Dear BERG folks,

This week at BERG we have our very own Dr Eoin O’Sullivan giving his interesting talk entitled:

Searching for a psychological science of social learning in the 20th century’s schools of behaviour and cognition

The field of social learning research has a long history in psychology, beginning with Edward Thorndike’s early studies of dogs, cats, and chickens, and culminating in a modern, thriving, multi-disciplinary science. While the past 20 years has seen interest in the field surge, researchers are still largely guided by the theoretical schools of cognitive and behavioural science developed in the early and mid-20th century. Here, I will reflect upon how the cognitive, behaviourist, and ethological schools have guided my exploration of social learning mechanisms in human and nonhuman primates. Specifically, I will focus on how these perspectives have informed my approach to the ontogeny of imitative ability in children and capuchin monkeys. I will also expand on how lessons learned from these theoretical schools can guide future work in the science of social learning.

We look forward to seeing you all there at 5:30pm sharp! Drinks and munchies provided.

______________________________

Paxton D. Culpepper, BSc, MSc

PhD Candidate | Psychology

Division of Psychology

Behaviour and Evolution Research Group
Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, UK

Office: 3B134 Cottrell Building

Phone: +44 (0) 1786 466852

Fax: +44 (0) 1786 467641

Email: p.d.culpepper@stir.ac.uk