THE PRIMATE MIND:
BUILT TO CONNECT WITH OTHER MINDS

Directors of the Workshop:

Frans B. M. DE WAAL (Emory University) and Pier Francesco FERRARI (Università di Parma)

PURPOSE OF THE WORKSHOP

Survival in complex societies requires advanced cognition in order to understand the actions and intentions of others, to synchronize and coordinate activities, to anticipate the behavior of others, and to learn from others. The remarkable social sophistication of the primates (including humans) is reflected in their communication, cooperation, power politics, empathic capacities, altruistic behavior, imitation, and cultural differentiation.

This workshop will pursue a bottom-up perspective, looking for constituent capacities that underlie larger social phenomena. There has been a tendency to focus exclusively on these larger phenomena, asking all-or-nothing questions, such as whether primates possess a theory of mind, have self-awareness, or have culture. A bottom-up approach rather asks what are the underlying cognitive processes, some of which may be very basic and widespread and emerge early in development. How do primates perceive and interpret each others’ motor actions, how do they perceive and interpret each other’s emotional states and situations, and how does this information in turn influence complex social interaction? Which are the developmental landmarks of these processes? Are there neural structures and mechanisms that underpin all of these processes?

Scientists from a variety of fields will address these problems employing different approaches and tools of analysis, ranging from observation, experimentation, developmental psychology, and neuroimaging. Thus, ethologists, primatologists, psychologists, and neuroscientists will interact with the intent to produce a coherent comparative framework of the mechanisms that make up the primate mind, especially as it relates to understanding of and interacting with others.
Sessions will cover the following five themes:

1) Motor mimicry, imitation, and tool use,
2) Emotional contagion and empathy,
3) Understanding of others and perspective-taking,
4) Communication and perception of emotions, and
5) Altruism and cooperation.

Around each of these themes, speakers with different backgrounds will interact.

A limited number of young scientists and students will be selected to offer brief oral presentations. A poster session will allow further scientific contributions by participants.

During the workshop, a one-day trip to the Greek temple is scheduled for all participants.

SPONSORS

Funding for the present meeting, which has been approved by the Erice Center, will come from the Italian government, participant registration, and sponsorship by the Living Links Center of the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University, in Atlanta, and the University of Parma, in Italy.