Wild Cognition Research

The Wild Cognition Research Group is run by Professor Alex Thornton at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation in the University of Exeter’s Penryn campus in Cornwall. We seek to understand how the challenges faced by animals (including humans) in their natural environments shape their mental processes, how the ability to learn from others affects the behaviour of individuals and groups, and how culture itself evolves.

Our current work focuses on cognition and behaviour in wild jackdaws, the cognitive requirements of cumulative culture in humans and the role of cognitive research in conservation.