Dear BERGers,
This Wednesday Dr Sylvain Lemoine<https://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/staff/dr-sylvain-lemoine> <https://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/staff/dr-sylvain-lemoine> (University of Cambridge) will be giving a seminar for us (online) entitled "Territorial landscapes: landscape of xeno-fear and tactical use of physical landscape in wild chimpanzees". Please find the abstract below. I hope to see you virtually then!
Abstract
Landscapes, whether physical or perceptive, such as landscapes of fear, play a major role in population dynamics and evolutionary processes. Drawing from empirical insights on the territorial behaviour of wild non-human primates, the landscape of xeno-fear proposes a conceptual framework in which the risk inherent from hostile rivals/neighbours builds a socio-ecological “Umwelt” for the individuals and the groups, influencing behavioural decisions, impacting in-group interactions and ultimately driving behavioural adaptations. This landscape of xeno-fear implies a conscious, recurrent and impactful perception of the risks imposed by strong and potentially lethal inter-group competition. The level of the perceived risk, traded off against other motives, drives behavioural decisions and changes aiming ultimately at minimizing risks. New insights on chimpanzee territorial behaviour demonstrate the materialisation of the landscape of xeno-fear through the use of physical landscape features, such as high ground, to pre-emptively detect hostile neighbours and act in a risk-minimising manner according to the information gathered. Other implications on potential behavioural variations and changes, including the effect of physical landscape heterogeneity on the intensity of inter-group competition can be drawn from this model. Given the selective potential of out-group conflicts on cooperation and cognitive skills in human evolution, the landscape of xeno-fear, cognitively and collectively perceived, could have had important implications in the evolution of hominin species in terms of movements, population dynamics, and ultimately cognitive and cooperative adaptations.
MSTeams link:
https://teams.microsoft.com/dl/launcher/launcher.html?url=%2F_%23%2Fl%2Fmee…
Spring Semester speakers:
Date
Time
Speaker
Format
27/03/2024
16:00
Sylvain Lamoine (Cambridge)
Online
03/04/2024
16:00
Review of BERG research strategy (core BERG)
F2F
10/04/2024
16:00
17/04/2024
16:00
Victor Shirimizu (Strathclyde)
F2F (Room 4B96)
24/04/2024
16:00
Lifespan Equipment Demonstration
01/05/2024
16:00
Victoria Lee (SRUC)
F2F/hybrid
08/05/2024
10:00
James Brooks (Kyoto)
Online
15/05/2024
22/05/2024
16:00
Elodie Freymann
online
-------------------------------
Dr Pawel Fedurek (he/his)
Lecturer in Psychology
Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG)
Division of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences
University of Stirling
Stirling, FK9 4LA
Scotland, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1786 467844<tel:+441786467844>
Twitter: @fedurekp<https://twitter.com/fedurekp> @BERG_Stirling<https://twitter.com/BERG_Stirling>
Staff page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/1080868> | BERG page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/faculties/natural-sciences/our-research/resear…>
I aim to reply within 3 working days (my working days are between Monday and Friday).
________________________________
Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
fyi
-------------------------------
Dr Pawel Fedurek (he/his)
Lecturer in Psychology
Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG)
Division of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences
University of Stirling
Stirling, FK9 4LA
Scotland, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1786 467844<tel:+441786467844>
Twitter: @fedurekp<https://twitter.com/fedurekp> @BERG_Stirling<https://twitter.com/BERG_Stirling>
Staff page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/1080868> | BERG page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/faculties/natural-sciences/our-research/resear…>
I aim to reply within 3 working days (my working days are between Monday and Friday).
________________________________
From: Judith Maria Burkart <judith.burkart(a)aim.uzh.ch>
Sent: 20 March 2024 19:21
To: Judith Maria Burkart <judith.burkart(a)aim.uzh.ch>
Subject: 3 phd positions
Some people who received this message don't often get email from judith.burkart(a)aim.uzh.ch. Learn why this is important<https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification>
CAUTION: This email originated from outside University of Stirling. Do not follow links or open attachments if you doubt the authenticity of the sender or the content.
________________________________
Dear friends and colleagues
we are looking for three phd students or postdocs to work on primate behavior and communication.
Please share with anyone who might be interested!
Thanks a lot
Judith
_____________________________
Prof. Dr. Judith Burkart
Department of Evolutionary Anthropology
University of Zürich
Winterthurerstrasse 190
8057 Zürich
++41 44 635 54 02
[cid:22762d50-bbbb-4672-b1fa-030465604bee]Evolutionary Cognition Group<https://evocog-uzh.squarespace.com/>
_____________________________
________________________________
Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
Morning BERGers
Tomorrow's BERG meeting (4pm, 20th March, Psychology common room) will be a hybrid meeting on updating our BERG impact on improving the welfare of animals.
There will be brief presentations from me and also representing Gema Martin Ordas on bee euthanasia, and Suzanne Ruby on Paws for Progress, Sharon Kessler also representing Kristine Gandia on welfare of zoo-housed animals and Pawel Fedurek on reducing the number of chimpanzee snares in Uganda.
This will also be a good opportunity for Animal Welfare cluster PhD students to talk about their potential impact.
I encourage you to come if you can - there will be time to discuss and brainstorm.
The meeting link is here:
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3a9823d93069124396a7a40d99c827…
Many thanks, Hannah
Hannah M. Buchanan-Smith
Professor, Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG)
Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences
University of Stirling
Stirling, FK9 4LA
Scotland
E-mail: h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk<http://h.m.buchanan-smith@stir.ac.uk/>
Home page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/257464>
Marmoset care<https://www.marmosetcare.stir.ac.uk/>
Animal Welfare 24/7 across the lifespan<https://www.animalconcepts.eu/247approachtopromotingoptimalwelfareforcaptiv…>
Welfare of dogs <https://nc3rs.org.uk/housing-and-husbandry-dogs>
________________________________
Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
Dear BERGers,
Please see below - there is still space!
Best wishes,
Pawel
-------------------------------
Dr Pawel Fedurek (he/his)
Lecturer in Psychology
Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG)
Division of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences
University of Stirling
Stirling, FK9 4LA
Scotland, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1786 467844<tel:+441786467844>
Twitter: @fedurekp<https://twitter.com/fedurekp> @BERG_Stirling?<https://twitter.com/BERG_Stirling>
Staff page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/1080868> | BERG page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/faculties/natural-sciences/our-research/resear…>
I aim to reply within 3 working days (my working days are between Monday and Friday).
________________________________
From: sprg-request(a)st-andrews.ac.uk <sprg-request(a)st-andrews.ac.uk> on behalf of Drew Altschul <Drew.Altschul(a)ed.ac.uk>
Sent: 13 March 2024 13:11
To: sprg(a)st-andrews.ac.uk <sprg(a)st-andrews.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: [sprg] [SPRG] The Burn Meeting - 31 May to 2 June, 2024
CAUTION: This email originated from outside University of Stirling. Do not follow links or open attachments if you doubt the authenticity of the sender or the content.
________________________________
Hello again everyone,
Hope you’re all doing well! I have a few quick Burn announcements to share:
* I’m pleased to reveal that this year we will be hosting (and hearing evening talks from) special guests Professors Gilly Forrester, University of Sussex, and Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar, University of Barcelona, Jane Goodall Institute Spain & Senegal.
* If you are planning to give a talk, please send me your abstract no later than the 15th of April.
* If you want to register, you can still do so. At this point, if you are external (or if you wish to invite external colleagues), please get in touch as a short waiting list is accumulating that I will work through once the internal deadline has passed (31st of March).
Thanks!
Drew
From: Drew Altschul
Sent: Monday, October 9, 2023 12:31 PM
To: sprg(a)st-andrews.ac.uk
Subject: [SPRG] The Burn Meeting - 31 May to 2 June, 2024
Hello everyone,
I hope that you are all well. I’m emailing regarding our next Scottish Primate Research Group meeting, which will take place from 31st May - 2nd of June 2024 at ‘The Burn’ house. We can arrive from 4:00pm on Friday and leave after lunch on Sunday.
For those of you who are new to SPRG, please find more information on our homepage (https://scottishprimate.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/) Our annual Burn meeting is a chance for all members to get together in the beautiful surroundings of The Burn, to discuss research that is going on within our group, and of course to walk, chat, play games, eat, drink, and be merry. You can find more details about the venue on their website (http://theburn.goodenough.ac.uk/)
There will be a series of talks given throughout the weekend and one of the speakers could be you! These presentations do not need to be particularly formal talks - The Burn is a great place to discuss project plans or analyses in the works.
*** Reply early to avoid disappointment ***
Places are limited, so don't miss your chance. In the first instance, bookings are restricted to members and SPRG associates, which is everyone affiliated with one of the core SPRG universities, and bookings are available on a first come first served basis. However, should places be left unclaimed by the end of March, invitations will be opened to colleagues from further afield.
The costs of staying at The Burn are heavily subsidised by the Charitable Trust, and so remain very reasonable. The price of attending the entire meeting, which includes room and meals, will be £198. Most rooms have only two or three beds. If you have a preference for whom you’d like to share your room, please let us know. We can offer some single bedrooms. However, because single occupancy rooms are limited in number, we will offer these on a first come first served basis and we cannot guarantee that we can offer many of those.
The Burn is changing with the times, and this year we will have the opportunity to pay in advance. When the participant list is finalized, I will email out a link that will allow you to pay the full fees or a deposit.
To register for the meeting, please send an email to drew.altschul(a)ed.ac.uk<mailto:drew.altschul@ed.ac.uk> until the 31st of March or as soon as possible as places are limited. Please use the subject header ‘SPRG Burn Meeting 2024’ and include the following details:
Your name:
With whom you’d like to share your room: (if any)
If you’d rather have a single room: (yes/no)
Affiliation and career stage: (e.g., St Andrews, PhD student)
Dietary requirements: (if any)
If you are interested in giving a talk: (yes/no)
If you would like to give a presentation, please email me a Word file with the title, authors, affiliation(s), and a short abstract (150-300 words) by the 10th of April (or as soon as possible since presentation slots are limited).
*** Dates and deadlines in a nutshell ***
Registration deadline: 31st of March
Abstract deadline: 15th of April
Burn meeting: 31st May - 2nd of June
I very much hope to see many of you at the next Burn meeting!
Drew
P.S. Please forward this e-mail to everybody who might be interested in joining our meeting. If you know of anyone who would like to join our e-mail distribution list, please send them to me (drew.altschul(a)ed.ac.uk<mailto:drew.altschul@ed.ac.uk>).
-------
Drew M Altschul
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow
Generation Scotland
MRC Mental Health Data Pathfinder
Department of Psychology
The University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh, UK
The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336. Is e buidheann carthannais a th’ ann an Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann, clàraichte an Alba, àireamh clàraidh SC005336.
________________________________
Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
Please consider nominating someone for the University of Stirling Research Culture Awards 2024<https://uoscomms.newsweaver.com/universityofstirling.1ubors542y/w0yvqu1bzi4…>
The flagship Research Culture Awards are now open for nominations. Now in its 5th year, the Research Culture Awards are a way to recognise and encourage collaborative and supportive behaviour by celebrating staff members who demonstrate good role modelling across the career spectrum; increase visibility of efforts and place value in often-hidden contributions; and to create a shared understanding of what we value at Stirling.
Nominations can be made across eight categories this year and are open from Wednesday, 13 March until Wednesday, 10 April 2024. Nominate a colleague now <https://uoscomms.newsweaver.com/universityofstirling.1ubors542y/96ht9xzn840…> and let them know you value them and why.
Nominations can be made across eight categories this year:
* Outstanding Research Leadership
* Outstanding Collaborator
* Outstanding partnership with Professional Services
* Outstanding Mentor
* Outstanding Early Career Researcher
* Outstanding Activity dedicated to enhancing Research Culture
* Outstanding research activity dedicated to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
* Outstanding activity to support Research Impact (New)
https://uoscomms.newsweaver.com/universityofstirling.1ubors542y/w0yvqu1bzi4…
Hannah M. Buchanan-Smith
Professor, Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG)
Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences
University of Stirling
Stirling, FK9 4LA
Scotland
E-mail: h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk<http://h.m.buchanan-smith@stir.ac.uk/>
Home page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/257464>
Marmoset care<https://www.marmosetcare.stir.ac.uk/>
Animal Welfare 24/7 across the lifespan<https://www.animalconcepts.eu/247approachtopromotingoptimalwelfareforcaptiv…>
Welfare of dogs <https://nc3rs.org.uk/housing-and-husbandry-dogs>
________________________________
Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
Dear BERGers,
A kind reminder that Kirsten Blakey (University of Stirling) is giving a seminar today (16:00, common room/hybrid) entitled "Assessing capacities for reflective belief revision in 2-year-olds, dogs, and pigs". Please see the abstract below.
Abstract
Some philosophers argue that reflection, the ability to assess one’s reasons for beliefs and actions, is the defining feature of rational thinking. However, they also tie reflective thinking to linguistic abilities, excluding human infants and non-human animals. To assess capacities for basic reflective thinking, without linguistic requirements, we investigated whether 2-year-old children, dogs, or pigs could identify information coming from an unreliable informant as misleading. In an object-search task, one informant’s actions reliably indicated the location of a reward, while another informants actions were unreliable, indicating the reward location in 50% of trials. The informants used three different actions to hide rewards to put subjects in the position to make generalisations about the reliability of the evidence provided by each informant. Neither 2-year-olds nor animals responded differently to the reliable and unreliable informants. However, while children became less likely to follow the indications of either informant in later trials, animals continued to follow both at a similar rate. This could suggest that children were responding differently to the evidence in the task compared to the dogs and pigs.
MSTeams link:
https://teams.microsoft.com/dl/launcher/launcher.html?url=%2F_%23%2Fl%2Fmee…
Spring Semester speakers:
Date
Time
Speaker
Format
13/03/2024
16:00
Kirsten Blakey (Stirling)
Talk F2F/hybrid
20/03/2024
16:00
Impact research catch up
F2F
27/03/2024
16:00
Sylvain Lamoine (Cambridge)
Online
03/04/2024
16:00
Review of BERG research strategy (core BERG)
F2F
10/04/2024
16:00
17/04/2024
16:00
Victor Shirimizu (Strathclyde)
F2F (Room 4B96)
24/04/2024
16:00
Lifespan Equipment Demonstration
01/05/2024
16:00
Victoria Lee (SRUC)
F2F/hybrid
08/05/2024
10:00
James Brooks (Kyoto)
Online
15/05/2024
22/05/2024
16:00
Elodie Freymann
online
Dr Pawel Fedurek (he/his)
Lecturer in Psychology
Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG)
Division of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences
University of Stirling
Stirling, FK9 4LA
Scotland, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1786 467844
Twitter: @fedurekp<https://twitter.com/fedurekp> @<https://twitter.com/BERG_Stirling>BERG<https://twitter.com/BERG_Stirling>_Stirling<https://twitter.com/BERG_Stirling>
Staff page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/1080868> | BERG<https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/faculties/natural-sciences/our-research/resear…> page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/faculties/natural-sciences/our-research/resear…>
I aim to reply within 3 working days (my working days are between Monday and Friday).
________________________________
Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
Dear BERGers,
This is a reminder that Kirsten Blakey (University of Stirling) will be giving a seminar this Wednesday (16:00, common room/hybrid) entitled "Assessing capacities for reflective belief revision in 2-year-olds, dogs, and pigs". Please see the abstract below.
Abstract
Some philosophers argue that reflection, the ability to assess one’s reasons for beliefs and actions, is the defining feature of rational thinking. However, they also tie reflective thinking to linguistic abilities, excluding human infants and non-human animals. To assess capacities for basic reflective thinking, without linguistic requirements, we investigated whether 2-year-old children, dogs, or pigs could identify information coming from an unreliable informant as misleading. In an object-search task, one informant’s actions reliably indicated the location of a reward, while another informants actions were unreliable, indicating the reward location in 50% of trials. The informants used three different actions to hide rewards to put subjects in the position to make generalisations about the reliability of the evidence provided by each informant. Neither 2-year-olds nor animals responded differently to the reliable and unreliable informants. However, while children became less likely to follow the indications of either informant in later trials, animals continued to follow both at a similar rate. This could suggest that children were responding differently to the evidence in the task compared to the dogs and pigs.
MSTeams link:
https://teams.microsoft.com/dl/launcher/launcher.html?url=%2F_%23%2Fl%2Fmee…
Spring Semester speakers:
Date
Time
Speaker
Format
13/03/2024
16:00
Kirsten Blakey (Stirling)
Talk F2F/hybrid
20/03/2024
16:00
Impact research catch up
F2F
27/03/2024
16:00
Sylvain Lamoine (Cambridge)
Online
03/04/2024
16:00
Review of BERG research strategy (core BERG)
F2F
10/04/2024
16:00
17/04/2024
16:00
Victor Shirimizu (Strathclyde)
F2F (Room 4B96)
24/04/2024
16:00
Lifespan Equipment Demonstration
01/05/2024
16:00
Victoria Lee (SRUC)
F2F/hybrid
08/05/2024
10:00
James Brooks (Kyoto)
Online
15/05/2024
22/05/2024
16:00
Elodie Freymann
online
Dr Pawel Fedurek (he/his)
Lecturer in Psychology
Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG)
Division of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences
University of Stirling
Stirling, FK9 4LA
Scotland, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1786 467844<tel:+441786467844>
Twitter: @fedurekp<https://twitter.com/fedurekp> @BERG_Stirling<https://twitter.com/BERG_Stirling>
Staff page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/1080868> | BERG page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/faculties/natural-sciences/our-research/resear…>
I aim to reply within 3 working days (my working days are between Monday and Friday).
________________________________
Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
