Thore Jon Bergman

I am interested in social behavior and social cognition from an evolutionary perspective. My research on social cognition in primates focuses on the cognitive abilities that underlie social behavior. Specifically, I look at how dominance and family relationships structure primate social groups and then ask what do the members of these groups know about this structure? Ultimately, I am interested in the causal connections between sociality and cognition. I am also interested in vocal communication, primarily as it relates to other social behaviors. How do vocalizations mediate social interactions? What social factors might favor larger vocal repertoires? Much of my research addresses sexual selection, looking at how primates assess competitors and potential mates. Recently, I have become interested in hormone-behavior interactions. I use non-invasive hormone sampling as a way to both measure the physiological consequences of behavior and to assess potential determinants of behavior. Finally, I am interested in the ways that ecology shapes social systems and behaviors.