Brain, Behavior, and the Emergence of Cognitive Competence

A program-project grant supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD-38051)

Research Updates:

B2EC2 RESEARCHERS IN THE NEWS

J. David Smith and David Washburn were featured in the January 2006 issue of the Monitor on Psychology (published by the American Psychological Association) for their research into psychological aspects of baggage screening. This article can be found at:
http://www.apa.org/monitor/jan06/screening.html

Dr. David Washburn has edited a book entitled "Primate Perspectives on Behavior and Cognition." This book brings together a number of excellent papers by participants in the 2002 festschrift for Duane Rumbaugh. The book will be published by APA, and it is due out in July of this year.

Congratulations to Dr. Dorothy Fragaszy! Dr. Fragaszy is a recent recipient of a Fulbright Award.

In 2003, Duane Rumbaugh and David Washburn published Intelligence of Apes and Other Rational Beings (Yale University Press). In addition to recounting Rumbaugh's many important findings in the field of comparative psychology while working with nonhuman primates, the authors also promote a new view of behavior called rational behaviorism. To buy the book from Amazon.com, click here.

Rumbaugh also co-authored Animal bodies, human minds: Ape, dolphin, and parrot language skills (Plenum Publishing) with William Hillix in which they chronicled attempts to teach various language skills to nonhuman animals and promoted a greater sense of responsibility by humans for the protection of these animals. To buy the book from Amazon.com, click here.

David Smith, Wendy Shields, and David Washburn were featured in The Washington Post article "Monkeys, dolphin say "I don't know" (November 27, 2003). An online version of this article is here.

Michael Beran was featured in the New Scientist article "Chimps remember how to play the numbers game for years" (November 15, 2003).

Duane Rumbaugh was featured on the Paula Gordon Show in the segment entitled "Origins of creativity" (November 13, 2003). This program can be accessed here.

Charles Menzel was featured in the National Geographic News Service article "Scientists rethinking nature of animal memory." An online version of this article is here.

Michael Beran and Charles Menzel were featured in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, Australia), and Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, NY) article "Chimps have math and verbal skills" (June 2, 2003). An online version of this article is here.