Jean-Baptiste Leca, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Psychology
University of Lethbridge
Canada
Current Lab Members
Noëlle Gunst, Ph.D. (Research Associate)
After a M.Sc. in Ecophysiology and Ethology (2002), Noëlle received a Ph.D. in Ecology (2008) from the University of Georgia (USA) under the supervision of Dr. Dorothy Fragaszy. During her Ph.D., Noëlle studied the development of foraging competence in the wild brown capuchin monkeys of Raleighvallen Nature Reserve, Suriname. From 2011 to 2015, Noëlle did a post-doctorate at the University of Lethbridge under the supervision of Dr. Paul Vasey, during which she studied the development of sexual behaviors in Japanese macaques. Since 2016, she has been an Adjunct Assistant Professor and a regular sessional instructor/lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the U of L.
Noëlle and I have been working together since 1996 on several research projects (group movement in white-faced capuchins, fur rubbing in white-faced and brown capuchins, development of extractive foraging in brown capuchins, stone handling and fish eating in Japanese macaques, as well as stone handling, eye covering play, and robbing/bartering practice in Balinese long-tailed macaques), and conservation projects (population density of ebony leaf-eating monkeys and mona monkeys).
Since September 2015, Noëlle has been studying female-male mounting, monkey-deer mounting, and all-male groups in Japanese macaques, as well as the development of extractive foraging in Balinese long-tailed macaques.
She is also the Principal Investigator of a project on the sustainable wildlife-human coexistence on the island of Grenada (West Indies), with an emphasis on the community-based conservation of the introduced mona monkeys. This project is funded by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2019-2022).
Afra Foroud, Ph.D. (Adjunct Assistant Professor)
Afra is interested in how the developmental processes involved in the organization, expression, and function of movement in infants and young children shape learning, communication, language and social relationships throughout the lifespan. Her research focuses on the analysis of movement structure, sequence, and quality during motor and language development in naturalistic settings. Her doctoral thesis characterized motor development in very young infants and, demonstrated how early infantile movement patterns become expressed again in the elderly who have lost mobility due to stroke.
During her tenure as a Killam Postdoctoral Fellow at Dalhousie University, Afra began an examination of gestural and body actions within the contexts of language and spatial awareness in young and older adults. She continued this line of investigation with a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Fellowship at the University of British Columbia in young infants.
Upon her return to Alberta, Afra joined the nationwide SSHRC funded Art for Social Change project to study the effects of dance on day-to-day function, motor learning, and social communication in people with Parkinson’s disease at the University of Calgary.
Throughout her work, Afra draws on her background as a dancer and dance educator to integrate art and science in the study of human development. She is an adjunct assistant professor in the Departments of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Lethbridge where she continues her research and also enjoys teaching both inclusive and targeted dance classes for people with developmental disorders in the community of Lethbridge.
In 2017, Afra has joined our lab and we are collaborating on research projects pertaining to the development and mechanisms of object manipulation (exploration, play, fidgeting, and tool use) in Balinese long-tailed macaques and young children.
Irene Delval, Ph.D. (Post-Doctorate Fellow)
Irene is a Spanish researcher living in São Paulo since 2012. She holds a degree in Psychology (2007) and in Social and Cultural Anthropology (2013), a master's degree in Primatology (2007), and MSc (2014) and a PhD (2019) in Experimental Psychology from the Institute of Psychology at the University of São Paulo (IPUSP).
During her PhD fieldwork, Irene accompanied a group of wild capuchin monkeys, Sapajus xanthosternos, living in the Atlantic Forest of Bahia State, Northeast Brazil.
She has experience in the area of Experimental Psychology, in the subareas of Animal Behavior and Ethology, with an emphasis on the Comparative Psychology of sexual and personality development, and on naturalistic studies in primates of the genus Sapajus.
Today, she is a post-doctoral fellow at IPUSP, conducting research on the sexual development of two capuchin species.
In 2023-2024, Irene is a guest postdoctoral fellow in our lab at University of Lethbridge. She will be exploring the structural and functional patterns of non-conceptive sexual behavior in wild immature capuchin monkeys.
CV Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/4067231327257911
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6378-762X
Arijit Pal, Ph.D. (Post-Doctorate Fellow)
Arijit received a B.Sc. in Zoology (2009) and a M.Sc. in Conservation Biology (2011) from the University of Burdwan (India), and a Ph.D. in Animal Behavior (2018) from the Manipal Academy of Higher Education in Karnataka (India). During his graduate research years, funded by the Government of India, Arijit conducted a number of behavioral, biological, demographic, and ecological studies on free-ranging Nicobar long-tailed macaques, bonnet macaques, and lion-tailed macaques. He published a number of papers on the following topics: extractive foraging, tool use, reproductive behavior, birth seasonality, effects of food provisioning, group dynamics, dominance hierarchies, inter-group encounters, parasitology, and population recovery after natural disasters.
Between 2019 and 2023, Arijit is carrying on a post-doctoral research project, funded by a Post-Doctoral Research Grant from the Leakey Foundation, and co-supervised by Dr. Anindya "Rana" Sinha and me. He is conducting observational and experimental studies to test the affordance learning hypothesis pertaining to the non-instrumental manipulation of objects, extractive foraging, and tool use behavior in several free-ranging groups of bonnet macaques, rhesus macaques, and lion-tailed macaques in India.
Photo: Arijit Pal and an elusive Nicobar long-tailed macaque
Sydney Chertoff, M.Sc. (Ph.D. student)
While double-majoring in Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation (B.Sc.) and Psychology (B.A.) at Canisius College, Buffalo, NY (USA), Sydney has studied captive gorillas at the Buffalo Zoo for five years (2013-2017). Her research included observational data collection and the use of eye-tracking technology to study visual processing in this primate species. Sydney acquired expertise with this type of research while working at the Institute for Autism Research at Canisius College where she participated, as a research assistant, in studies of children with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD). She also worked with captive chimpanzees at Chimp Haven. After graduating in December 2017 (Honors degree), she has spent several months at the Lajuma Research Centre (South Africa), doing daily follows of samango monkeys (cf. photo) in the field and fecal hormone extractions.
From 2018 to 2021, Sydney did a MSc in our lab, co-supervised by Dr. Afra Foroud and me. She used movement analysis to explore some fidgeting-like components of stone handling behavior in Balinese long-tailed macaques.
In September 2021, she started a PhD in our team, investigating the motivational and emotional processes underlying repetitive object-directed actions in monkeys and children, and testing the hypothesis that stone handling in macaques is a stress-induced coping strategy taking the form of a seemingly playful object manipulation.
Caleb Bunselmeyer, B.A. (M.Sc. student)
Caleb received a B.A. in Anthropology from Missouri State University in 2017. Since then, he has worked as a Research Intern at the Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Il, primarily collecting behavioral data on Japanese macaques.
From July to December 2019, Caleb has joined our lab and worked with Matt Gardiner on a project aiming to develop an ecologically valid model of experimentally-induced bartering and gambling behaviors in the free-ranging long-tailed macaques at the Uluwatu temple, Bali.
In March 2021, Caleb started a MSc in our lab, co-supervised by Dr. Elsa Addessi, Dr. Noelle Gunst, and me. He is exploring the cognitive mechanisms underlying object manipulation in Balinese long-tailed macaques, including object play (e.g., stone handling, “bottle game”, "animal toying"), as well as physical and symbolic tool use (e.g., bartering/gambling-like behavioral tendencies).
Emily Ouellette, B.A. (M.Ed. student)
Emily received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Lethbridge in 2022.
In her undergraduate degree, she did an honours thesis on the potential mechanism underlying the evaluated reproduction of the female relatives of Ismo Zapotec muxes in Dr. Paul Vasey’s Lab.
Currently, Emily is in her M.Ed. in Counselling Psychology at the University of Lethbridge. Emily’s master’s thesis is being co-supervised by Dr. Ian McPhail and me. Her research topic is the impact of shame and stigma on whether people act on their paraphilic interests (i.e., sexual interests and desires).
Once Emily is done with her master’s, she plans on becoming a registered psychologist in Alberta where she hopes to specialize in sex therapy. Eventually, Emily would like to go back to school and get her Ph.D.
Doran Everest, B.Sc.A candidate (Honours Thesis student)
Doran is a 4th year B.Sc.A. candidate majoring in both psychology and philosophy with a minor in Japanese language. His research interests are primarily human and artificial-intelligence based psychology, particularly memetics, cognition, and cultural evolution.
Doran's background in philosophy also allows him to dig more thoroughly into methodology in research, finding possible links that may not be otherwise immediately obvious as confounding variables.
In Spring/Summer 2022, Doran did two Independent Studies with me on the evolutionary psychology of the utilitarian and non-utilitarian functions of stones in the human landscape. We explored the ancestral and cross-cultural usage of stones as literal tools, symbolic tools, and playthings.
In Spring/Summer 2023, Doran is doing an Undergraduate Honours Thesis under the co-supervision of Dr. Michael Stingl and me on the topic: “Object play, tool use, and eudaimonia: a re-exploration of object handling’s categorization within “Play”.
Doran plans to pursue a Master's degree followed by a Doctoral degree in order to continue his research in psychology and philosophy of psychology.
Mackenzie Hanelt, B.Sc. (Independent Study)
Mackenzie is a second-year undergrad student majoring in psychology. She is originally from Medicine Hat, where she attended her first year of post-secondary education as a STEM student, which quickly changed after realizing her passion for psychology.
She hopes to complete her MEd with a thesis basis so she may continue to earn her Ph.D. as her end goal is to be a registered psychologist with the ability to diagnose. As she has only just begun her education, her goals for research are not set, howbeit, she finds disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, as well as chronic stress to be most interesting. She hopes to further learn, investigate, and focus on their effects on the body, brain, and mental health as well as how possibly they may be treated and counteracted alongside medication.
In Spring 2023, Mackenzie is doing an Independent Study under the co-supervision Dr. Noëlle Gunst and myself, to explore the mechanisms of tool-assisted mark-making and object play behaviors in Balinese long-tailed macaques.
Barron Hastie, B.Sc. student (Independent Study)
Barron is a Psychology/Neuroscience major. He is interested in human behavior and currently hoping to become a high school counselor after finishing school.
He enjoys playing card games and tabletop games in his spare time.
He is working with Dr. McDonald this semester studying the circadian rhythm of aged mice and its impact on their memory.
In Spring 2023, he is very excited to be a part of our lab, doing an Independent Study under my guidance and along with Doran Everest and Matthew Lemire on the mechanisms and evolution of play behavior in non-mammalian species. Barron is having lots of fun so far!
Halle Heth, B.A. student (Independent Study)
Halle is in her third year of a B.A. in psychology. Throughout her undergraduate degree, she has loved studying all the diverse streams psychology offers from abnormal psychology to animal behavior to social learning and culture. As she continues her studies, she hopes to continue to learn and get experience in as many different fields in psychology as possible. Throughout her time at the University of Lethbridge, she has developed an interest in clinical psychology specifically concerning treatment for individuals with mental illness. In the future, she hopes to complete her master’s in counseling psychology and become a registered psychologist.
In Spring 2023, she is very excited to see the implicational value of her Independent Study with Ph.D. student Sydney Chertoff has on the field, especially seeing how helpful it could be with possible further research and assessment tools for fidgeting and displacement behaviors.
Tooba Mahmood, B.Sc. student (Independent Study)
Tooba received a B.Sc. in Neuroscience (2021) from the Faculty of Science at the University of Lethbridge. Currently, she is pursuing another post-graduate degree; this time focusing on Psychology. So far, she has completed an Independent Study with Dr. Robin Gibb on the Analysis of the Impacts of High CBD Cannabis Extract on Memory. This project broadened her knowledge and further interested her in exploring more research domains.
In Spring 2023, Tooba is doing an Independent Studies in our lab, helping Ph.D. student Sydney Chertoff with the processing of thermal imaging data collected on Balinese long-tailed macaques.
Once she has completed her degree in Psychology, she is aiming to pursue a master's degree. And not to sound too nerdy, but her ultimate goal is to build her career in medicine.
Brynn Matthews, B.Sc. student (Independent Study)
Brynn is 22 and completing her bachelor of science in psychology, and her bachelor of arts in philosophy. She will also have a minor in English. This will be her last semester, but she intends to find more research opportunities with the university in the future. Her dream would be to travel the world and study monkeys in their natural habitat.
While her focus is primarily centred around abnormal psychology, after completing a couple classes in the past 2 1/2 years, she has become increasingly interested in the psychology of human-animal interactions. Her interest started when she took a course on the sexual behaviours of monkeys by Dr. Paul Vasey.
In Spring 2023, Brynn is doing an Independent Study under my guidance, focusing on the mechanisms underlying the interactions between free-ranging non-human primates and pets.
After her degrees are completed this year, she hopes to come back and complete a masters degree in psychology. She hopes to become a clinician, and specialize in psychedelic therapy. One of her primary interests is studying the effects of psychedelics and their uses in productive therapy.
Brooke Third, B.Sc. (Independent study)
Brooke is from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and is currently in the third year of her B.Sc. degree in Psychology at the University of Lethbridge. Her primary research interests are in studying interindividual and intraindividual differences in non-human primate behavior and personality.
She is additionally interested in the physiological mechanisms underlying the reward system and behavioral research for animal conservation and welfare.
In January 2023, Brooke joined our lab as an Independent Study student working with M.Sc. student Caleb Bunselmeyer on two research projects involving the video scoring of specific behaviors in Balinese long-tailed macaques. The first one is about a seemingly playful form of object manipulation (the "bottle game") and the second one is a gambling-like task that explores decision-making under risky conditions.
Brooke plans to pursue a Master's degree in order to continue her research in psychology, with the goal of working in the field to collect and analyze data related to non-human primate behavior and conservation.
Casey Arnestad, B.A.Sc. (Independent Study)
After completing her B.A.Sc. majoring in anthropology and psychology at the University of Lethbridge, Casey stayed on to take additional classes.
In Spring 2023, she is doing two Independent Studies in our lab.
Her first research project includes working with Ph.D. student Sydney Chertoff, processing thermal imaging data collected on Balinese long-tailed macaques.
Her second research project, under my guidance and in collaboration with Carla Dacera and Jenna-Lane Deringer-Rasiah, focuses on a review of the literature on the psychology in cultic environments.
Carla Dacera, B.Sc. student (Independent Study)
Carla is in her final year at the University of Lethbridge, pursuing a BSc. in Neuroscience and Psychology. She has worked under Dr. Bryan Kolb as an Independent Study student in the Neuroscience department. Her review topics focused on the Critical Periods of Brain Development, How Experiences Affect the Brain and the Effects of Early Brain Injury. She is also a part of the Gibb Lab in the Neuroscience department as of Spring 2023. She will be working on Developing a Community Education Series about the Adolescent Brain
During her last fall semester, Carla took a course in the Psychology of Social Learning and Culture with me. This course honed her interest in joining our lab as an Independent Study student under my guidance in the Spring of 2023, along with two other students: Casey Arnestad and Jennalane Deringer-Rasiah. Carla is doing a literature review on Religious Cultic Environments and Behaviours. She also aims to incorporate aspects of her neuro research into her psychology research.
Jenna-Lane Deringer-Rasiah, B.Sc. student (Independent Study)
Jenna is currently in her final semester of an undergraduate degree, double majoring in neuroscience and psychology. Her childhood experiences facilitated an interest in behavioral neuropsychology and epigenetics, especially in the realm of DNA methylation and histone modification.
Her passion surrounding epigenetics involve the factors outside of the DNA sequence that can produce long-term changes in the trajectory of child to adult development, as well as the future possibility epigenetics holds in describing a range of changes or discrepancies for the mechanisms in genome function and potential heritability for complex diseases, behavior and trait variation and mental health disorders.
With this, her potential career plans are focused on pursuing medical school for child psychiatry, neurological research/rehabilitation, as well as the possibility of a master’s degree for child psychology, clinical addiction and mental health, or varying degrees of behavioural research.
In Spring 2023, Jenna is doing an Independent Study under my guidance and along with Casey Arnestad and Carla Dacera, aiming to review the literature on cultic psychopathology.
Brady Cahoon, B.Sc. student (Independent Study)
Brady is an ambitious and dedicated psychology student, set to graduate with a B.Sc. in psychology and a minor in philosophy in Spring 2023. His strong interest in the intersection of technology, culture, and psychology has driven his studies to focus on understanding the impacts of artificial intelligence and other technology on cultures around the world, the psychology of learning, and mental health. He has gained valuable experience in understanding insights from organizational psychology and has learned how to leverage his research interests to improve institutions and businesses, making them happier, healthier, and more productive.
In addition to his studies, Brady is currently conducting an Independent Study under my guidance on the cultural evolution of meta cognitive technologies and environments. This research examines the psychological, cultural, and economic forces that underlie these technologies and how cultures may react to these radical changes in our society. His philosophical training has played an instrumental role in providing him with a strong foundation in critical thinking, logic, and reasoning that has helped shape his research approach, enabling him to analyze complex issues and find innovative solutions to problems.
Brady has demonstrated his passion for this field through his coursework and research projects, excelling in his studies. He is eager to apply his knowledge by consulting businesses and institutions on how they can adapt and thrive in these exciting and challenging times by empowering clients with psychological principles and leveraging powerful new technology. He is committed to transforming research insights into practical solutions that will improve the lives of those he works with.
Former Lab Members
Fany Brotcorne, Ph.D. (Post-Doctorate Fellow)
Fany received a first M.Sc. in Psychology (2006) from the Free University of Brussels (Belgium) during which she studied fur rubbing behavior in white-faced capuchins, and a second M.Sc. in Biology of Organisms and Ecology (2008) from the University of Liège (Belgium) during which she studied the commensal long-tailed macaques of Bangkok (Thailand). Then, Fany received a Ph.D. in Sciences (2014) from the University of Liège under the supervision of Drs. Marie-Claude Huynen and Pascal Poncin. During her Ph.D., Fany studied the impact of anthropic factors on the behavioral ecology of different populations of Balinese long-tailed macaques (Bali, Indonesia).
In 2015-2017, Fany's postdoctoral project in our lab consisted in studying the environmental factors, psychological mechanisms, and cultural processes underlying the object robbing and object/food bartering behaviors exhibited by 5 neighboring groups of Balinese long-tailed macaques at Uluwatu, south Bali.
Camilla Cenni, Ph.D.
After a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences (2014) from the University of Bologna (Italy), Camilla joined the German Primate Centre and participated in several research projects focusing on color vision, olfactory communication, and cognition in captive and wild mouse lemurs and red-fronted lemurs. Part of these studies involved field observational and experimental work in the Kirindy forest of Western Madagascar, where she also studied three endemic species of chameleons. In 2016, Camilla received a M.Sc. in Animal Behaviour from the University of Exeter (UK). Her main research project consisted in developing individual-based evolutionary models (via computer simulations) to understand the adaptive role of social play behavior in mammals. She focused on the coevolution between play-fighting and social systems. She also analyzed dominance hierarchies of male and female rhesus macaques based on win-loss agonistic interactions. Finally, she co-designed a coding system for video-recorded data on human-robot interactions in a playful context.
From January 2018 to October 2022, Camilla conducted a Ph.D. in our team, examining the proximate connections between object play and tool use, through a combination of experimental and observational studies in free-ranging Balinese long-tailed macaques.
Photo: Camilla Cenni at the Ubud Monkey Forest in Bali, Indonesia
Patricia Mitchell, M.Sc.
After a B.A. in Applied Anthropology (2018) at the University of North Texas, Patricia gained experience conducting ethnographic research on the climate change and Homo naledi exhibits at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas.
In May 2022, Patricia obtained a M.Sc. degree in the Primate Behavior and Ecology (PBE) program at Central Washington University, USA, under the co-supervision of Dr. Jessica Mayhew and myself.
From 2021 to 2022, as part of her M.Sc. research project, Patricia has explored the mechanisms underlying the stone handling behavior of Balinese long-tailed macaques, with a focus on the leaf- and branch-assisted stone-covering and stone-wrapping behavior patterns.
Her future plans are to conduct research in the field and to pursue a PhD in Biological Anthropology. She is interested in how behaviors accumulate in complexity over generations and the existence of cumulative culture in non-human primates.
Valeria Albanese, M.Sc.
Valeria received a B.Sc. in Animal Science and Wildlife Management (2013) from the University of Torino (Italy). Because Valeria’s main interest has always been related to conservation and rehabilitation effort, she worked in a rescue center for exotic animals, based in Holland (2014-2015), and a Wild Animal Rescue Center in Italy (2015-2016). Since 2016, Valeria has worked for an Italian NGO (LAV – that promotes “a cultural change in the way we relate to other animals”) as a primate and big cat caretaker in a rescue center for exotic animals in Semproniano (Italy). Her main goals are to facilitate the psycho-physical rehabilitation of these animals (e.g., reduce the frequency of abnormal behaviors) and improve their welfare.
Valeria started to work in our lab in October 2019. In December 2021, she earned a MSc in Primatology at the University of Girona (Spain) under the co-supervision of Dr. Miquel Llorente and myself. Her MSc thesis was titled: “Mechanisms of expression of object play: A comparative study of stone handling in two captive group of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis fascicularis)”. Her work in our lab aimed to (1) establish the first stone handling repertoire in captive-raised macaques, and (2) explain inter-group variation by exploring the role of proximate factors that are known to affect the occurrence of stone handling: demography, dominance, stone availability, activity budget, and food provisioning.
Amanda Pelletier, M.Sc.
Amanda received a B.A. in Psychology (2013) from the University of Regina. She has an extensive work and volunteer experience with people suffering from mental health disorders, developmental disorders, and addictions. She is familiar with procedures related suicide assessment and intervention. In 2014, she worked for "Volunteer Eco Students Abroad" in a wildlife rehabilitation center in South Africa.
Amanda earned a MSc in Psychology (2017) under my supervision. Her MSc thesis was titled: “What can behavioural structure tell us about motivation? Insights from object play and foraging in Balinese long-tailed macaques”. Her work in our lab aimed to present new empirical research on the proximate links between object play (stone handling) and foraging behaviours (nut handling), with an emphasis on combinatory and percussive actions. Amanda used specific structural characteristics (e.g., kinematic features) of these two object-oriented activities in Balinese long-tailed macaques to explore similarities and differences in their motivational underpinnings. Her research furthered our understanding of the mechanistic and evolutionary connections object play, and tool use.
Photo: Amanda Pelletier (right behind the croc)
Lydia Ottenheimer Carrier, M.Sc.
Lydia received a B.Sc. in Psychology (2011) from the Memorial University of Newfounland during which she did a Honours thesis on dog personality.
Under the co-supervision of Dr. Paul Vasey and me, Lydia earned a M.Sc. in Psychology (2015) at the University of Lethbridge. From November 2012 to January 2013, she participated in the data collection of sexual behaviors in Japanese macaques at Jigokudani and Minoo, central Japan.
During her M.Sc. thesis, titled "Female mounting in Japanese macaques: proximate and ultimate perspective on non-conceptive sex", Lydia used the Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation technique to compare the structure of female-female and female-male mounting behavior in Japanese macaques.
Matthew Gardiner, M.Res. (Research Project Leader)
Matt received his BSc in Anthropology from Oxford Brookes University (UK). The disciplinary framework gave him the opportunity to explore a broad range of disciplines within the biological and social anthropology framework. His undergraduate thesis exploited this varied academic background combing molecular biochemistry, social research and biological/veterinary analysis amongst the elusive nocturnal slow loris primates (Nycticebus spp.).
Then, Matt embarked on studying a Master of Research (M.Res.) in Primatology and Conservation at Oxford Brookes University, under the supervision of Professor Anna Nekaris. During his research, he conducted primatological fieldwork in the forests of west Java, investigated human-primate interactions/conflict in Java and Thailand, performed biochemical investigations in conjunction with Universitas Gadjah Mada (Yogyakarta, Indonesia).
Matt joined our lab in 2019 to work on a project aiming to develop an ecologically valid model of experimentally-induced bartering and gambling behaviours in the free-ranging long-tailed macaques at the Uluwatu temple, Bali, Indonesia. He spent 6 months in Uluwatu in 2019 and did a second field season there from February to March 2020. In Summer 2022, he served as a Scientific Advisor for the BBC (Planet Earth III) filming the bartering monkeys at Uluwatu.
Matt is doing a Ph.D. at Liverpool John Moores University on the behavior of wild Barbary macaques.
Photo: Matt Gardiner experimentally inducing bartering/gambling behavior in a young Balinese long-tailed macaque at Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia
Jackson Ham, M.Sc., Ph.D. student (Graduate Independent Study)
After getting his B.Sc. in Neuroscience (2019) from the University of Lethbridge, Jackson continued his education at the uLethbridge working towards his M.Sc. of Neuroscience. In 2019, he joined the Pellis lab in collaboration with Dr. Heather Hill (St. Mary’s University, San Antonio) to research play behavior in beluga whales. This research focused on the development of social behaviors and play behaviors in juvenile and adult whales. Now he is working on his Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr. Sergio Pellis investigating the consequences of natural development on both brain and behavior in rats. He also has a keen interest in social behaviors, using social network analysis to understand social bonds, social relationships and movement analysis. His aims to better understand the development of social behavior and how play behaviors influence the development of the brain.
In Fall 2020, Jackson did a Graduate Independent Study under my supervision on the behavioral structure of object play in belugas. Since 2021, Jackson and I have been collaborating on a research project that uses detailed movement analysis (via DeepLabCut) to distinguish between functional and playful object-directed percussive actions in Balinese long-tailed macaques.
Richard is interested in the topics of learning and cognition in animals and what causes inter-individual differences in learning and other cognitive abilities. Richard completed his B.Sc. in Biological Sciences and B.Sc. Honours degree in Zoology and Ecology at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg (South Africa) where his childhood passion for learning and animal behaviour blossomed.
These interests and educational background led Richard to pursue a M.Sc. in Animal Behaviour on the topics of social learning and cognition. His project aimed to investigate whether African striped mice living in the highly ephemeral and dry conditions of the Succulent Karoo can learn a basic food incentive task from conspecifics. After this, he worked with the Kalahari Meerkat Project, gathering behavioural, weight, and life history data of meerkats living in the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa and gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to conduct research in animal behaviour.
Richard joined our team from 2021 to 2022 to study the psychological, cultural, ecological, and phylogenetic processes underlying behavioral innovations, with a focus on the development and evolution of object play and tool use in different groups and species of free-living macaques.
Erin Davis, B.A./B.Sc. (Honours Thesis)
Erin graduated in 2008 with a diploma of nursing and worked for 7 years at the Lethbridge Regional Hospital on a maternal/child unit, doing postpartum and postnatal care. In her time there, she noticed that there was a lack of attention to the psychological needs of patients. She came back to the university to obtain a degree in Psychology and a better understanding of mental health. She currently volunteers with the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Erin is currently working on her Bachelor of Arts and Science, with a double major in Religious Studies and Psychology. Her research interests are in Cross-Cultural Psychology, and Psychology of Religion. More specifically, she’s looking at how differences in Western and Eastern philosophical thoughts affect mental health, wellness, moral thinking, and addiction.
In 2015, Erin volunteered with Lethbridge Immigrant Services and was fortunate to work with the Bhutanese refugee community that settled down in Lethbridge. After fleeing their country, Bhutanese people of Nepali descent experienced the trauma of refugee camps in Nepal, and many Bhutanese refugees now living in Western countries have high rates of PTSD and other mental illnesses.
From May to December 2016, Erin conducted an Honours Thesis (co-supervised by Dr. Jennifer Mather and myself), focusing on how community support services can improve the wellness of Bhutanese people living in Lethbridge.
Crystal Mulik, B.Sc. (Honours Thesis student)
Crystal completed a B.Sc. in Neuroscience with a minor in French in June 2020.
She then earned a B.Sc. in Psychology. She conducted metabolomics research on transgenerational stress and the gut-brain axis.
Eventually, she would like to pursue a career in clinical neuropsychology and is interested in conducting research surrounding anxiety and depression.
In Summer 2021, Crystal did two Independent Studies in our lab, working with M.Sc. student Caleb Bunselmeyer on the mechanisms of object play and tool use behaviors in Balinese long-tailed macaques.
In Fall 2021, Crystal conducted a third Independent Study under my supervision, examining whether/how object play facilitates the development of tool use in children.
In Spring/Summer 2022, Crystal did an Undergraduate Honours Thesis under the co-supervision of Dr. Afra Foroud and myself, to investigate the conditions of acquisition of a specific tool use task in young children.
Jody Villemaire, B.A., B.Sc. candidate (Independent Study)
Jody has worked in the field of poverty and homelessness for 8 years before pursuing a post-secondary education that would enable her to make a more meaningful difference in the field. As a recent graduate at the University of Calgary with a B.A. in Sociology in December 2021, Jody is new to Lethbridge, working toward a B.Sc. in Psychology with a focus on the neurobiological underpinnings of behaviour, cognition and dysfunction, and plans to pursue both a Master’s and Doctoral degree in these areas.
As a new and aspiring researcher, she is wide-eyed and laser-focused on gaining confidence in the process of asking important questions, conducting valuable research, and submitting impeccable data to better contribute the scientific community.
In Summer 2022, Jody joined our lab as an Independent Study student and contributed to the work of Ph.D. student Sydney Chertoff in evaluating the potential stress response of stone handling following an agonistic event in Balinese long-tailed macaques. On this project, she helped to identify and rate stone handling and sexual behaviours during post-conflict periods, permitting greater interrater reliability and creating a more focused data set for Sydney to continue her incredible work in this area.
Mia Thiessen, B.Sc. candidate (Independent Study)
Mia is going into her second year at the University of Lethbridge pursuing a Biology degree. Her research interests are in microbiology, specifically the growth and properties of microorganisms, as well as understanding more about animal behaviour.
Mia lives in Foothills, Alberta, where her family has a small hobby farm, and they are setting up an organic market garden. She also works at a nearby agricultural active learning park and farmers market. She hopes to apply her microbiology studies to this area and see if she can help find creative ways to make small farming and agriculture more beneficial to the environment and the local community.
In Summer/Fall 2022, Mia joined our lab as an Independent Study student under my supervision. She worked with Ph.D. student Sydney Chertoff on a literature review of fidgeting and displacement activities. She was interested to see how the fidgeting-like behaviours present in some domestic animals can apply to other (non-domesticated) species and may impact their daily lives.
Sophia Salamanca, B.Sc. candidate (Independent Study)
Sophia is her final year completing a B.Sc. in Neuroscience with a minor in New Media at the University of Lethbridge.
She has completed many courses on primate development, animal communication, primate lives and cognition, and social learning and culture. These courses piqued her interest in primates, and specifically their cultural behaviors.
Her main curiosity about the study of neuroscience and psychology lies in how behaviors develop and evolve in humans and non-human primates.
In the Summer of 2022, under my supervision, Sophia completed an Independent Study in our lab which involved scoring and analysing video recordings of stone handling in Balinese long-tailed macaques. More specifically, Sophia explored the stone-assisted mark-making behavior in these monkeys.
Logan Page, B.A./B.Sc. (Independent Study)
In Spring 2020, Logan earned a B.A. in religious studies and a B.Sc. In psychology with a minor in philosophy at the University of Lethbridge. Logan’s research interests are centered around the spread, evolution, and behavioural consequences of beliefs. Logan is interested in taking a systems approach to the networks of beliefs that humans use to orient themselves in the world.
In Spring and Fall 2019, Logan did two Independent Studies under my guidance to further his understanding of the psychobiological mechanisms and functions of religious rituals, and what those functions and mechanisms can tell us about the evolution of ritualized behaviour and religious ritual in particular. Logan’s other academic interests include Confucian and neo-Confucian philosophy, the concept of ‘self’ in Hinduism and Buddhism, religious syncretism, modern religious movements (especially those spread primarily through a digital medium), and the development and behavioural consequences of conspiracy beliefs.
Logan and I also explored the evolutionary psychology of the utilitarian and non-utilitarian functions of stones in the human landscape.
Photo: Logan Page engaging in what could be construed as "ritualized behaviour"
Stefania Nino Garcia, B.Sc. candidate (Independent Study)
Stefania is originally from Colombia and is currently in her final year of a Bachelor of General Science, majoring in Psychology, Biology and Kinesiology, at the University of Lethbridge.
She has completed two Neuroscience Independent Studies in Gibb’s Lab and one Biology Independent Study supervised by Kovalchuk’s Lab. All this research involved working in the vivarium, running tasks with rodents, scoring rodent behavioral recordings, and taking brain measurements post-mortem. Additionally, in the biology study, she handled blood processing. The overall scope of these studies was to investigate the effects of cannabis on the rodent brain and behavior.
Stefania’s previous research experience has broadened her interest in animal behavior. In the Spring of 2022, under my supervision, and in collaboration with Dr. Noëlle Gunst, she is completing an Independent Study in our lab which involves scoring and analysing video recordings of stone handling behavior in Balinese long-tailed macaques. More specifically, Stefania will explore the stone-assisted drawing-like behavior patterns in these monkeys.
Skylar Bueckert, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Skylar is in her final year of study at the University of Lethbridge and will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science majoring in Psychology.
Her main focus is animal behavior and she has a keen interest in the evolution of behavior.
Skylar has worked as a horse trainer and as an apprenticing vet assistant, and is always looking for opportunities to learn the intricacies of animal behavior of all kinds.
She also has an interest in scientific drawing, and is looking forward to the opportunity to apply that skill to the object manipulation and tool use research in the lab.
In Summer 2021, Skylar did an Independent Study, working with MSc student Patricia Mitchell on the mechanisms underlying the “stone-wrapping” behavior in Balinese long-tailed macaques.
In Fall 2021, she furthered this work, as well as assisting MSc student Caleb Bunselmeyer in his study of the "Bottle Game", a putative form of object play, in Balinese long-tailed macaques.
Mackenzie Krebs, B.A. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Mackenzie is in her final year of her undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. During her time at the University of Lethbridge she has focused on brain and behavior and child development.
She has most recently become interested in the link between abnormal brain behavior and criminal activity. She also has a course background in religions and psychology.
In Fall 2021, Mackenzie worked with MSc student Patricia Mitchell to examine playful and instrumental behavioral components of object manipulation in free-ranging Balinese long-tailed macaques. She hopes this study will improve her research on child development and abnormal behavior in the future.
Eventually Mackenzie hopes to obtain a master's degree in child psychology.
Selena Boutilier, B.A. candidate (Independent Study)
Selena is in the final year of her undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in sociology. Her research focus has been on abnormal psychology, mental illness, and maladaptive behavioral patterns. She plans to enter a Master’s in Clinical Psychology and become a practicing clinical psychologist for children or in addictions. More specifically, she is interested in pursuing research on psychedelic drugs and their efficacy for treating personality disorders. Selena has been a disability support worker for over 5 years, and just recently started a job with Alberta Health Services as a peer support worker on a mobile overdose prevention site. She works with a team of incredible Nurses, Paramedics, and Addiction Counsellors to help with the daily needs of individuals caught in the cycle of addiction.
In Spring 2021, Selena did a first Independent Study under my supervision on social media and personality.
In Fall 2021, she worked with Bethany Barthel and Maleeha Panjwani on a second Independent Study in my lab on the theme: “The 3 B’s of creativity” (Bed, Bath, and Bus) with the goal of compiling a co-authored literature review to search for evidence of this claim. In our team, Selena’s focus was on “Inattention and its links to restorative brain functioning”.
Maleeha Panjwani, B.Sc. candidate (Independent Study)
Maleeha is in her final year of a B.Sc. in Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Lethbridge. For the past two years, she has been primarily involved in neuroscience research specifically researching reach and grasp as well as the effects of CBD on dementia and Alzheimer's symptoms in aging mice. In Fall 2021, she will continue research regarding Alzheimer's disease in Dr. Rob McDonald's lab in the Department of Neuroscience. After graduating, she plans on pursuing a M.Sc., and hopefully going to medical school in the near future. Apart from research, in her spare time, Maleeha is a volunteer coach for the Special Olympics Swimming Team in Lethbridge. She also tutors students in her religious community.
In Fall 2021, Maleeha worked with Bethany Barthel and Selena Boutilier on an Independent Study in my lab on the theme: “The 3 B’s of creativity” (Bed, Bath, and Bus) with the goal of compiling a co-authored literature review to search for evidence of this claim. In our team, Maleeha’s focus was on “Divergent thinking, creativity, and intelligence”.
Bethany “B.” Barthel, B.A. candidate (Independent Study)
B. is in the final year of her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Her primary interests within the field are evolution and human sexuality. She also has a passion for teaching, which she discovered during her time tutoring in high school and volunteering as a T.A. for an introductory psychology class at Grande Prairie Regional College. Prior to being a teaching assistant, B. also volunteered as a Peer Counsellor.
Upon completion of her B.A., B. plans to pursue a degree in Education and later teach Science and Sex Education at the high school level. She aims to provide Psychology as an elective in rural communities, like the ones she grew up in, where exposure to the social sciences is limited. Additionally, she hopes to offer free and inclusive sex education classes to anyone in the community who seeks information beyond the curricular.
In Fall 2021, B. worked with Maleeha Panjwani and Selena Boutilier on an Independent Study in my lab on the theme: “The 3 B’s of creativity” (Bed, Bath, and Bus) with the goal of compiling a co-authored literature review to search for evidence of this claim. In our team, B.’s focus was on “Mind wandering, creativity, and innovation”.
Christian Dunn, B.A. (Field Research Assistant)
Christian received his B.A. in Zoology (2017) from Miami University at Oxford, Ohio (USA). The training and education he received during his time at university allowed him to undertake many different jobs in the field of biology and zoology in order to advance his understanding of the natural world. His work after college has included working in the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and assisting in conservation efforts of California's most threatened fish species and educating school children about the local ecosystems of California during his time at the Coastal Institute.
In 2019, Christian spent 5 months working as a field research assistant for the Santa Rosa Capuchin Project in Costa Rica, investigating inter-individual differences in foraging behavior between trichromat and dichromat white-faced capuchins.
From July to December 2019, Christian has joined our team and worked with Matt Gardiner on a project aiming to develop an ecologically valid model of experimentally-induced bartering and gambling behaviors in the free-ranging long-tailed macaques at the Uluwatu temple, Bali.
Mackenzie Salmon, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Mackenzie is in her final semester at the University of Lethbridge and will be graduating with a B.Sc. – General Major in the Sciences. She is also a member of the Pronghorns Women’s Soccer Team.
Mackenzie has several passions and interests including conservation (specifically seabirds), health care, volunteering, hiking, and travelling. Mackenzie has travelled to 26 countries. During her travels, she has had the opportunity to observe and study several primate species including troops of olive baboons in Shai Haills Resource Reserve in Ghana (seen in photo). Over the past four summers, she has travelled to Honduras to volunteer and participate in medical missions.
In the summer of 2020, Mackenzie will be partaking in a two-month internship on Midway Atoll where she will be helping with the Seabird Protection Project. Following her undergraduate degree, Mackenzie plans to attend dental school while staying involved in conservation.
In the Spring of 2020, under Dr. Noëlle Gunst’s supervision, Mackenzie studied the economic behaviour of Balinese long-tailed macaques (i.e., object robbing and object/food bartering interactions), focusing on their aggressivity, boldness, and dominance.
Keana Funk, B.A./B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Keana is in the process of completing her B.A. & B.Sc., majoring in Psychology, at the University of Lethbridge. During her time at the University, she has become interested in studying the behaviours of non-human primates.
In summer 2019, under Dr. Noëlle Gunst’s supervision, Keana studied the economic behaviours of Balinese long-tailed macaques (i.e., object robbing and object/food bartering interactions), focusing on their aggressivity, boldness, and dominance. She hopes to continue examining non-human primates throughout her psychology career. In Fall 2019, under my supervision, she examined the mechanisms and possible function of sound-producing/rhythmic stone handling behaviour in macaques.
Outside of her schooling, Keana works part time in the field of social work, as a care provider for children with various mental and physical disabilities. She also volunteers within the community, sharing her love of music and theatre with children of all ages. With music being an integral part of her life, Keana also hopes to pursue research regarding music and personality, and its possible uses in a therapeutic setting.
Hilary Williams, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Hilary is a third-year student at the University of Lethbridge, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and Psychology. Outside of her schooling, Hilary enjoys working with animals and has assisted in the rescue and rehabilitation of Costa Rican wildlife, animal care at the Lethbridge Humane Society, and as a stablehand and rider at a horse stud during her time living in Australia.
She has a wide range of research interests, including, genetics, botany, environmentalism, personality psychology, and animal behaviour, and in particular, behavioural compatibility, and primate cognition and emotions. Hilary’s research experience has included working for Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada as a research assistant to Dr. Héctor Carcamo in his Insect Pest Management Lab, as well as completing an Independent Study in the Barrett-Henzi Lab examining the effects of maternal rank on temporal variation of grooming behaviour in female vervet.
As a research assistant in our lab in Fall 2019, Hilary worked under PhD student Camilla Cenni, scoring video-recorded data on the stone handling behaviour of Balinese long-tailed macaques, with an emphasis on testing the "sex toy" hypothesis via stone-assisted genital stimulation. Concurrently, Hilary worked on a project as a research assistant to Dr. David Logue, summarizing the last 20 years of research in the field of vocal interaction in birds for an invited review submission to the Advances in the Study of Behavior journal.
Bess Christie, M.Sc. (Field Research Assistant)
Bess’ my main research interests are in the fields of the evolution of social systems, genetics and behavior.
For her MSc thesis at Imperial College London, Bess investigated the roles of phenotype and genotype in assortative mating patterns in two human populations from the UK. For this, she collected genomic SNP data, as well as high-resolution 3D facial scans, skin colour data, and various anthropometrics in a sample of admixed Afro-Caribbean couples, and relatively genetically homogenous English couples.
Bess has previously spent six months working for WWF as a team leader on a habituation and health monitoring project with bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
From May to August 2019, Bess has worked with PhD student Camilla Cenni, and contributed to the data collection of stone handling behavior and experimentally induced stone tool use in free-ranging Balinese long-tailed macaques.
Photo: Bess Christie extending her field work day by making concrete lids for the stone tool-operated puzzle boxes, with a curious monkey witness in the background.
Orlando Van der Bell, B.Sc. (Field Research Assistant)
Orlando completed a B.Sc. in Anthropology from University College London in April 2019, and the next day flew out to Bali to join our field research team based in Ubud.
From May to August 2019, Orlando has worked with PhD student Camilla Cenni, and contributed to the data collection of stone handling behavior and experimentally induced stone tool use in free-ranging Balinese long-tailed macaques.
Orlando's academic interests are rooted in the evolution of cognitive systems. Therefore, Orlando will be pursuing a Master in the 'Evolutionary and Comparative Psychology: The Origins of Mind' at the University of St Andrews in September of 2020.
Photo: Orlando Van der Bell video-recording long-tailed macaques at Ubud, Bali.
Nalina Aiempichitkijkarn, M.Sc. (Visiting Ph.D. student)
Nalina received her BSc in Biology from the Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) in 2014. Her undergraduate thesis, under the supervision of Professor Michael Gumert and Professor Suchinda Malaivijitnond, focused on how tourists affect the expression of stone tool-use behavior in long-tailed macaques in southern Thailand.
After her undergraduate studies, Nalina went on studying tool use behavior in bearded capuchin monkeys and received her MSc in Psychology from the University of Georgia, under the supervision of Professor Dorothy Fragaszy.
Currently, Nalina is doing her Ph.D. with Professor Brenda McCowan at the University of California, Davis, exploring human-macaque interactions in urban areas. More specifically, she did observations on the object/food robbing and bartering interactions involving the rhesus macaques at the Jakhoo Temple, near Shimla, India.
Nalina has joined our lab in July-September 2019 to work on the social network correlates and individual attributes of the object/food robbing and bartering interactions involving the long-tailed macaques at the Uluwatu Temple, Bali, Indonesia.
Photo: Nalina Aiempichitkijkarn and long-tailed macaques in Thailand.
Casey Bannister, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Casey is in her final year of a B.Sc. in Neuroscience. Her past research experience and passions include how paternal and maternal factors can affect the growth of the child's brain and development, as well as the growth of children with developmental disabilities. Casey transferred to Lethbridge to complete the last 2 years of her degree and has taken advantage of the different research projects and labs that are at the university.
In the summer of 2019, under Dr. Noëlle Gunst’s supervision, Casey has studied the economic behaviour of Balinese long-tailed macaques (i.e., object robbing and object/food bartering interactions), focusing on their aggressivity, boldness, and dominance.
Graham Bowden, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Graham is originally from Edmonton, and is currently in the last semester of his undergraduate degree at the University of Lethbridge.
Through a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with a Political Science minor, Graham is interested in social factors contributing to decision making, particularly concerning voter behaviour and political affiliations.
In the summer of 2019, under Dr. Noëlle Gunst’s supervision, Graham has studied the economic behaviour of Balinese long-tailed macaques (i.e., object robbing and object/food bartering interactions), focusing on their aggressivity, boldness, and dominance.
Following his undergraduate degree, Graham plans on attending law school in the United States.
Melissa Steinkey, B.A./B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Melissa is in her final year of completing a BASc, majoring in Biology and Psychology at the University of Lethbridge. By taking advantage of the double major program offered, Melissa can explore how ecology and animal behaviour can be used together in conservation research.
In the summer of 2019, under Dr. Noëlle Gunst’s supervision, Melissa has studied the economic behaviour of free-ranging Balinese long-tailed macaques during object robbing and object/food bartering interactions. She focused on the monkeys’ behavioural strategies, boldness, and dominance. This activity has implications for the social cognition of the macaques in an anthropogenically impacted habitat.
In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in conservation, focusing on how fragmentation of natural environments can affect animal behaviour.
Drayton Pratt, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Drayton’s main interests in the field of Psychology revolve around:
(1) the effects of brain damage resulting from organized sports in teenagers and young adults,
(2) parental influences on their children’s sport activities and their consequences within the household,
(3) the psychobiological processes underlying religious behaviours, and
(4) the psychological and socio-cultural underpinnings of video game addiction.
Drayton is also involved in the research conducted in Dr. Scott Allen’s Lab in the Department of Psychology.
In Spring and Summer 2019, Drayton's Independent Study in our lab, under Dr. Noëlle Gunst’s supervision, focused around the video analysis of object/food bartering in Balinese macaques in relation to aggressivity, boldness, and dominance.
Bilise Kito, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Bilise is a fourth year General Science student streaming in Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology. Being in a general course, she has had the opportunity to work in diverse labs across the Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology departments. Projects that she has worked on include tissue culture cloning of Cannabis sativa plants, and scoring/analysis of behavioral data, including bird songs and object manipulation in monkeys.
In Summer 2019, Bilise's Independent Study in our lab, under Dr. Noëlle Gunst’s supervision, focused on the socio-cognitive abilities of Balinese long-tailed macaques stealing valuable objects from humans. To do so, she participated in the scoring of a large video-recorded data set available in our lab, analyzing the monkeys’ behavioral strategies, and considering variables such as personality, aggressivity, dominance (and sneakiness!).
Edwin Jada Lero, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Edwin is currently pursuing a B.Sc. in Neuroscience, with an interest in research.
She is mainly interested in studying neurons and glia interactions as signalling molecules, the neuronal pathways that are critical for cognitive functions, such as learning and memory, and animal cognition in general.
In Summer 2019, Edwin took part in her first Independent Study in our lab, under Dr. Noëlle Gunst’s supervision. Her research project focused on social cognition in Balinese long-tailed macaques.
Edwin participated in the scoring of a large video-recorded data set and analyzing the monkeys’ behavioral strategies when they steal valuable objects from humans, and then treat these objects as tokens in bartering interactions to obtain food rewards.
Courtney Derksen, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Courtney is in her fourth year of a B.Sc. in Psychology with a minor in Mental Health at the University of Lethbridge. She has many research interests, including mental health across the lifespan, adolescent psychology, personality, primate cognition, and social psychology.
As well, Courtney enjoys helping others and is currently a New Student Mentor at the University of Lethbridge. She also volunteers as a Crisis Responder with Kids Help Phone and has previously volunteered at Chinook Regional Hospital.
In Summer 2019, Courtney's Independent Study in our lab, under Dr. Noëlle Gunst’s supervision, focused on the socio-cognitive abilities of Balinese long-tailed macaques stealing valuable objects from humans. To do so, she participated in the scoring of a large video-recorded data set available in our lab, analyzing the monkeys’ behavioral strategies, and considering variables such as personality, aggressivity, dominance (and sneakiness!).
Kelsey Harkness, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Kelsey is in the final year of her BSc. in Neuroscience and Psychology, with a minor in Philosophy.
Her research interests include (1) how different developmental factors affect behaviour over the lifespan, specifically learning, and (2) how individuals cope with environmental stressors.
Kelsey has experience working in many departments of the University of Lethbridge, doing research, and assisting other students with their research projects. She hopes to transfer that knowledge into a Master’s degree.
In Fall 2018 and Spring 2019, Kelsey has worked with Sydney Chertoff on the video scoring of behavioural data of Balinese long-tailed macaques, with a focus on object manipulation.
Jessica Thiessen, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Jessica was born and raised in Calgary. She is a third-year student at the U of L pursing a B.Sc. in Psychology with a minor in Religious Studies. Her research interests include how human memory works in regards to people with Dementia and Alzheimer’s, and animal behaviour with specific interests in horses, bees and monkeys.
Jessica enjoys volunteering, and has been involved in the Rotary club since September of 2016, as well as with Family Community Support Services and the Food Bank.
She did two Independent Studies in our lab, under Dr. Noëlle Gunst’s supervision. First, in Spring 2018, she scored videos and analyzed data of sexual behavior in Japanese macaques. Second, in Spring 2019, she scored videos to explore the socio-cognitive strategies of Balinese long-tailed macaques stealing objects from humans.
Jessica Thiessen, also interested in... chickens' behavior
Kyla Funk, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Kyla is a 4th year student completing her B.Sc. degree with a major in psychology. She has an interest in studying non-human primates, particularly the acquisition and frequency of play behaviours and the development of fine motor skills and movements.
In Spring 2019, Kyla's current Independent Study in our lab, under Dr. Noëlle Gunst’s supervision, focused on the manipulation of symbolic tools and bartering exchange of Balinese long-tailed macaques. She was interested in the intra-individual and inter-individual behavioural differences which might be associated with different rates of success in robbing and bartering interactions. The behavioural differences she specifically explored included sex, age, dominance rank, aggressivity, boldness, and impulsivity.
Kyla currently works part time in the field of social work where she engages with developmentally disabled children. She assists in a community integration program which allows for all children to become an active member of their community through parallel, associative, and cooperative play.
Kyla plans to pursue a Master’s degree and continue studying play behaviours in non-human primates.
Hadyn Dresser, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Hadyn is in the last semester of his undergraduate degree at the U of L. Psychology is his major and he has complementary passions that revolve around wildlife research and animal care. He has related experience working with animals during his time in the pet care department at PetSmart and has taken courses such as Human-Animal Interactions and Animal Communication during his time in Lethbridge.
In Spring 2019, Hadyn's Independent Study in our lab, under Dr. Noëlle Gunst’s supervision, focused on the video analysis of object/food bartering in Balinese macaques in relation to aggressivity, boldness, and dominance.
After completing his degree Hadyn plans to spend a few years gaining experience in his field and has his sights set on obtaining his M.Sc. in a not so distant future. Primates, big cats, and many canine species are of particular interest to him.
Ghazal Singh, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Ghazal is in the final year of her undergraduate degree, majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology. She wishes to pursue a career in the medical field (specifically, naturopathic medicine). Ghazal has always had a desire towards holistic approaches of treatment and stimulating the mind, body, and brain to heal. This led her towards her Neuroscience and Psychology degree.
Throughout her undergrad, research has always stood out to Ghazal. After doing continuous Independent Studies in the Department of Neuroscience at the U of L, where her research was focused on laboratory rats, Ghazal wanted to be a part of a Psychology lab to gain more knowledge.
In Spring 2019, she scored videos in our lab, under Dr. Noëlle Gunst’s supervision, to explore the socio-cognitive strategies of Balinese long-tailed macaques stealing objects from humans.
Chloë India Wright, M.Sc. (Field Research Assistant)
Chloë is interested in the evolution of social behaviours, with a wider enthusiasm for primate behavioural and cognitive evolution more generally. Her broad interests are reflected in her varied research background. During her B.A.(Hons) in Anthropology from Durham University, UK, she undertook fieldwork in South Africa for a dissertation looking at handedness in samango monkeys, and assisted with a ‘giving-up densities’ experiment, which assessed risk perception and foraging decisions. She later returned to this field site to work on a conservation project which aims to mitigate the numbers of samangos killed on the roads in the area. Other projects she has worked on include a project investigating the predator avoidance strategies and alarm-calling behaviour of bald-faced saki monkeys in the Peruvian Amazon, and one looking into vocal communication in vervet monkeys.
Chloë gained a MSc from the University of Edinburgh in 2016, where her research was conducted with the captive squirrel monkey population at Edinburgh Zoo. Her thesis examined the role of individual differences in personality and social network position in participation and performance during a cognitive task.
From May to August 2018, she used this research experience to bring a great contribution to the data collection of stone handling behavior and experimentally induced stone tool use in free-ranging Balinese long-tailed macaques. Chloë hopes to return to primate research and continue with a PhD programme in the near future.
Photo: Chloë Wright doing what she likes most: Primate watching
Sidhesh Mohak, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Currently in his final year of undergraduate studies (majoring in Neuroscience), Sidhesh is aiming to pursue a career in medicine. The 20 year-old found his passion for helping others through his time at the Chinook Regional hospital (Lethbridge) where he has over 100 logged hours of volunteer work, and in the Dominican Republic where he went during the reading weeks, two years in a row to assist with free health clinics. He values his community greatly and also acted as the Chair of Athletics for the 2016 SASG, which were held in Lethbridge.
The brain and its behavioural outputs have always interested Sid, leading him towards a Neuroscience degree. Having taken a few undergraduate courses in animal psychology, Sid continued to show his interest in the field.
From September 2016 to December 2017, and under Dr. Noelle Gunst's co-supervision, Sid has conducted three Independent Studies in our lab, doing video analysis of object manipulative behavioral patterns in long-tailed macaques (with a focus on manual coordination, object selectivity, and tool use).
In Spring 2018, and under Dr. Afra Foroud's co-supervision, Sid did an Applied Study in our lab, investigating object play and tool use behaviors in young children at the Lethbridge Montessori School.
Samantha Tinworth, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Samantha is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Lethbridge with a major in biology. She has always had a keen interest in animal behaviour which stems from her love of the environment.
Her favourite past playground is the Sea of Cortez in the Baja California Sur, where she worked as a naturalist for a marine biology eco expeditions. During this time she had the chance to work with sea turtle conservationists, naturalists, and marine biologists. In the future she hopes to share her passion with others as an educator or pursue sustainability projects and animal behaviour research.
In Summer 2018, Samatha worked in our lab, under the guidance of our PhD student, Camilla Cenni, contributing to mining the video-recorded data set on object play, object exploration, complex foraging, and tool use in Balinese long-tailed macaques.
Corinne Adele Marshall, B.Sc. (Independent Study)
Corinne recently completed her bachelor of science in psychology from the University of Lethbridge. During her studies, she focused on courses related to the psychology of cultural development and memory. Additionally, she has course background in Indigenous Studies where she focused on courses related to Indigenous development and psychology.
Corinne is passionate about child development and racial relations. Her volunteer work and research interests reflect those passions. In the spring of 2018, Corinne volunteered for an Aboriginal Head Start program. She worked with children ages 3-5 in a classroom setting. Her primary duties were related to assisting her supervisor. Additionally, Corinne was responsible for providing redirection and social support for the kids when necessary.
In Summer 2018, Corinne’s research in our lab focused on whether (and, if so, to what extent) object play facilitates the development of tool use in children. Corinne’s goal is to pursue a master’s degree in child psychology.
Caleb Fernell, B.A. candidate (Independent and Applied Studies)
Caleb is finishing the last year of his undergraduate degree here at the University of Lethbridge, where he is completing his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy. In 2017 and 2018, he has spent three semesters working with me on various Independent Study and Applied Study projects, covering topics such as religious coping strategies, achievement goal theory/motivation, and understanding the role of creative arts in the healing process of Aboriginal communities. Caleb has also spent two years volunteering at Big Brothers Big Sisters working with at-risk youth to aid in the development of healthy lifestyles and to provide a positive influence.
Future plans for Caleb entail pursuing a master’s degree in educational/child clinical psychology at the University of Alberta, where he hopes to develop a learning platform that monitors the progression of individual skills using statistical tools to compare the scores of a given individual with both the average scores of the group, and the past scores of this individual. This project aims to re-evaluate the way trainers optimize skill development, which can then be applied to any learning task.
Caleb Fernell (foreground) handling a typically Canadian tool
Brittany Toth, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Brittany spent three years (2005-2008) working in construction, building furniture, and learning finishing carpentry. After finishing high school, she spent four years working in landscape construction. She entered the U of L in 2012 and will graduate in April 2018 with a BSc in Psychology.
She did two Applied Studies and one Independent Study under Dr. Afra Foroud’s supervision, who trained her to analyze movement for her research in the effects of Parkinson's disease and dance. Originally, Brittany’s interests were in sport psychology and post-injury recovery. However, after reading an article about a young Syrian family who mistook a loud bang on a bus (whose engine had broken down) for gun fire, she shifted her direction to research on trauma, PTSD, and TBI. After graduation, she plans on taking a few years off and then pursue her masters where she wants to incorporate carpentry and tactile therapy as a rehabilitative method in people who have suffered TBI and/or PTSD. She wants to work with young kids who have suffered TBI in sports as well as refugees, war vets, and first responders who have experienced and suffer from trauma.
In Spring 2018, Brittany worked with our PhD student, Camilla Cenni, on object play and tool use in Balinese long-tailed macaques, as she felt this was a valuable stepping stone for her future research and education.
Stephanie Blencowe, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Born and raised in Calgary, Stephanie entered the psychology program at the U of L upon completing high school. The diverse program allowed her to take a variety of courses, which led her to add a religious minor onto her degree. Her time in Lethbridge has also seen her engage with the broader community through volunteering with such organizations as the Lethbridge Family Centre.
Stephanie’s research interests center around human lifespan development: from traumatic to healthy youth development, to the environments and social structures that promote optimal cognitive functioning, the lifespan lens of psychology provides a wide breadth of research topics. The study of primate behavior is also of interest to her.
For her Independent Study in our lab in Spring 2018, Stephanie focused on object manipulation in monkeys under the guidance of our PhD student, Camilla Cenni. Her work included video scoring stone handling behavior in long-tailed macaques.
Caitlin Furby, B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Caitlin is currently in the final year of undergraduate studies (majoring in Statistics with a Concentration in Psychology). She is aiming to pursue a career in researching placebo effects in alternative medicine and the behavioral pull that drives individuals to choose alternative remedies. She has extensive knowledge in statistical analysis, machine learning, data mining and data recording software. Over the years, Caitlin has completed numerous independent studies, and self-motivated research ranging from artificial grammar learning, survival statistics, suicide and disease statistics in Canada and has designed iterative damage report maps pertaining to oil and gas leaks throughout Canada.
In Fall 2017 and Spring 2018, Caitlin has worked as a research assistant in our lab, using R to analyze large data sets pertaining to the stone handling behavior in Japanese macaques and Balinese long-tailed macaques, with an emphasis temporal structure in behavioral sequences.
Lilah Sciaky, B.A. (Field Research Assistant)
Lilah received a B.A. in Biology (2015) at Lewis & Clark College (USA). After working as part of the husbandry staff at the Duke Lemur Center (2014), she went on to manage a temporary field site for the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Germany).
At the field site in Parc National du Bafing (Mali), she investigated the ecology and cultural behavior of unhabituated chimpanzees. Lilah's research interests include novel tool use, learned behavior and social networks of non-human primates.
Following remote field work in Mali, Lilah worked as a field research assistant at the German Primate Center, University of Goettingen (Germany). This project focused on the role of hormones in bonding and cooperation in Barbary macaques at Affenberg Salem (Germany).
From May to August 2017, Lilah has worked in our team as a field research assistant in Ubud (central Bali). She investigated the social influence on the expression of stone handling behavior in long-tailed macaques, and is now participating in the analysis of the data she collected.
Photo: Lilah Sciaky NOT involved in an interaction with a long-tailed macaque at the Ubud Monkey Forest (Bali)
Stephanie Varsanyi, B.A./B.Sc. candidate (Lab Research Assistant)
Stephanie is a fourth year student at the University of Lethbridge, and is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Philosophy and Psychology. She has a wide range of research interests, including, but not limited to, adolescent psychology, criminal psychology, primate cognition, and sexual psychology of animals and humans.
In addition, Stephanie loves to volunteer, and is currently the membership representative for the campus psychology club and a program assistant for Environment Lethbridge. To keep up to date on her work, please follow her Twitter @steph_varsanyi.
In Fall 2017, as part of her Independent Study in our lab, under the co-supervision of Dr. Noëlle Gunst and Dr. Paul Vasey, Stephanie scored video-recorded data of sexual behavior in Japanese macaques to test the “functional hypothesis” of female-male mounting.
Jamie Schnell, B.Sc. (Lab Research Assistant)
Jamie received his B.Sc. in Psychology (2017) from the University of Lethbridge where he completed several independent studies and an honours thesis examining the placebo and the nocebo effect.
Placebo and nocebo effects are his primary area of interest, particularly examining the perceptual aspect of each and how the two may interact. Additionally, he has an interest in studying various forms of sexual deviancy. His intention is to pursue graduate studies with the ultimate goal of becoming a professor of psychology.
In September 2017, Jamie conducted a Research Assistantship in our lab, scoring video-recorded data pertaining to the stone handling behavior in Balinese long-tailed macaques, with an emphasis on testing the "sex toy" hypothesis via stone-assisted genital stimulation.
Photo: Jamie Schnell presenting his Honours Thesis after receiving the Psychology Gold Medal.
Photo: Amanda Maki (right) and Maddie (left), a program horse at LTRA
Amanda Maki, B.A. (Applied Study student)
Amanda is in her final few courses of her B.A in Psychology at the University of Lethbridge. Her research interests for her are primarily focused on forms of Animal-Assisted Therapy. After taking two courses with me (Human & Animal Personalities and Human-Animal Interactions), she found her passion for Animal-Assisted Therapy. Amanda wishes to pursue a career working with at-risk youth and rescued/abused animals, in a dual-rehabilitation type program. She demonstrates her passion through her work at a local veterinary clinic, as well as her volunteering at the Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding Association (LTRA).
From May to August 2017, Amanda conducted an Applied Study under my supervision, examining the effects of Equine-Assisted Therapy on children with different physical disabilities and psychological disorders.
Jessica Kim Sonmor, B.Sc. (Lab Research Assistant)
Currently in her final semester of B.Sc. in Psychology at the University of Lethbridge, Jessica has various research interests, including the mechanisms of non-conceptive sexual behaviors in monkeys, and the potential causes of allergies in animals, particularly dogs.
When she is not at the university, Jessica works at Rehoboth Christian ministries where she helps people with mental disabilities accomplish simple day-to-day goals and tasks. She is qualified as a practitioner.
After getting a Master’s degree, she wants to become a registered psychologist and work at the Lethbridge prison, in order to help those society has given up on, to hopefully decrease to recidivism rate.
In Spring 2017, she conducted an Independent Study in our lab, assisting with the video scoring of object manipulative behavioral patterns in Balinese long-tailed macaques, with a focus on stone-assisted masturbation behavior.
Photo: Jessica Sonmor, taking a break from the video analysis of stone-playing-monkeys
Emmanuel Ipaa, B.A. (Lab Research Assistant)
Currently in his final semester of B.A. in Psychology at the University of Lethbridge, Emmanuel found his passion for animal behavior research after taking several courses in our Department, related to social learning, culture, and communication in non-human animals. Part of his interest in animal behavior stems from his love for the outdoors and in nature in general.
In Spring 2017, he conducted an Independent Study in our lab, assisting with the video scoring of object manipulative behavioral patterns in Balinese long-tailed macaques.
He hopes this opportunity will help him pursue future animal behavior studies, including field research.
Photo: Emmanuel Ipaa "hunting bears with a spear in the Rockies" (and smiling at the idea of actually encountering one!).
Tatjana Kaufmann, M.Sc. (Lab Research Assistant)
During her M.Sc. in Psychology (2013-2016) at Saarland University (Germany), Tatjana explored key aspects of the development of physical and social cognition in preschool children from a cross-cultural perspective: she investigated a variety of problem-solving abilities, including tool use propensity and imitative tendencies in human children, before the beginning of formal education.
Tatjana's strong interest in social learning and tool use in humans and non-human primates led her to take on a field research assistant position at the German Primate Center, University of Goettingen (Germany): from March to December 2016, she participated in a research project exploring the emergence and evolution of prosocial behaviors and socio-cognitive strategies in the Barbary macaques of Affenberg Salem (Germany).
From January to April 2017, Tatjana has worked in our lab scoring videos of object manipulative behavioral patterns in Balinese long-tailed macaques, with a focus on stone-assisted masturbation behavior.
Photo: Tatjana Kaufmann (background) and her macaque study subjects (foreground) at Affenberg Salem
Silvana Sita, M.Sc. (Field Research Assistant)
After receiving a B.Sc. in Environmental Engineering (2011) at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), Silvana volunteered at two wildlife rescue/rehabilitation centers in British Columbia, Canada (2011/2012). Then she worked for 10 months (2012/2013) as a field research assistant at the Lomas Barbudal Capuchin Monkey Project in Costa Rica, directed by Dr. Susan Perry (UCLA), where she gained experience with Primatology and field data collection in primates. In April 2016, Silvana completed her M.Sc. in Psychobiology, under the supervision of Dr. Renata Ferreira, at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil). Her master's thesis focused on individual differences and post-release adaptation, and included the analysis of behavioral changes during different phases of enrichment, behavioral assessment via personality tests, and survival analysis.
From May to October 2016, Silvana has participated in the field data collection of stone handling behavior and extractive foraging activities by the Balinese long-tailed macaques of Ubud (central Bali). Along with Elenora, she focused on personality and social correlates.
Photo: Silvana Sita (next to the deer)
Molly Gilmour, B.Sc. (Field Research Assistant)
Molly did her undergraduate B.Sc. in Zoology at the University of Queensland, Australia. For her honours thesis, she studied social behavior in eastern grey kangaroos in Queensland. After graduating, she spent four months in Namibia studying the behavior of wild baboons as a research assistant on the Tsaobis Baboon Project. Then, she continued as a research assistant for a project studying the dynamics of fission-fusion social systems in wild giraffes at Etosha National Park, Namibia. In the future she hopes to continue studying animal behavior and gain a Ph.D. in the field of animal behavior.
In October 2016, Molly participated in the data collection of stone handling behavior and extractive foraging activities by the Balinese long-tailed macaques of Ubud (central Bali), focusing on personality and social correlates.
Photo: Molly Gilmour (in the sun) with her baboon subjects (staying in the shade)
Daniela Rodrigues, M.Sc. (Field Research Assistant)
Daniela received a B.Sc. in Biology (2012) from the Faculty of Science at the University of Lisbon (Portugal). Before starting her M.Sc. in Cognitive Sciences, Daniela had the opportunity to study parental behavior in captive chimpanzees at the Lisbon Zoo. Her master’s thesis focused on the development and evolution of language, comparing the acquisition of communicative gestures in chimpanzees and human infants.
From 2014 to 2016, Daniela was hired to collect behavioral data on red ruffed lemurs at Lagos Zoo (Portugal), as well as on mandrills and ring-tailed lemurs at Badoca Park (Portugal). In January 2015, she worked as a field research assistant at Fundació Mona (Spain) where she studied the effects of enculturation and social deprivation on chimpanzees’ communication.
In October 2016, Daniela participated in the data collection of stone handling behavior and extractive foraging activities by the Balinese long-tailed macaques of Ubud, focusing on personality and social correlates.
Photo: Daniela Rodrigues (foreground) with her ruffed lemur study subjects (background)
Montana Hull, M.Sc. (Field Research Assistant)
Montana gained her B.Sc. in Zoology from Aberystwyth University, Wales, in which she studied chimpanzee behavior as her dissertation. After being awarded a scholarship from Aberystwyth University, Montana continued on to doing a M.Sc. in Environmental Management. In 2015, upon completion of her master's degree, she successfully applied for an internship with Orangutan Foundation International, where she lived in Kalimantan, Indonesia, and Los Angeles, USA. She worked closely with Dr. Birute Galdikas and was involved with data collection on wild macaques. Additional to this, she has volunteered with primates in Borneo, Florida and Louisiana, as well as completed an internship at Chester Zoo, UK. In the future, Montana hopes to continue her study of primates and gain a Ph.D. in this area.
In September 2016, Montana participated in the data collection of stone handling behavior and extractive foraging activities by the Balinese long-tailed macaques of Ubud (central Bali), focusing on personality and social correlates.
Photo: Montana Hull following 2 long-tailed macaques at Ubud
Lucía Jorge Sales, M.Sc. (Field Research Assistant)
After a B.Sc. in Biology (2012) at the Universitat de Valencia (Spain), Lucía worked for 6 months (2013) as a keeper at Primadomus in Villena (Spain), an animal rescue center affiliated with the AAP Foundation. There, she gained experience working with chimpanzees, hamadryas baboons, pig-tailed macaques and long-tailed macaques. In 2015, Lucía received a M.Sc. in Primatology from the Universitat de Girona (Spain). During her master’s research, she used social network analysis as an indicator of welfare in captive groups of chimpanzees (housed in outdoor enclosures at Fundació Mona, a primate rescue center located near Girona, Spain) and wild groups of black howler monkeys (living in a fragmented forested area in southern México, where she worked in collaboration with the Instituto de Ecología – INECOL – near Villahermosa). In 2015-2016, she returned to México, where she participated in an environmental education project for the conservation of black howler monkeys.
From April to August 2016, Lucía has participated in the data collection of the object robbing and object/food bartering activities in the Balinese long-tailed macaques of Uluwatu. Along with Fany, she has focused on social network analysis and personality correlates.
Elenora Neugebauer, M.Sc. candidate (Field Research Assistant)
Elenora received her B.Sc. in Biology (2015) from the University of Würzburg (Germany). Her B.Sc. thesis focused on the raiding behavior in stinging ants, and was carried out at the Comoé Research Station in Ivory Coast. In 2011, she worked as a research assistant in the KiLi Project that explores biodiversity and ecosystem processes on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. In 2012, Elenora first experienced field primatology by taking part in the initial phase of the "Macaca Nemestrina Project", run by the Universiti Sains Malaysia in cooperation with the German Primate Center. She helped with the habituation of free-ranging pig-tailed macaques in Malaysia, by using telemetry. In 2013-2014, she completed an internship at the German Primate Center, where she investigated the role of canines in dominance relationships among male crested macaques.
In April 2016, Elenora has assisted Fany and Lucía with the data collection on the robbing/bartering activities in the long-tailed macaques from Uluwatu (south Bali). From May to August 2016, she has worked with Silvana and participated in the data collection of the stone handling and nut handling behaviors performed by the macaques from Ubud (central Bali), while being enrolled as a M.Sc. student in Ecology and Evolution at the Goethe University of Frankfurt (Germany).
Anna Holzner, M.Sc. (Field Research Assistant)
After a B.Sc. in Biology (2012) at the University of Munich (Germany), Anna received a M.Sc. in Applied Ethology and Animal Biology (2014) at Linköping University (Sweden). During her M.Sc., Anna studied dog personality (i.e., she compared the behavioral responses of different dog breed in test situations). Then, for one year, she gained experience as a field assistant in the "Macaca Nemestrina Project" run by the Universiti Sains Malaysia in cooperation with the German Primate Center investigating the behavior and ecology of habituated, free-ranging pig-tailed macaques in Malaysia.
From October 2015 to April 2016, Anna has participated in the data collection of the object robbing and object/food bartering activities in the Balinese long-tailed macaques of Uluwatu. Along with Fany, she has focused on social influences, developmental processes, and personality correlates.
Photo: Anna Holzner (right behind the kitten)
Riane Milan, B.A. (Lab Research Assistant)
From January to April 2015, Riane did an Independent Study in our lab during which she scored videos to establish the repertoire and explore the structure of stone handling behavior in the Balinese long-tailed macaques of Ubud, central Bali.
Along with Amanda Pelletier, she participated in documenting new stone handling patterns that had not been observed in the closely related species, Japanese macaques.
Research collaborations
Elsa Addessi, Ph.D.
(National Research Council of Italy,
Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies – ISTC, CNR,
Rome, Italy)
Elsa is a Research Scientist at the Unit of Cognitive Primatology and Primate Center of the ISTC-CNR. Her research focuses on comparative cognition. Specifically, she investigates decision making, symbolic reasoning, numerical cognition, social influences on individual learning, and feeding behavior in both non-human primates and human children.
Since 2018, Elsa and I have been collaborating on the object robbing and object/food bartering tradition in Balinese long-tailed macaques within the project “Development of an ecologically valid non-human primate model of gambling”, funded by the Alberta Gambling Research Institute.
Elisa Bandini, Ph.D.
Department for Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology
University of Tübingen, GERMANY
After a BA in Archaeology and an MSc in Osteoarchaeology, Elisa completed her PhD in primate social and individual learning at the University of Tübingen, Germany, in 2018.
Currently, Elisa is a postdoctoral researcher investigating the cognitive mechanisms behind the acquisition and sustenance of tool-use and object manipulation abilities across primate species.
Specifically, Elisa’s research focuses on captive and wild chimpanzees, capuchins and macaques, drawing insights from these species on the evolution of early hominin material and behavioural culture.
Elisa, Dr. Claudio Tennie, Dr. Michael Huffman, and I are working together on the mechanisms and evolution of stone play and stone tool use behaviors in the genus Macaca.
Maurizio Casarrubea, M.D., Ph.D.
(Institute of Human Physiology “Giuseppe Pagano”, Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), University of Palermo, Italy)
From 2005 to 2019 as Assistant Professor and from 2019 to present as Associate Professor, Maurizio has been serving at the Univerisity of Palermo, where he graduated with degrees in Medicine and Surgery, a specialization in Sport Medicine and a PhD in Neurosensorial Physiopathology. Prof. Casarrubea currently teaches Human Physiology in the School of Dentistry and in the School of Medicine and Surgery and coordinates the research activity in the Behavioral Physiology lab of Bi.N.D. Department. He has authored and co-authored numerous research papers, book chapters, and conference proceedings related to the study of anxiety-related behavior, the behavioral effects produced by the administration of psychoactive drugs and the application of different multivariate approaches in the study of movement and behavioral disorders. In addition, he regularly presents the results of his experiments to various congresses of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences. His current research activity is funded by the University of Palermo and is mainly focused on the application of multivariate approaches in the study of anxiety-related behavior in rodents and on the application of multivariate approaches in the study of various aspects of the behavior of non-human primates. He is member of the Mediterranean Neuroscience Society (M.N.S.) and of the Technologies of Knowledge Interdepartmental Center (C.I.T.C.), University of Palermo - Palermo, Italy.
Since 2018, Maurizio has been collaborating with several members of the Leca Lab on various research projects linking behavioral structure and function by using the T-Pattern analysis.
Mike is an Associate Professor in the section of Social Systems Evolution at the Primate Research Institute (Japan). His research focus includes social learning and cultural behaviors in primates and self-medication in humans and non-human animals.
Mike was my post-doctorate advisor from 2003 to 2005 and from 2007 to 2009 at the Kyoto University Primate Research Institute (Japan). We continue to collaborate on the stone handling research project in Japanese macaques and Balinese long-tailed macaques, as well as on other projects related to primate culture.
In 2012, Mike, Paul Vasey and I co-edited the book "The Monkeys of Stormy Mountain: 60 Years of Primatological Research on the Japanese Macaques of Arashiyama", Cambridge University Press.
Miquel Llorente, Ph.D.
(Department of Psychology, University of Girona, Catalonia, Spain)
Miquel is a comparative psychologist with expertise in primatology and animal behaviour. Most of his research experience has focused on the comparative study of different animal species — principally non-human primates, including great apes — in their natural environment, semi-free and captivity conditions. His research interest has been to understand the evolutionary and developmental bases of early childhood and the evolution of behaviour, cognition and sociality in humans. Some of the topics he is currently investigating include laterality and hand preferences, social learning and culture, communication, tool use and physical cognition, personality and emotions, social network analysis and socialisation, feeding ecology, psychopathology and the improvement of welfare and quality of life in non-human animals as a model of mental health in humans.
Since 2018, he has been a member of the ManyPrimates network (https://manyprimates.github.io/), a large-scale collaboration for the study of primate cognition that includes 12 institutions in 8 countries. Miquel actively participates as a lecturer in primatology, animal welfare and developmental comparative psychology at several forums and media. He collaborates with various research projects, animal rescue centres and conservation projects in Spain, Portugal, United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Mozambique, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Indonesia, and Canada. Miquel obtained his PhD in Psychology at the Universitat Ramon Llull (Barcelona, Spain) where he was awarded the «Special Doctorate Prize» for his doctoral dissertation and a BSc in Psychology at the Universitat de Barcelona (Spain). He conducted his doctoral work at Fundació MONA (www.fundaciomona.org), investigating manual laterality in chimpanzees. Miquel is currently the Scientific Director of IPRIM (www.institutprimatologia.com) and Fundació MONA. He is also an associate fellow at IPHES (www.iphes.cat), where, since 2009, he had been is a member of the Research Consolidated Group (SGR899-2017) investigating social, cultural, biological and cognitive evolution during the Pleistocene. Since 2020, he has been a researcher at the “Language and Cognition” Research Group at University of Girona. Since 2013, he has been the Director of the MSc in Primatology at the Universitat de Girona (www.masterprimatologia.com) and since 2014, the President of the Spanish Primatological Association (www.apespain.org).
Miquel is a Serra Húnter Fellow - Lecturer in the area of Basic Psychology at the Universitat de Girona, where he teaches courses on Psychobiology (BSc in Psychology), and on Basic and Developmental Psychology (BSc in Pedagogy, Education and Criminology). As the Director and lecturer of the MSc in Primatology at the Universitat de Girona, he has taught subjects related to animal behaviour and ethology, comparative cognition, animal welfare and scientific research tools and methods.
Since 2020, Miquel and I have been co-supervising Valeria Albanese in her study of the proximate links between object play and tool use in macaques, as part of her M.Sc. in Primatology at the University of Girona.
Jessica A. Mayhew, Ph.D.
Department of Anthropology and Museum Studies
Primate Behavior and Ecology Program
Central Washington University, WA, USA
Jessica is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Primate Behavior Program at Central Washington University.
As a primatologist, her interests are interdisciplinary and multi-faceted, and she draws on her anthropology, biology, and psychology training to explore questions about primate juvenility, social play, and sociocognition. She focuses primarily on macaques and large-bodied apes, namely chimpanzees and gorillas, but is easily convinced to work on compelling research questions with other primate species.
Since 2021, Jessica and I have been co-supervising Patricia Mitchell in her study of the mechanisms underlying the stone handling behavior of Balinese long-tailed macaques.
Charmalie Nahallage, Ph.D.
(University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka)
Charmalie is a Professor of Biological Anthropology. From 2003 to 2008, she did her MSc and PhD at the Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University (Japan) under Mike Huffman's supervision.
Since 2003, Charmalie and I have been collaborating on the stone handling research project in Japanese macaques and Balinese long-tailed macaques.
Sergio M. Pellis, Ph.D.
(Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge)
Sergio M. Pellis received his PhD in animal behavior/ethology in 1980 from Monash University, Australia. He spent 1982-1990 at the University of Illinois, Tel Aviv University and University of Florida where he received post-doctoral training in behavioral neuroscience and movement analysis. In 1990 he joined the University of Lethbridge, where he is a professor of animal behavior and neuroscience. A central focus of Sergio’s research is on the evolution, development and neurobiology of play behavior.
Since 2016, Serge has been collaborating and co-publishing with our lab on several research projects pertaining to the mechanisms and evolution of play behavior in general, and the culturally learned stone handling behavior of macaques in particular.
Anindya “Rana” Sinha, Ph.D.
(National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India)
Anindya is currently Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies and Adjunct Professor / Faculty at the Nature Conservation Foundation, Centre for Neuroscience of the Indian Institute of Science and National Centre for Biological Sciences, all in Bangalore, India, Cotton University in Guwahati, India and Honorary Research Fellow at the College of Humanities, University of Exeter in UK. He had earlier studied botany, with specialisation in cytogenetics, at the Calcutta University in Kolkata, India and earned a doctorate in molecular biology in 1993 from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, India, having worked on the biochemical genetics and molecular biology of carbohydrate metabolism in baker’s yeast.
Anindya’s early research concerned the behavioural biology of wasps, social cognition in macaques, classical genetics of human disease and the philosophy of human-nonhuman species relationships, which he studied at the Centre for Ecological Sciences of the Indian Institute of Science and the National Centre for Biological Sciences, both in Bangalore. His current research interests, which he has been involved in over more than two decades now, have, however, primarily been in the areas of animal behavioural ecology, cognitive ethology, evolutionary biology, population and behavioural genetics, urban animal studies – particularly of primates, ungulates and canids, philosophy of biology, and cultural and performance studies.
More specifically, Anindya’s current research programmes include the socioecology and cognitive biology of wild Indian macaques; behavioural biology of wild and captive Asian elephants; history and nature of elephant-mahout relationships; urban ecology of Indian cities and urbanisation of wild mammalian populations; philosophy of biology (particularly of the mind) as embodied in Western and Indian traditions; history and sociology of human and nonhuman performance – largely involving theatre and music – as well as the evolution of primate and elephant forms in India’s traditional art and sculpture. He is deeply interested in biology education and was instrumental in establishing a Master’s degree course in wildlife biology and conservation in Bangalore in 2001.
Rana and I met at the Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, in 2007. We are co-advising Dr. Arijit Pal’s postdoctoral research (2019-2021) on the mechanistic and evolutionary links between object play, extractive foraging, and tool use in several species of macaques in India.
Dr. John N. Telesford, DBA
(T. A. Marryshow Community College, St. George's, Grenada)
After completing a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) on the thesis titled: ‘Strategic sustainability and industrial ecology in an Island context, with considerations for a green economy roadmap: A Study in the tourist accommodation sector, Grenada’, John joined the T. A. Marryshow Community College as Lecturer and Associate Dean. He also has appointments as a Research Associate with the Institute of Island Studies (IIS), Prince Edward Island, Canada; Adjunct Graduate Supervisor with the University of Waterloo, Canada and is the Co-investigator and Principle Researcher for Grenada on the SSHRC sponsored project titled: Comparing small island states and sub-national island jurisdictions: Towards sustainable island futures. John considers himself to be an Island Researcher, with an academic and practical interest in Island Studies. His research focuses on the sustainable development of islands, using industrial ecology concepts and practices to measure and analyze resource flows- inputs such as imports and material extraction, material accumulation, and outputs, such as waste. The pressures that climate related events, such as extreme and frequent hurricanes and the threats of sea level rise (SLR) place on these flows underpins his research. His graduate student supervision includes three students from the University of Waterloo, that have conducted work on construction material flows and waste management in Grenada. John also has a keen academic and practical interest in the implementation and achievement of the sustainable development goals, especially in island states and jurisdictions. He guest edited a Virtual Special Issue titled: ‘The sustainable development goals: Underpinning and contributing to sustainability research’, in the Journal of Sustainability Research. He is also a member of the Technical Working Group, responsible for writing the Sustainable Development Plan for Grenada, 2020-2035. Sustainable island futures in all its dimensions, economic, social, environmental and political, guides his current research. John has published in journals such as ‘Sustainable Development’, ‘Journal of Industrial Ecology’ and the ‘Journal of Education and Development in the Caribbean’. He has two book chapters, one soon to be published in the book titled: ‘Climate change and development in Small Island Developing States.
Since December 2019, John, Noëlle and I have been collaborating on a SSHRC-funded research project titled: “Socioeconomic, cultural, and psychological drivers of wildlife perception and use in Grenada: Towards a sustainable human-nature coexistence”.
Claudio Tennie, Ph.D.
Department for Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology
University of Tübingen, GERMANY
After a diploma and PhD in behavioural biology, and after a postdoc phase (all at the MPI EVA in Leipzig, Germany), Claudio became a lecturer in psychology at the University of Birmingham, UK. In 2017, after self-retraining as a cognitive archaeologist, Claudio moved his group and his freshly-won "STONECULT" ERC grant to Tübingen, Germany – where he took on a permanent position in an archaeological department. The ultimate reason for his engagement in all these fields is his main research interest – the evolution of another type of inheritance: cultural inheritance. Here, it is especially the evolution of material culture that interests him. Given that humans have by far the most evolved material culture of all animals, his research focus led him to study across fields – including biological principles, anthropological and primatological studies, and archaeology.
Claudio, Dr. Elisa Bandini, Dr. Michael Huffman, and I are working together on the mechanisms and evolution of stone play and stone tool use behaviors in the genus Macaca.
Paul L. Vasey is a Professor of Psychology. He takes a cross-species and cross-cultural approach to the mechanisms and evolution of non-conceptive sex.
Paul was my post-doctorate advisor from 2011 to 2014 in the Department of Psychology at the University of Lethbridge. Paul and I published several papers on the development of sexual behavior in male and female Japanese macaques, as well as male and female homosexual behaviors in this primate species. We continue to collaborate on sex research projects in Japanese macaques (e.g., female-male mounting, female sexual orientation, hormonal correlates of female homosexual behavior, monkey-deer mounting, male masturbation, social and sexual interactions within all-male groups).
In 2012, Paul, Mike Huffman and I co-edited the book "The Monkeys of Stormy Mountain: 60 Years of Primatological Research on the Japanese Macaques of Arashiyama", Cambridge University Press.
Recent undergraduate students (Independent Studies and Applied Studies)
2021 (literature reviews)
- Makayla Arcand: "Maladaptive behaviors in extreme religious practices"
- Selena Boutilier: "Social media and personality disorders"
- Nicole Furlan: "How religious rituals reinforce the religious experience"
- Jamie Hackett: "Personality and the belief in supernatural fictional stories"
- Colette Mofakham: "Cross-cultural psychology of education"
2020 (literature reviews)
- Mollie Wyss-Mullins: "Gender and personality"
- Taylor Thomas: "Maladaptive religious practices"
- Christopher Fitzgerald: "Neurophysiology of religious experience"
2018 (literature reviews)
- Hayley Johnson: "Psychobiology of the belief in conspiracy theories"
- Makita Mikuliak: "Psychobiology of religious behaviour, OCD, and eating disorders"
- Caleb Fernell: "Goal achievement theory: Motivation and applications"
2017 (field studies and literature reviews)
- Caleb Fernell: "Evidence-based assessment of religious coping strategies"
- Ryan Fukuda: "The evolution of religious belief"
- Rosemary Boisson: "Integration of Syrian refugees into the Canadian Society"
2016 (questionnaire-based surveys and literature reviews)
- Ashna Prakash: "Many Gods'... many voices: Psychosis in the Hindu religion"
- Lauren Vomberg: "Statistical analysis of personality and degree of religiosity in Judaism"
- Lyndsay Tomm: "HEXACO personality traits and religiosity in a sample of undergraduate students"
- Nathan Grigg: "The importance of olfaction in New World vulture: A comparative neuroanatomical study"
- Lyndsay Tomm: “Personality and religious orientation”
- Samantha Lasante: “Personality and prejudice towards homosexuals”
- Jessica Vos: “Religiosity and prejudice towards homosexuals”
- Lauren Vomberg: “Personality and religious fundamentalism"
- Lindsay Tymchyna: “Personality of backpackers versus non-backpackers”
2015 (research and literature reviews)
- Amanda Pelletier: “Structure of the stone handling behavior in Balinese long-tailed macaques”
- Tracy Fillion: “A proximate perspective on religious behavior and belief: ontogenetic processes and causal mechanisms”
- Melissa McKinnon: “An ultimate perspective on religious behavior and belief: functional components and evolutionary history”