The study of cognition is pursued at several levels, from low-level perception and attention (Dr Isabelle Mareschal, Dr Caroline Brennan) to high-level processes such as decision making, problem solving, social cognition, learning, creativity. (Dr Magda Osman, Dr Nathan Emery, Prof Lars Chittka, Dr Frederike Beyer, Dr Caroline Di B. Luft). Research in this area draws from a mixture of techniques to monitor and model both behaviour and brain activity in humans and animal models.
Dr Magda Osman discussing the UK Government's system of consent for organ and tissue donation.
Research Interests
Cognitive neuroscience, Social cognition, Sense of agency, Emotional reactivity
Genetics and psychiatric disease, Biology and motivated behaviours, Cognition, Attention
Sensory systems, Comparative cognition, Insect learning and memory, Animal navigation
Lecturer in Psychology
Advanced EEG/fMRI methods - Learning - Creativity - Psychophysiology - Transcranial current brain simulation
Emery, Dr Nathan
Animal cognition, Creativity, Innovative problem-solving, Gaze following
Mareschal, Dr Isabelle
Professor in Visual Cognition and Head of Psychology Department
Gaze, Human perception, Attention, Social neuroscience
We collaborate with the following universities:
Rider A, Coutrot A, Pellicano E, Dakin S, Mareschal I (2018). Semantic content outweighs low-level saliency in determining children’s fixation of movies. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
Luft C, Zioga I, Banissy M, Bhattacharya J (2017). Relaxing learned constraints through cathodal tDCS on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Scientific Reports
Luft C, Meeson A, Welchman A, Kourtzi Z (2015). Decoding the future from past experience: learning shapes predictions in early visual cortex. Journal of Neurophysiology
Beyer F, Sidarus N, Bonicalzi S, Haggard P (2017). Beyond self-serving bias: diffusion of responsibility reduces sense of agency and outcome monitoring. Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
Coutrot A, Binetti N, Harrison C, Mareschal I, Johnston A (2016). Face exploration and gaze preference for the left eye differentiate men and women. Journal of Vision
Binetti N, Harrison C, Coutrot A, Johnston A, Mareschal I (2016). Pupil dilation as index of preferred gaze duration. Royal Society Open Science
Beyer F, Münte T, Göttlich M, Krämer U (2015). Orbitofrontal cortex reactivity to angry facial expression in a social interaction correlates with aggressive behavior. Cerebral Cortex
Parker M, Brock A, Sudwarts A, Teh MT, Combe F, Brennan C (2015). Developmental role of acetylcholinesterase in impulse control in zebrafish. Frontiers in Behavioural Neuroscience.
Wang MY, Brennan C, Lachlan R, Chittka L (2015). Speed-accuracy trade-offs and individually consistent decision making by individuals and dyads of zebrafish in a colour discrimination task. Animal behavior
Proulx M, Hussein T, Parker M, Brennan C (2014). Parallel mechanisms for visual search in zebrafish. PLoS One
The study of animals can provide unique insight into the mechanisms of brain and behaviour and how they have evolved. The School of Biological and Chemical Sciences has a rich endowment of researchers studying animal models such as bees and flies (Prof Lars Chittka, Dr Elisabetta Versace), corvids and primates (Dr Nathan Emery), songbirds (Prof David Clayton, Dr Rob Lachlan), zebrafish (Dr Caroline Brennan), and chicks (Dr Elisabetta Versace). Research foci include mechanisms of cognition (Prof Lars Chittka, Dr Nathan Emery, Dr Caroline Brennan, Dr Elisabetta Versace), communication (Prof David Clayton, Dr Rob Lachlan, Dr Elisabetta Versace) and well-being. Comparative research on brain and behaviour is also represented in the Neurobiology group.
Professor Lars Chittka's research on bees has shown that some small insects can be trained to perform tasks, revealing unprecedented learning abilities.
Senior Lecturer
Versace, Dr Elisabetta
Senior Lecturer in Psychology
Psychology
Animal cognition, Comparative psychology, Artificial grammar learning, Lateralisation
Our research receives financial support from:
We collaborate with the following institutions:
Daggett J, Brown V, Brennan C (2018). Food or friends? What motivates zebrafish (Danio Rerio) performing a visual discrimination task. Behavioral Brain Research PI (in press)
van Horik J, Emery N (2018). Serial reversal learning and cognitive flexibility in two species of Neotropical parrots (Diopsittaca nobilis and Pionites melanocephala). Behavioural Processes (in press)
Lachlan R, Ratmann O, Nowicki S (2018). Cultural conformity generates extremely stable traditions in bird song. Nature Communications
Versace E, Martinho-Truswell A, Kacelnik A, Vallortigara G (2018). Priors in Animal and Artificial Intelligence: Where Does Learning Begin? Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Loukola O, Perry C, Coscos L, Chittka L (2017) Bumblebees show cognitive flexibility by improving on an observed complex behavior. Science
Peng F, Chittka L (2017) A Simple Computational Model of the Bee Mushroom Body Can Explain Seemingly Complex Forms of Olfactory Learning and Memory. Current Biology
Versace E, Spierings M, Caffini M, Ten Cate C, Vallortigara G (2017). Spontaneous generalization of abstract multimodal patterns in young domestic chicks. Animal Cognition
Rogers L, Frasnelli E, Versace E (2016). Lateralized antennal control of aggression and sex differences in red mason bees, Osmia bicornis. Scientific Reports
Perry C, Baciadonna L, Chittka L (2016). Unexpected rewards induce dopamine-dependent positive emotion–like state changes in bumblebees. Science
van Horik J, Emery N (2016). Transfer of physical understanding in a non-toll-using parrot. Animal Cognition
Mello C, Clayton D (2015). The opportunities and challenges of large–scale molecular approaches to songbird neurobiology. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
Clayton N, Emery N (2015). Avian models for human cognitive neuroscience: A proposal. Neuron
Lachlan R, Nowicki S (2015) Context-dependent categorical perception in a songbird. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA.
Clayton D, London S (2014). Advancing avian behavioural neuroendocrinology through genomics. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology
Lin YC, Balakrishnan C, Clayton D (2014). Functional genomic analysis and neuroanatomical localization of miR-2954, a song-responsive sex-linked microRNA in the zebra finch. Frontiers in Neuroscience
Lachlan R, Anderson A, Peters S, Searcy W, Nowicki S (2014) Typical versions of learned swamp sparrow song types are more effective signals than are less typical versions. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Opportunities for Undergraduate Students
PhD Bursaries
Postdoctoral Opportunities
Non UK Scientists - Early Stage
Early Career Fellowships