Ben Basile Email & Phone Number

I study memory and social cognition in nonhuman animals. My memory studies answer questions about metamemory, recollection, rehearsal, and cognitive control. My social cognition studies answer questions about why individuals find social situations rewarding. The bulk of my previous research has been with nonhuman primates, but my current goal is to move into work with food-caching birds, so that I can answer more nuanced questions about the evolution of cognition in species that are highly accessible to undergraduate researchers. I primarily use behavioral manipulations to thoroughly map the psychology of these cognitive processes and, where appropriate, combine this solid behavioral foundation with selective excitotoxic lesions or temporary inactivations to identify the neural substrates of these cognitive processes. My research answers fundamental questions about the evolution of cognition.

Listed skills include Animal Behavior, Research Design, Statistics, Psychology, and 25 others.