Research Interests
I am a Professor in the Psychology and Philosophy Department at Sam Houston State University. The time I spent at Gombe National Park, Tanzania (Africa), observing chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) from the Kasekela community, shaped the way I view the primate mind, communication in human and non-human animals, and the methods we use to study social cognition. During my time at Gombe I was able to observe the profound effects of the absence of the mother on two orphan adolescent infants. Observing these effects I became deeply interested in the essential elements present in the mother-infant interaction that have an effect in the development of the infant. I believe that touch is one of the ways we can measure this interaction; through touch, human and non-human mothers can help infants develop joint attention and basic emotions at an early age. Understanding the moral status of chimpanzees became inescapable after spending time with them. In particular, I am interested in the relationship between research and the moral status of chimpanzees.
Here is a piece I recently wrote for Aeon/Psyche that provides an overall description of my main area of work
Chimpanzees Correct Cultural Biases About How Good Mothers Behave. Aeon/Psyche
This is an interview with Dr. Michael Stephenson, Provost SHSU, where I discuss my approach to teaching and how teaching is influenced by my research
Here is a piece I recently wrote for Aeon/Psyche that provides an overall description of my main area of work
Chimpanzees Correct Cultural Biases About How Good Mothers Behave. Aeon/Psyche
This is an interview with Dr. Michael Stephenson, Provost SHSU, where I discuss my approach to teaching and how teaching is influenced by my research
Current Projects
One of my current research project focuses on the effects that stress and personality type (i.e. individual behavioral differences that are relatively stable in time and across contexts) has on the cognitive performance of dogs (Canis familiaris). When studying personality types, the goal is to understand how different individuals in the same population may adopt individual behavioral strategies in specific environments. Recent experimental studies have focused on determining the primary personality traits of dogs but little attention has been paid to whether and how personality traits affect problem-solving performance. In the current study, our aim is to fill this gap and investigate the relationship between personality traits and problem-solving performance
Dog Cognition Lab Website
Here is an interview from Today @ SAM that describes the project
© Maria Botero
Dog Cognition Lab Website
Here is an interview from Today @ SAM that describes the project
© Maria Botero