Researchers
Maria Botero Ph.D. (PI)
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 animal 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 am now interested in exploring similar questions in dogs (Canis familiaris), in particular, the effects that stress and personality type has for the cognitive performance of dogs. 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 |
Ryan Springs (Undergraduate R.A)
Ryan is a undergraduate student pursuing a degree in communication studies & psychology at SHSU. He is currently conducting research within the three labs that relate to personality, cognitive memory, and dog cognition. Among these endeavors, he's currently working on an honors thesis with Dr. Botero to uncover behaviors associated with environment stimuli when stress is present. Within his community, he serves as the co-chair to the CHSS Ambassador program and is an active listener for the SHSU Volunteer helpline. |