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SUMMARY:Dynamic relationships between social connections and information t
 ransmission - Dr Ipek Kulahci (University of Notre Dame)
DTSTART:20210528T170000Z
DTEND:20210528T180000Z
UID:TALK159412@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Julian Siebert
DESCRIPTION:*Abstract* \n\nAnimal social connections play a major role in 
 health\, survival\, and fitness. Individuals display selectivity in their 
 social connections by interacting with some\, but not all\, of their group
  members. These selective connections determine the overall group structur
 e and have consequences for a variety of population-level processes\, incl
 uding how information is transmitted between individuals. In this talk\, I
  will present results from experimental and observation studies on animal 
 cognition and social behavior\, with the goal of addressing the causes and
  the consequences of these selective connections. In particular\, I will s
 how that there are dynamic relationships between social connections and in
 formation transmission\, and that these dynamics are driven by selective a
 ttention and selective communication. For example\, when faced with a nove
 l foraging task\, the members of a primate species (ring-tailed lemur) and
  a bird species (common raven) observed and learned from the group members
  with whom they shared strong social bonds (bonds were quantified based on
  affiliative behaviors such as grooming before experiments started). Intri
 guingly\, the individuals who were frequently observed while solving the t
 ask received more affiliative behaviors after the experiment than they did
  before. This suggests that individuals who successfully learn and use nov
 el about their environment become valuable social partners\, who then beco
 me highly connected when group members preferentially interact with them. 
 Hence\, social connections can both influence and be influenced by informa
 tion transmission\, leading to a feedback-based dynamic relationship betwe
 en the two. Furthermore\, social connections also influence communication 
 patterns\; for example\, lemurs preferentially respond to the vocalization
 s of the group members with whom they share strong social bonds. Overall\,
  these relationships between selective attention\, communication\, and soc
 ial connections have the potential to change our understanding of social e
 volution\, including how selection acts on behavior\, and how sociality in
 fluences population-level processes such as the spread and the persistence
  of novel behaviors. \n\n*Biography*\n\nI am a biologist who is driven by 
 the desire to understand animal behavior by exploring their social behavio
 r\, communication\, and cognition. I earned my Bachelor of Science degree 
 in Biological Sciences with honors from Stanford University\, my Master of
  Science from the University of Arizona\, and my Ph.D. from Princeton Univ
 ersity. After obtaining my Ph.D.\, I completed a postdoc at University Col
 lege Cork and I am now at the University of Notre Dame. I enjoy pursuing q
 uestion-driven research\, and this approach has allowed me to work with a 
 wide range of taxa including insects (bumblebees and butterfly species)\, 
 birds (Florida scrub-jays\, ravens\, crows\, great tits\, blue tits\, and 
 peacocks)\, and mammals (ring-tailed lemurs\, savannah baboons\, rhesus mo
 nkeys\, and wolves) in multiple continents including Africa\, Asia\, Europ
 e\, and North America. In addition to animal behavior\, I am completely fa
 scinated with astronomy and astrobiology\, and was a research associate at
  SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center. Also\, I am the founder and
  the editor of “Animal Cognition Network”\, which includes an extensiv
 e bibliography of scientific evidence on animal minds and emotions. My int
 erests include spending time with animals\, nature and wildlife photograph
 y\, equestrian sports\, and outdoor sports. More information can be found 
 on my "website":http://www.ipekkulahci.com/\n\nRegister "here":https://wol
 fson-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUldeqtqjMuHNxIlhMOJERPk7BT4Lzmao
 L_\n
LOCATION:Wolfson College Zoom meeting
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