Language and Comparative Cognition
We are interested in studying whether human complex cognitives abilities, such as those involved in language and music processing, might have emerged from sensitivities already present in other species. We tackle this issue using a combination of experimental techniques and populations that include human adults and infants, and non-human animals. Our aim is to understand what is uniquely human and what is shared with other animals.
We are part of the Center for Brain and Cognition.
Our studies have been widely covered in the media. For a brief summary you can take a look at these press releases:
An APA Spotlight article on the processing benefits of consonance in animals here.
Consonance processing here.
Meter induction in the spatial domain here.
Isochrony detection by rats here. This paper was the Featured Article in the February 2020 issue of the Journal of Comparative Psychology.
On September 29th-30th 2016 we hosted the Beyond Language Learning Workshop.