- BERG - University of Stirling Mailing Lists

FW: Social Interaction Debate - 25th October 2012 - a reminder
by Olivia Kirtley 03 Oct '12

03 Oct '12

Hi All, At the last meeting, Eoin and I mentioned a mirror neurons day that we were going to in October at the University of Glasgow. Please find details below. Should be an interesting debate. Best wishes, Olivia From: Katharine Hamilton Sent: 03 October 2012 10:40 To: Psychology Staff; Psychology PhD Students Subject: FW: Social Interaction Debate - 25th October 2012 - a reminder From: AHPD Departmental Contacts [mailto:AHPD-DEPTS@JISCMAIL.AC.UK]<mailto:[mailto:AHPD-DEPTS@JISCMAIL.AC.UK]> On Behalf Of Sheena Mcgill Sent: 03 October 2012 10:02 To: AHPD-DEPTS(a)JISCMAIL.AC.UK<mailto:AHPD-DEPTS@JISCMAIL.AC.UK> Subject: Re: Social Interaction Debate - 25th October 2012 - a reminder Dear AHPD Contact Please distribute as widely as possible. Thank you. Kind regards. Sent on behalf of Professor Simon Garrod & Dr. Klaus Kessler University of Glasgow Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology Social Interactions Debate: The Meaning of Mirror Neurons Date: 25th October from 12:00 - 17:30 Venue: Senate Room, Gilbert Scott Building, University of Glasgow See attached flyer for further information. Registration link: www.ccni.gla.ac.uk/registration<http://www.ccni.gla.ac.uk/registration> (Register your interest as spaces are limited) Enquiries: Claire.Grant(a)glasgow.ac.uk<mailto:Claire.Grant@glasgow.ac.uk> Ever since the discovery of mirror neurons in monkeys, which were found to activate during action control as well as during action observation, it has been debated if and how their existence and function translates to humans. Large parts of research and discussion have been devoted to the identification and measurement of actual mirror neurons, a mirror system, or a mirror mechanism in humans. While these discussions are of course important, here we aim at discussing the wider implications of such a capacity, assuming that it exists in some form or another. We therefore dedicate this debate to "The Meaning of Mirror Neurons" and we aim at discussing their potential role in development, evolution, mental simulation, social interaction and theory of mind -- The University of Stirling is ranked in the top 50 in the world in The Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 table, which ranks the world's best 100 universities under 50 years old. The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

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Today's BERG seminar
by Phyllis Lee 03 Oct '12

03 Oct '12

REMINDER - MARK JONES will be speaking today in our first BERG talk of the semester. This talk will be in 2A43 (MSc teaching Room) as the seminar room is booked. See you all there at 5:30 Best P Phyllis C. Lee Professor of Psychology Behaviour and Evolution Research Group School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA UK Direct line: +44 (0)1786 467656 phyllis.lee(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:phyllis.lee@stir.ac.uk> -- The University of Stirling is ranked in the top 50 in the world in The Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 table, which ranks the world's best 100 universities under 50 years old. The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

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FW: Psychology Society talk
by Christine Caldwell 01 Oct '12

01 Oct '12

From: James Anderson Sent: 01 October 2012 16:45 To: Sarah Vick; Christine Caldwell Subject: FW: Psychology Society talk Dear BERGers, Tomorrow evening (Tuesday 2nd ) I'll be talking to the Psychology Society about animals' (ranging from bees to elephants) and human children's responses to death. The story of chimpanzee Pansy's death will also be included. In the Common Room at 6.30 pm, in case anybody is interested. Jim -- The University of Stirling is ranked in the top 50 in the world in The Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 table, which ranks the world's best 100 universities under 50 years old. The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

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First BERG meeting Oct 3
by Phyllis Lee 28 Sep '12

28 Sep '12

Dear Bergites, Reminder - our first "proper" meeting is our external speaker, Mark Jones from Howlett's. Anyone who would like to join us for supper after the talk - please RSVP to P.Lee! And we are looking for FOUR volunteers for speakers / discussion leaders on the following dates: 17th Oct, 31st Oct, 1st Nov, 21st Nov PLEASE!!!! Title: Hanging about at enclosures: Enrichment to prolong foraging AND visitor stay time! Abstract: Browse hangers have been in use at Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent for the last 18 months, with both gibbons and langurs. These devices employ a simple pulley system on the outside of the enclosure, designed to raise large pieces of browse or a mesh feeder containing smaller food items to an appropriate height, encouraging arboreal feeding. In addition, positioning them on the outside of the enclosure should prolong foraging time thus aiming to replicate the 70% of their day spent engaging in this behaviour in the wild. The final goal to the positioning of this device is that it brings the animals to the front of the enclosure in full public view increasing the visitor experience. Anecdotally, these devices have achieved these goals, as evidenced by the food still being consumed after an hour or more of using the mesh boxes, and for up to 6hrs when holding browse. Talk attendance at the gibbons was also seen to increase from an average of 3.7 people to 25.9 people when the device was in use. In order to keep enrichment programmes effective and constantly developing however, it is important to assess how successful devices have been in order to maximise long-term use. As time for both keepers and educators is extremely limited, direct data collection was not possible. One suggestion to mediate this problem was the use of time-lapse cameras as an alternative method of collecting a large amount of data, which is quick and easy to analyse. This study was therefore assessed the use of one of the hangers currently mounted on an enclosure housing a family group of 2.2 Javan gibbons (Hylobates moloch,) and the effect this has on visitor numbers at the enclosure. Two time-lapse cameras were used, with one pointing at the enclosure to record at 30sec intervals the presence and number of gibbons. The second camera was pointed at the public fence to record visitor numbers at the same 30sec interval. Statistical analysis compared the day the mesh box hanger was in use to the day before, in order to keep temperature and other variables as constant as possible. This presentation will report the results of this study and discuss the use of this type of data collection method for future projects. -- The University of Stirling is ranked in the top 50 in the world in The Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 table, which ranks the world's best 100 universities under 50 years old. The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

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Blair Drummond welfare meeting
by Phyllis Lee 22 Sep '12

22 Sep '12

Dear BERG folks, There is an interesting meeting on enhancing zoo animal welfare coming up at Blair Drummond safari park, as was noted on the BERG events calendar. They are offering a special daily rate of £45 in the hope that this might appeal to students/staff who can’t make the whole event. The schedule of speakers and activities is available at: http://www.blairdrummond.com/events.html Best wishes Phyllis -- The University of Stirling is ranked in the top 50 in the world in The Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 table, which ranks the world's best 100 universities under 50 years old. The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

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BERG Seminars this semester
by Phyllis Lee 17 Sep '12

17 Sep '12

Dear all, I am trying to build a programme for this semester so am putting out the call a) for possible speakers (we already have two) and b) for new names for the mailing list. Here is the schedule so far; titles will be provided soon 26-Sep Introductory meeting - all join for an informal discussion +wine of BERG and UFAW 03-Oct External Speaker: Mark Jones (Howletts) Gorilla welfare 10-Oct 17-Oct 24-Oct Mid semester: NO BERG (captive welfare meetings in Edinburgh and Blair Drummond) 31-Oct 01-Nov 07-Nov External Speaker: Alex Jones 14-Nov 21-Nov 28-Nov Best Phyllis Phyllis C. Lee Professor of Psychology Behaviour and Evolution Research Group School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA UK Direct line: +44 (0)1786 467656 phyllis.lee(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:phyllis.lee@stir.ac.uk> -- The University of Stirling is ranked in the top 50 in the world in The Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 table, which ranks the world's best 100 universities under 50 years old. The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

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First BERG meeting
by Phyllis Lee 03 Sep '12

03 Sep '12

Dear all, BERG seminars (Wednesdays 5:30 - 6:30, Psychology Seminar Room) will start on Wed 26th Sept with an informal meeting (with wine) to chat about our aims, goals, funding from UFAW, and possible topics / speakers for the coming semester. Please let me know if you would like to give a talk, or you can suggest an excellent victim for the coming semester. ALL SLOTS are available at the moment. And if any PGs would like to raise a more general discussion topic relevant to their analysis or data collection (e.g. stats or papers that they would like to discuss), let's go for it. Please also forward this message on to those others who may be interested but are not yet on the list. We will the new MSc and PhD students when they arrive. Best P Phyllis C. Lee Professor of Psychology Behaviour and Evolution Research Group School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA UK Direct line: +44 (0)1786 467656 phyllis.lee(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:phyllis.lee@stir.ac.uk> -- The University of Stirling is ranked in the top 50 in the world in The Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 table, which ranks the world's best 100 universities under 50 years old. The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

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FW: Post-doctoral position - primate vocalization - Marseille
by Christine Caldwell 27 Jul '12

27 Jul '12

________________________________________ From: James Anderson Sent: 27 July 2012 08:51 To: Christine Caldwell Subject: FW: Post-doctoral position - primate vocalization - Marseille Christine, This may be of interest to BERGers. Jim ________________________________________ From: fagot [joel.fagot(a)univ-provence.fr] Sent: 27 July 2012 08:29 To: Hopkins, William; David Washburn; Tetsuro Matsuzawa; Robert Cook; seyfarth(a)psych.upenn.edu; aw2(a)st-andrews.ac.uk; Masaki Tomonaga; James Anderson; Roger Thompson; Alban Lemasson; Thomas R. Zentall; peter.scheifele(a)uconn.edu; chris(a)galliform.bhs.mq.edu.au; mjo9(a)cornell.edu; Arnaud Rey Subject: Post-doctoral position - primate vocalization - Marseille Postdoctoral position in language and animal communication Dear colleagues, Please find below an announcement for a post-doc position With my best regards, J. Fagot ------------------------ Brain and Language Research Institute, Aix-Marseille University, France with Arnaud Rey, Thierry Legou and Joël Fagot Starting date: October 2012 or later A postdoctoral position is available at the Brain and Language Research Institute (BLRI, a "Labex", Laboratoire d'Excellence, created in 2012 under the auspices of the "Investissement d'Avenir" French government programme : http://blri.weebly.com/) This multi-disciplinary research structure is hosted by Aix-Marseille University, France. The postdoc will work on a research project involving experts in human language processing (Arnaud Rey), acoustic signal processing (Thierry Legou) and animal cognition (Joël Fagot). The long-term objective of this research project is assess the primate origins of human language, as it pertains to the production and control of vocalizations. This task will be implemented in the Primate Cognition and Behavior Platform in Rousset (France) to take advantage of the automatization of the test procedure and the very large number of data that can be collected in this laboratory. The postdoc will take part in developing new methods for recording and processing the vocalizations of baboons produced in their social context. The main goal will be to collect a new ethogram and build a new large-scale database on baboon’s vocalizations in order 1) to characterize their vocal repertoire, 2) determine the acoustic features of baboon vocalizations (e.g., time and frequency domains) and 3) to test the descriptive adequacy of existing categorizations. The candidate should preferably have a background in ethology/primatology, animal (preferably vocal) communication. Mastering the French (and baboon) language is not necessary (but English is). h. The position is for one year. The candidate should first contact Arnaud Rey (arnaud.rey(a)univ-amu.fr) Thierry Legou (thierry.legou(a)univ-amu.fr) or Joël Fagot (joel.fagot(a)univ-amu.fr) Second, applications should be sent by email to philippe.blache(a)blri.fr and should include a CV, a brief statement of research interests, the expected date of availability and the names of 3 references. Applications should be sent before September 5th, 2012. . Position: 1 year . Salary: 1,950K€ net per month (all taxes deduced, excepted income tax) . Deadline: September 3rd . Starting date: not later than November 2012 Application should be sent tophilippe.blache(a)blri.fr with copy tonadera.bureau(a)blri.fr. ________________________________________________________ -- The University of Stirling is ranked in the top 50 in the world in The Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 table, which ranks the world's best 100 universities under 50 years old. The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

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Last BERG of semester
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 14 May '12

14 May '12

On Wednesday Wednesday 16th May Dr Alex Weiss from Edinburgh University will talk about: Does personality predict all-cause mortality in captive gorillas? Drinks and nibbles @ 5.30 pm in the Psychology Common Room (3A94, Cottrell Building). Hope to see you there..... Hannah If you wish to subscribe (or unsubscribe) to the BERG mailing list please follow instructions here: http://lists.stir.ac.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/berg Hannah M. Buchanan-Smith Professor, Psychology School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA e-mail: h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:h.m.buchanan-smith@stir.ac.uk> phone: 01786 467674 fax: 01786 467641 ________________________________ The Sunday Times Scottish University of the Year 2009/2010 The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159. -- The Sunday Times Scottish University of the Year 2009/2010 The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

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Wednesday's BERG
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 07 May '12

07 May '12

On Wednesday 9th May, Alasdair Gillies and colleagues from the Blair Drummond Safari Park will come to our BERG meeting to discuss the undergraduate dissertation research projects. Phyllis Lee, Christine Caldwell, Sarah Vick and Jim Anderson have selected projects to supervise on elephants, marmosets, otters, giraffe, chimpanzee and zebras. We hope one or two of our final year dissertations students might also come so you can ask about their experience of working at the Park. This session is for information only - by coming there is no commitment. Drinks and nibbles available. Come for as long as you can (i.e. it is informal so leave when you like). 5.30 pm in the Psychology Common Room (3A94, Cottrell Building). May I remind you that our final BERG seminar for the spring semester is on Wednesday 16th May. Dr Alex Weiss from Edinburgh University will talk about: Does personality predict all-cause mortality in captive gorillas? Hope to see you there..... Hannah If you wish to subscribe (or unsubscribe) to the BERG mailing list please follow instructions here: http://lists.stir.ac.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/berg Hannah M. Buchanan-Smith Professor, Psychology School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA e-mail: h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:h.m.buchanan-smith@stir.ac.uk> phone: 01786 467674 fax: 01786 467641 -- The Sunday Times Scottish University of the Year 2009/2010 The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

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