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laboratory of
comparative ethology
|
Stephen Suomi, PhD,
Chief The Laboratory of Comparative Ethology (LCE)
carries out a program of basic biobehavioral research that investigates cognitive,
social-emotional, and biological development in humans and in nonhuman
primates. The LCE is especially interested in characterizing and
understanding normative patterns of development in order to identify
particularly recurrent or unusual patterns and to evaluate their consequences
with respect to established norms. To characterize the developmental
trajectories of individuals across a broad range of species, populations, and
settings, the laboratory studies both genetic and environmental factors and
their several interactions from a comparative perspective. Field and
laboratory studies of biobehavioral development in nonhuman primates are
designed to facilitate comparisons with findings from long-term prospective
investigations of human infants and their families and with data obtained by
neuroscience techniques, thereby promoting translational analyses. Most
studies rely on longitudinal designs in order to address basic issues of
continuity versus change and relative stability of individual differences
throughout development. Stephen Suomi and
his colleagues in the Section on
Comparative Behavioral Genetics investigate biological and behavioral
development in selected nonhuman primate species, with a special focus on studying
interactions between genetic and environmental factors that affect the course
of individual developmental trajectories throughout the lifespan. John Newman’s
group, the Unit on Developmental
Neuroethology, uses neuroscience techniques to study brain mechanisms
involved in the production of various types of primate vocalizations, to
examine subtle acoustical differences in these characteristic calls, and to
investigate the calls’ specific functions in several primate species. Marc Bornstein’s
group, the Child and Family Research
Section, examines cognitive, language, and social-emotional development
in human infants, children, and adolescents with special emphasis on the
relationships among early attentional processes, social stimulation from and
interactions with caregivers, and subsequent cognitive and social behavioral
capabilities. Michael Lamb heads the Section on Social and Emotional
Development, which studies the effects of types of caregiving practices
on human infant and toddler social and emotional development and cognitive
competence. The section devotes particular attention to longitudinal
approaches that transcend infancy, childhood, and adolescence and to
process-oriented studies of interactional styles, memories, and social
perceptions. |