Research description
My research interests fall broadly into the areas of learning and cognition. I am interested in understanding how animals solve ecologically relevant problems they encounter in the wild. In my comparative cognition lab, we use the Indian mynah, also known as the common myna, a highly invasive and urbanized social songbird, to explore the mechanisms of individual and social learning. Mynahs are also remarkably innovative in the foraging context, so they provide the opportunity to explore relationships between foraging innovation, ecological success and urbanization using both captive and field experimental approaches. We are also comparing the performance of mynahs to a variety of other native and non native Australian bird species. Our findings provide important information into the cognitive and ecological attributes of a highly invasive avian species. As such, they allow us to test theoretical models of animal cognition, but also to inform the development of wildlife management strategies for avian pests. My work in comparative cognition extends to humans, in whom, together with social psychologist, Dr Stefania Paolini (School of Psychology, University of Newcastle), I am exploring the role of individual and social learning in the development of inter-ethnic anxiety using psycho-physiological measures (SCRs) of learning. Finally, my human research is investigating how evaluative conditioning can shape our likes and dislikes.
Biography
I completed an Undergraduate Degree in Biology at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland in 1994. After studying Animal Behaviour at the University of Zurich, where I worked on foraging behaviour of Japanese macaques with Drs Charles Menzel and Lorenz Gygax, I went on to complete a MSc (1998) at the University of Geneva, working with Prof Etienne on the integration of path integration and visual landmark information in the golden hamster. I then moved Downunder to work on learning of predator avoidance behaviour in tammar wallabies, a native Australian marsupial and completed a PhD at Macquarie University under the supervision of Prof Chris Evans in 2002. As a Swiss National Science Foundation fellow, I then moved to McGill University, Canada, to work with Prof Louis Lefebvre on learning and cognition in carib grackles and zenaida doves in Barbados, a line of research I have continued since returning Downunder as a Australian Research Council funded postdoctoral fellow in 2006. Since then, in addition to having had two wonderful daughters in 2004 and 2007, I have established a well-resourced research facility for work on Indian mynahs. In addition to my own research questions and those of my students, I have collaborated with Dr Dani Sol from the Autonomous University of Barcelona on the role of cognition in the invasive success of Indian mynahs, and more recently, with Prof Charles Watson (Curtin University) and Dr Chris Dayas (University of Newcastle) on neural correlates of cognition in mynahs. In 2009, I finally packed away my suitcase and took up a lectureship in Psychology at the University of Newcastle, where I teach Advanced Learning and Perception. http://www.newcastle.edu.au/staff/research-profile/Andrea_Griffin/
My research interests fall broadly into the areas of learning and cognition. I am interested in understanding how animals solve ecologically relevant problems they encounter in the wild. In my comparative cognition lab, we use the Indian mynah, also known as the common myna, a highly invasive and urbanized social songbird, to explore the mechanisms of individual and social learning. Mynahs are also remarkably innovative in the foraging context, so they provide the opportunity to explore relationships between foraging innovation, ecological success and urbanization using both captive and field experimental approaches. We are also comparing the performance of mynahs to a variety of other native and non native Australian bird species. Our findings provide important information into the cognitive and ecological attributes of a highly invasive avian species. As such, they allow us to test theoretical models of animal cognition, but also to inform the development of wildlife management strategies for avian pests. My work in comparative cognition extends to humans, in whom, together with social psychologist, Dr Stefania Paolini (School of Psychology, University of Newcastle), I am exploring the role of individual and social learning in the development of inter-ethnic anxiety using psycho-physiological measures (SCRs) of learning. Finally, my human research is investigating how evaluative conditioning can shape our likes and dislikes.
Biography
I completed an Undergraduate Degree in Biology at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland in 1994. After studying Animal Behaviour at the University of Zurich, where I worked on foraging behaviour of Japanese macaques with Drs Charles Menzel and Lorenz Gygax, I went on to complete a MSc (1998) at the University of Geneva, working with Prof Etienne on the integration of path integration and visual landmark information in the golden hamster. I then moved Downunder to work on learning of predator avoidance behaviour in tammar wallabies, a native Australian marsupial and completed a PhD at Macquarie University under the supervision of Prof Chris Evans in 2002. As a Swiss National Science Foundation fellow, I then moved to McGill University, Canada, to work with Prof Louis Lefebvre on learning and cognition in carib grackles and zenaida doves in Barbados, a line of research I have continued since returning Downunder as a Australian Research Council funded postdoctoral fellow in 2006. Since then, in addition to having had two wonderful daughters in 2004 and 2007, I have established a well-resourced research facility for work on Indian mynahs. In addition to my own research questions and those of my students, I have collaborated with Dr Dani Sol from the Autonomous University of Barcelona on the role of cognition in the invasive success of Indian mynahs, and more recently, with Prof Charles Watson (Curtin University) and Dr Chris Dayas (University of Newcastle) on neural correlates of cognition in mynahs. In 2009, I finally packed away my suitcase and took up a lectureship in Psychology at the University of Newcastle, where I teach Advanced Learning and Perception. http://www.newcastle.edu.au/staff/research-profile/Andrea_Griffin/
Current address
School of Psychology
University of Newcastle
Callaghan
2308 NSW
Australia
ph: +61 (0)2 4921 7161
fax: +61 (0)2 4921 6308
email: andrea.griffin@newcastle.edu.au
School of Psychology
University of Newcastle
Callaghan
2308 NSW
Australia
ph: +61 (0)2 4921 7161
fax: +61 (0)2 4921 6308
email: andrea.griffin@newcastle.edu.au
