Welcome to SFB 1528 - Cognition of Interaction
Strategic mate choice in Guinea baboons
A study by SFB members Will O'Hearn, Julia Fischer and colleagues reveals that female Guinea baboons court males more intensively when they show special foraging abilities. The study was conduced with captive groups in Nuremberg Zoo as well as habituated, free-ranging groups at our field site Simenti in Senegal. For the study, one male per group were taught to operate a special food box that only they could open. This allowed them to provide a valuable food source to their group. During this phase, there was a clear increase in the females' attention: they spent more time with these “specialized” males, groomed them more intensively, and behaved more aggressively towards other females in their group. Interestingly, this behavior decreased again after the food box was removed. This suggests that the females did not change their behavior based on a fundamental assessment of the male's abilities, but rather responded in the short term to the benefits they received from him.
To the Press release
Second part of the panel discussion series "Interaktion neu denken" on the topic of equal opportunities
On February 27, the second part of our panel discussion series took place in the Alte Mensa am Wilhelmsplatz. We wanted to talk with our experts and guests about "Gleichstellung der Geschlechter - wie man althergebrachte Hürden überwindet". Unfortunately, the event fell right into the height of the influenza season, and we had to deal with a number of last minute cancellations. But we were lucky and our guest, Dr. Andrea Löther from the GESIS in Köln and host Elena Everding (Göttinger Tageblatt) spontaneously agreed to rework the program on the fly and hold a fireplace chat on stage. Our special thanks go out to to panelists for their spontaneity - based on the feedback from the audience and the length of the applause, the changed format was well received and the many insights were much appreciated. Also from the entire SFB, once again THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Keeper or corner? How the brain enables flexible decisions
Our brain is remarkably flexible in producing different reactions to supposedly comparable situations. The same sensory information can lead to different decisions depending on the behavioral context. One example of this is a penalty kick in soccer: a player can either choose the empty corner of the goal as the target or aim directly at the goalkeeper in the hope that he will jump aside. Both decisions are based on the same perception of the goalkeeper's position, but lead to completely different actions. A team led by SFB speaker Alexander Gail investigated how the brain implements this type of flexibility. Their results show that, depending on the requirements, our brain either reuses known neural pathways or develops new patterns to select movements depending on the context. Thus, goal-directed behavior and cognitive flexibility can be achieved in different ways, depending on the circumstance that made the flexible adaptation of behavior necessary. The findings help to understand why it is more difficult to adapt to some new situations than to others - whether in social interactions or motor tasks
To the Press release
„Interaktion neu denken“ – Panel discussion series organised by SFB 1528
Science is characterized by intense exchange and interaction among researchers, staff, students, and study participants. Scientific discourse and everyday life are based on a multitude of habits, norms and rules - often unwritten and unspoken. For people who are unfamiliar with these requirements and expectations, who are unable or unwilling to meet them, or who fail to recognize certain signals, the result is often an invisible barrier to a more diverse scientific community. In a three-part panel discussion series, SFB 1528 will explore the reasons that prevent people from participating equally in research and how we can all contribute to breaking down barriers in order to achieve greater diversity. Participants will represent affected people and stakeholders, as well as researchers working on the topic. All events will be moderated by Elena Everding of the Göttinger Tageblatt. All interested persons are cordially invited. Admission is free!
More information about the events can be found on our website
Prof. Alexander Gail
Sensorimotor Neuroscience & Neuroprosthetics
University of Göttingen & German Primate Center Göttingen
Kellnerweg 4,
37077 Göttingen
Tel.: +49-551-3851-358 ContactDr. Christian Schloegl
Kellnerweg 4,
37077 Göttingen
Tel.: +49-551-3851-480
Contact