
Simon Reader
Associate Professor,McGill University
Department of Biology
E-mail: simon.reader@mcgill.ca
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ResearchI study the causes and consequences of innovation and social learning in animals and humans. In particular, I have been looking at: (i) the neuro-cognitive processes underlying the creation and acquisition of novel behaviour patterns (ii) the diffusion dynamics of acquired information (iii) the relationship between asocial and social learning (iv) the causes of individual, population and species-level variation in innovation and social learning propensities (v) the role of innovation and social learning in brain evolution (vi) the evolutionary consequences of behavioural flexibility and the active role of behaviour in evolution.QCBS studentsPaul SimsPh.D. Maria CreightonM.Sc. Raina FanM.Sc. Wyatt ToureM.Sc. Ivon VassilevaM.Sc. Previous students (since 2009)Mélanie GuiguenoPostdoctoral fellow Pierre-Olivier MontiglioPostdoctoral fellow Adam ReddonPostdoctoral fellow Sarah TurnerPostdoctoral fellow Relevant QCBS research themesExamples of species studiedMacaca fascicularis Poecilia reticulata Publications72- Social information use Morand-Ferron J , Doligez B , Dall S , Reader S , 2019 Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior (Date Added: 2020-02-21) 71- An Open Resource for Non-human Primate Imaging Milham M P , Ai L , Koo B , Xu T , Amiez C , Balezeau F , Baxter M G , Blezer E L , Brochier T , Chen A , Croxson P L , Damatac C G , Dehaene S , Everling S , Fair D A , Fleysher L , Freiwald W , Froudist-Walsh S , Griffiths T D , Guedj C , Hadj-Bouziane F , Ben Hamed S , Harel N , Hiba B , Jarraya B , Jung B , Kastner S , Klink P C , Kwok S C , Laland K N , Leopold D A , Lindenfors P , Mars R B , Menon R S , Messinger A , Meunier M , Mok K , Morrison J H , Nacef J , Nagy J , Rios M O , Petkov C I , Pinsk M , Poirier C , Procyk E , Rajimehr R , Reader S M , Roelfsema P R , Rudko D A , Rushworth M F , Russ B E , Sallet J , Schmid M C , Schwiedrzik C M , Seidlitz J , Sein J , Shmuel A , Sullivan E L , Ungerleider L , Thiele A , Todorov O S , Tsao D , Wang Z , Wilson C R , Yacoub E , Ye F Q , Zarco W , Zhou Y , Margulies D S , Schroeder C E , 2018 Neuron (Date Added: 2018-10-24) 70- Wild and laboratory exposure to cues of predation risk increases relative brain mass in male guppies Reddon A R , Chouinard-Thuly L , Leris I , Reader S M , 2018 Functional Ecology (Date Added: 2018-07-15) 69- Primate Brain Anatomy: New Volumetric MRI Measurements for Neuroanatomical Studies Navarrete A , Blezer E , Pagnotta M , de Viet E , Todorov O , Lindenfors P , Laland K , Reader S , 2018 Brain, Behavior and Evolution (Date Added: 2018-06-24) 68- Developmental plasticity of the stress response in female but not in male guppies Chouinard-Thuly L , Reddon A R , Leris I , Earley R L , Reader S M , 2018 Royal Society Open Science (Date Added: 2018-03-27) 67- Coevolution of cultural intelligence, extended life history, sociality, and brain size in primates Street, SE, Navarrete, AF, Reader, SM, Laland, KN 2017 Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (Date Added: 2019-03-11) 66- Wilde at Oxford: A truce with facts Reader S , 2017 Philosophy and Oscar Wilde (Date Added: 2018-06-29) 65- Forebrain activation during social exposure in wild-type guppies Cabrera-Álvarez M J , Swaney W T , Reader S M , 2017 Physiology and Behavior (Date Added: 2018-03-11) 64- Technical and conceptual considerations for using animated stimuli in studies of animal behavior Chouinard-Thuly L , Gierszewski S , Rosenthal G G , Reader S M , Rieucau G , Woo K L , Gerlai R , Tedore C , Ingley S J , Stowers J R , Frommen J G , Dolins F L , Witte K , 2017 Current Zoology (Date Added: 2017-03-23) 63- Animal and human innovation: novel problems and novel solutions Reader, SM, Morand-Ferron, J, Flynn, E 2016 Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences (Date Added: 2017-08-15) 62- Animal social learning: Associations and adaptations [version 1; referees: 2 approved] Reader S M , 2016 F1000Research (Date Added: 2017-02-10) 61- Evolutionary and immediate effects of crude-oil pollution: depression of exploratory behaviour across populations of Trinidadian guppies Jacquin, L, Dybwad, C, Rolshausen, G, Hendry, AP, Reader, SM 2016 Animal Cognition (Date Added: 2016-09-08) 60- Age and early social environment influence guppy social learning propensities Leris, I, Reader, SM 2016 Animal Behaviour (Date Added: 2016-08-29) 59- Parallel and nonparallel behavioural evolution in response to parasitism and predation in Trinidadian guppies Jacquin, L, Reader, SM, Boniface, A, Mateluna, J, Patalas, I, Perez-Jvostov, F, Hendry, AP 2016 Journal of Evolutionary Biology (Date Added: 2016-08-04) 58- The coevolution of innovation and technical intelligence in primates Navarrete, AF, Reader, SM, Street, SE, Whalen, A, Laland, KN 2016 Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences (Date Added: 2016-03-14) 57- Nonapeptide influences on social behaviour: effects of vasotocin and isotocin on shoaling and interaction in zebrafish Lindeyer, CM, Langen, EMA, Swaney, WT, Reader, SM 2015 Behaviour (Date Added: 2016-06-28) 56- Does all teaching rest on evolved traits? Chouinard-Thuly, L, Reader, SM 2015 Behavioral and Brain Sciences (Date Added: 2016-06-23) 55- Infectious disease, behavioural flexibility and the evolution of culture in primates McCabe, CM, Reader, SM, Nunn, CL 2015 Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (Date Added: 2016-05-09) 54- Demasculinization of male guppies increases resistance to a common and harmful ectoparasite Dargent, F, Reddon, AR, Swaney, WT, Fussmann, GF, Reader, SM, Scott, ME, Forbes, MR 2015 Parasitology (Date Added: 2015-10-20) 53- Behavioural responses of feral and domestic guppies (Poecilia reticulata) to predators and their cues Swaney, WT, Cabrera-Alvarez, MJ, Reader, SM 2015 Behavioural Processes (Date Added: 2015-07-07) 52- Causes of Individual Differences in Animal Exploration and Search Reader, SM 2015 Topics in Cognitive Science (Date Added: 2015-05-28) 51- The evolution of self-control MacLean, EL 2014 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (Date Added: 2016-06-22) 50- Experiential effects on mirror systems and social learning: Implications for social intelligence Reader, SM 2014 Behavioral and Brain Sciences (Date Added: 2016-06-22) 49- What shapes social decision making? Reader, SM, Leris, I 2014 Behavioral and Brain Sciences (Date Added: 2014-03-31) 48- Evolution of cognition Reader, SM 2014 Oxford Bibliographies in Evolutionary Biology (Date Added: 2014-02-10) 47- Individual consistency and flexibility in human social information use Toelch, U, Bruce, MJ, Newson, L, Richerson, PJ, Reader, SM 2013 Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (Date Added: 2014-02-09) 46- Innovating innovation rate and its relationship with brains, ecology and general intelligence Lefebvre, L, Reader, SM, Sol, D 2013 Brain, Behavior and Evolution (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 45- Early maternal care predicts reliance on social learning about food in adult rats Lindeyer, CM, Meaney, MJ, Reader, SM 2013 Developmental Psychobiology (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 44- An analysis of gaze following to a hidden location in long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) Goossens, BMA, Van Den Berg, LM, Reader, SM, Stercka, EHM 2012 Behaviour (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 43- The limits of chimpanzee-human comparisons for understanding human cognition. Reader, SM, Hrotic, SM 2012 The Behavioral and brain sciences (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 42- Spatial discounting of food and social rewards in guppies (Poecilia reticulata) Mühlhoff, N, Stevens, JR, Reader, SM 2011 Frontiers in Psychology (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 41- The evolution of primate general and cultural intelligence Reader, SM, Hager, Y, Laland, KN 2011 Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 40- Social performance cues induce behavioral flexibility in humans Toelch, U, Bruce, MJ, Meeus, MTH, Reader, SM 2011 Frontiers in Psychology (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 39-Comparative perspectives on human innovation Laland, KN, Reader, SM 2010 Innovation in Cultural Systems: Contributions from Evolutionary Anthropology ( Date Added: 2014-02-10) 38-Social information use Morand-Ferron, J, Doligez, B, Dall, SRX, Reader, SM 2010 Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior ( Date Added: 2014-02-10) 37-Innovation in animals Laland, KN, Reader, SM 2010 Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior ( Date Added: 2014-02-10) 35- Social learning of escape routes in zebrafish and the stability of behavioural traditions Lindeyer, CM, Reader, SM 2010 Animal Behaviour (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 34- Large-brained mammals live longer González-Lagos, C, Sol, D, Reader, SM 2010 Journal of Evolutionary Biology (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 33- Experimental identification of social learning in wild animals Reader, SM, Biro, D 2010 Learning and Behavior (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 32- Humans copy rapidly increasing choices in a multiarmed bandit problem Toelch, U, Bruce, MJ, Meeus, MTH, Reader, SM 2010 Evolution and Human Behavior (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 31- Decreased environmental variability induces a bias for social information use in humans Toelch, U, van Delft, MJ, Bruce, MJ, Donders, R, Meeus, MTH, Reader, SM 2009 Evolution and Human Behavior (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 30- Social learning of novel route preferences in adult humans Reader, SM, Bruce, MJ, Rebers, S 2008 Biology Letters (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 29- The origin and spread of innovations in starlings Boogert, NJ, Reader, SM, Hoppitt, W, Laland, KN 2008 Animal Behaviour (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 28- Gaze following in monkeys is modulated by observed facial expressions Goossens, BMA, Dekleva, M, Reader, SM, Sterck, EHM, Bolhuis, JJ 2008 Animal Behaviour (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 27- Brain size predicts the success of mammal species introduced into novel environments Sol, D, Bacher, S, Reader, SM, Lefebvre, L 2008 American Naturalist (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 26- Integrating animal temperament within ecology and evolution Réale, D, Reader, SM, Sol, D, McDougall, PT, Dingemanse, NJ 2007 Biological Reviews (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 25- Environmentally invoked innovation and cognition Reader, SM 2007 Behavioral and Brain Sciences (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 24- Wildlife conservation and animal temperament: Causes and consequences of evolutionary change for captive, reintroduced, and wild populations McDougall, PT, Réale, D, Sol, D, Reader, SM 2006 Animal Conservation (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 23- The relation between social rank, neophobia and individual learning in starlings Boogert, NJ, Reader, SM, Laland, KN 2006 Animal Behaviour (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 22- Evo-devo, modularity, and evolvability: Insights for cultural evolution Reader, SM 2006 Behavioral and Brain Sciences (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 21- Brain size in primates as a function of behavioral innovation Reader, SM 2006 (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 20- Comparing cognition across species [3] (multiple letters) Reader, SM, Sol, D, Lefebvre, L 2005 Trends in Cognitive Sciences (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 19- Dunking behaviour in Carib grackles Morand-Ferron, J, Lefebvre, L, Reader, SM, Sol, D, Elvin, S 2004 Animal Behaviour (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 18- Distinguishing social and asocial learning using diffusion dynamics Reader, SM 2004 Learning and Behavior (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 17- Brains, innovations and evolution in birds and primates Lefebvre, L, Reader, SM, Sol, D 2004 Brain, Behavior and Evolution (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 16-Animal innovation: an introduction Reader, SM, Laland, KN 2003 Animal Innovation ( Date Added: 2014-02-10) 15-Environmental variability and primate behavioural flexibility Reader, SM, MacDonald, K 2003 Animal Innovation ( Date Added: 2014-02-10) 14-Animal Innovation Reader, SM, Laland, KN 2003 ( Date Added: 2014-02-10) 13-Relative brain size and the distribution of innovation and social learning across the nonhuman primates Reader, SM 2003 The Biology of Traditions: Models and Evidence ( Date Added: 2014-02-10) 12- Innovation and social learning: Individual variation and brain evolution Reader, SM 2003 Animal Biology (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 11- Social learning of foraging sites and escape routes in wild Trinidadian guppies Reader, SM, Kendal, JR, Laland, KN 2003 Animal Behaviour (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 10- Erratum: Interactions between shoal size and conformity in guppy social foraging (Animal Behaviour (2001) 62 (917-925)) Day, RL, MacDonald, T, Brown, C, Laland, KN, Reader, SM 2002 Animal Behaviour (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 9- Locale-specific sugar packet opening by Lesser Antillean Bullfinches in Barbados Reader, SM, Nover, D, Lefebvre, L 2002 Journal of Field Ornithology (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 8- Social intelligence, innovation, and enhanced brain size in primates Reader, SM, Laland, KN 2002 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 7- Primate innovation: Sex, age and social rank differences Reader, SM, Laland, KN 2001 International Journal of Primatology (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 6- Social learning and sociality Reader, SM, Lefebvre, L 2001 Behavioral and Brain Sciences (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 5- Interactions between shoal size and conformity in guppy social foraging Day, RL, MacDonald, T, Brown, C, Laland, KN, Reader, SM 2001 Animal Behaviour (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 4- Diffusion of foraging innovations in the guppy Reader, SM, Laland, KN 2000 Animal Behaviour (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 3- Foraging innovation in the guppy Laland, KN, Reader, SM 1999 Animal Behaviour (Date Added: 2014-01-29) 1- Foraging innovation is inversely related to competitive ability in male but not in female guppies Laland, KN, Reader, SM 1999 Behavioral Ecology (Date Added: 2014-01-29) In the mediaOuverture officielle du guichet unique Demain la forêt à Québec - 50 000 $ pour appuyer les projets de plantation d'arbres dans la région (Champagne-Coté, Paméla) 2018-09-28 The Changing Face of Ecology: Part 1 (Perrin, Sam) 2018-09-06 The quickest way to someone’s heart is through your wallet (Hu, Grace) 2018-02-20 Parasites and the evolution of primate culture McGill Reporter 2014-12-11 A cost of culture Havard Gazette (Reuell, Peter) 2014-12-11 |