Objective
In his book “The Descent of Man” (1871), Darwin suggested that differences between human and animal intelligence is a matter of degree, not of kind. Since then, it has been empirically proven that Humans share common cognitive attributes but also exhibit complex cognitive skills not demonstrated by other primates. A crucial question in comparative cognitive research is whether these species differences in cognitive abilities correlate with differences in ecological and social factors. The social intelligence hypothesis suggests that an increase in social complexity drove the evolution of cognitive flexibility in primates. Comparisons using established cognitive tests between species that live in social systems of differing social complexity offer the strongest test of the social intelligence hypothesis but these comparisons are lacking. To fill this gap, ´Macacognitum´ will challenge the social intelligence hypothesis and will use a unique approach by comparing the cognitive skills of macaque species of different social tolerance grades using a large comprehensive test battery for comparative cognition. According to the theory, we should observe different set of cognitive abilities between the macaques. In particular, given their similar life history and diet, but different social styles, we expect macaques with a greater social tolerance to display greater skills in the social domain. Here, the integration of comparative psychology and evolutionary biology will: 1) help understand the evolutionary history of cognitive traits in a primate monophyletic group and 2) examine the differential influence of social style on cognition of closely related species. This project proposes a unique approach that has the potential to greatly improve our understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of human and non-human primate intelligence.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy primatology
- humanities history and archaeology history
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
- social sciences psychology
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
PO1 2UP Portsmouth
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.