the assumed link between centralized brains and complex cognition... Stay tuned!

And more on Consciousness,
Welfare, and Personality...