|
Studying cognitive processes in non-verbal subjects| title | Studying cognitive processes in non-verbal subjects |
|---|
| start_date | 2023/12/18 |
|---|
| schedule | 11h-12h |
|---|
| online | no |
|---|
| location_info | Conference room R229 |
|---|
| summary | In this rapid overview of my studies along years, I will illustrate how field observations have led me to investigating perception, brain functioning/plasticity and social cognition. I will try and illustrate how “ecological” settings may help developing additional questions about cognitive processes and individual cognitive abilities. My approach has been definitely comparative from birds to humans (infants, TSA children, actors) and also integrative, going from field populational data to neuronal responses. Non-verbal humans share with animal species the inability to use language and therefore to inform us directly about their perceptual and emotional world. In both cases, since behavior is a window on the internal state, observation of behavioral changes is a key for trying and understand not only how the information is processed, but also what their needs can be. Coding and decoding of information has therefore been at the core of the studies I developed with many collaborators from different disciplines on a variety of species, starting with the field study of vocal communication in a songbird (starling) and then a variety of species (dolphins, monkeys, cheetahs, dassies), and developing into looking at brain plasticity and responses in starlings at the neuronal level and horses (EEG) but also at the influences of early experiences and life conditions on social/communicative, perceptual and cognitive skills in a variety of mammal species (horses, pigs, dolphins, cheetahs, monkeys, human infants). I will also evoke how difficulties in decoding cues about the internal state of non-verbal individuals, especially when they experience a different perceptual world from their caretakers, may lead to welfare/rehabilitation issues. I have more lately been particularly interested on how welfare and cognition are interrelated, and how spontaneous models of “psychological disorders” may emerge when considering animal models in their home environment. A special emphasis will be given to attention and brain plasticity as both sources and results of social and non-social environmental influences on behavior. |
|---|
| responsibles | Agulhon, Cabrera, Kirsch |
|---|
Workflow history| from state (1) | to state | comment | date |
|---|
| submitted | published | | 2023/12/11 14:01 UTC |
| |
|