Among both diverse human populations and non-human primates, HEB research on behavioral biology and culture applies evolutionary theory to understanding distinctive aspects of behavior, cognition, and motivations using a full range of methods drawn from across the biological and social sciences, including field observation, experimental tools, biological sampling, ethnographic techniques, comparative approaches and mathematical modeling.
Major research topics include:
- Behavioral ecology of chimpanzees
- Evolution of human diet, including consequences of food-processing
- Evolution of violence
- Cognitive evolution in humans and other primates
- Comparative cognitive development across the lifespan
- Canids as a comparative model for primate evolution
- Behavioral biology of mother’s milk in humans and primates
- Parental care and infant behavior in mammals
- Comparative development of personality & temperament
- Evolution and development of capacities for social learning
- Cultural evolution, including technology, kinship, religion, and marriage
- Evolution of social status, including prestige, dominance and leadership
- Evolution and development of cooperation, prosocial motivations and norms
- Human psychological diversity
- Gene-culture coevolution