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Kathrin Susanne Kopp

Postdoctoral Researcher

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology
Deutscher Platz 6
D-04103 Leipzig
Germany

Wolfgang Köhler Primate Research Center
Kickerlingsberg 3
D-04105 Leipzig
Germany

E-mail: kathrin_kopp@[>>> Please remove the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de
Phone: +49 (0) 341-3550-614

Research Interests
GrApeNet - Great Ape Research Network
Curriculum Vitae
Publications

Research Interests

  • Prosocial behaviour, underlying processes, regulation and development in great apes
  • Inter-individual variation in social behaviours and socio-cognition in great apes: development and socio-ecological factors
  • Social bonds and dynamics in zoo-housed great ape groups
  • Research as cognitive and behavioural enrichment for great apes in zoos and sanctuaries

GrApeNet - Great Ape Research Network

The main project in my current position is to establish a network of scientifically managed European zoos for long-term comparative psychological and behavioural research with great apes.
Zoos that keep great apes and are interested in the project are welcome to contact me. - I would be happy to present our ideas for GrApeNet at your institution and answer any questions you may have.  

Curriculum Vitae

Career
Since 01/2021Post-doctoral researcher, GrApeNet Coordinator
Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
04/2019-12/2020Post-doctoral researcher
Evolution of Brain Connectivity Project; Line manager for behavioural research at zoos and sanctuaries
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
01/2017-03/2019Post-doctoral researcher with teaching assignment
Comparative Developmental Psychology
Freie Universität Berlin
06/2015-12/2016Scientific assistant with teaching assignment
Comparative Developmental Psychology
Freie Universität Berlin
04-05/2015Visiting lecturer
Department of Education and Psychology
Freie Universität Berlin
05/2012-10/2014Scientific assistant
Cluster of Excellence Languages of Emotion; Group Evolutionary Psychology
Freie Universität Berlin
Education
01/2017Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
Dissertation: Prosocial behaviour in captive Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii)
Supervisor: Katja Liebal, Freie Universität Berlin; Co-Referee: Judith M. Burkart, University of Zurich
2017Certificate "University Didactic"
Freie Universität Berlin
2013-2016Advanced training in university didactic, certification program "SUPPORT für die Lehre" at Freie Universität Berlin
10/2010-09/2016Doctorate at Freie Universität Berlin: Comparative Psychology
12/2009Magistra Artium in Philosophy and Biology
Department of Philosophy, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Thesis: The evolutionary roots of morality and the possible role of group selection
Supervisors: Olaf L. Müller, Dep. of Philosophy, and Andreas Elepfandt, Dep. of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Teaching
winter term 2017/18Seminar "Methods in behavioural research"
Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
winter terms 2015/16 - 2017/18Seminar "Scientific working techniques and good scientific practise"
Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
summer term 2015, winter term 2016/17Seminar "Uniquely human? - Prosociality in a cross-species comparison"
Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
2015-2018Guest teaching on behavioural research in zoos
Zoo animal keeper graduating classes, Peter-Lenné-Schule, Oberstufenzentrum "Natur und Umwelt", Berlin
Supervision of student theses and projects
Since 2016Several empirical and theoretical Bachelor and Master Theses in comparative psychology and behavioural research
summer terms 2016, 2018Co-supervision of student projects in collaboration with Katja Liebal within the course "Study in the field" in Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage, Zambia
Conference presentations
03/20211. International Meeting on Zoo Research, Conservation, and Biodiversity, Online: Invited talk
09/2019Workshop Brain and Behavioral Evolution in Primates, Erice, Sicily, Italy: Poster presentation
12/201711. Göttinger Freilandtage, Göttingen, Germany: Poster presentation
09/201650th Congress of the German Psychological Society (DGPs), Leipzig, Germany: Talk
08/2016Joint Conference of the International Primatological Society and the American Society of Primatologists, Chicago, USA: Talk and poster presentation
02/201515th Conference of the Gesellschaft für Primatology, Leipzig, Germany: Poster presentation
08/2014XXV. Conference of the International Primatological Society, Hanoi, Vietnam: Poster presentation
03/201414. Annual MVE meeting “Human behaviour in an evolutionary perspective”, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Germany: Talk
Further presentations
04/2021EAZA Great Ape TAG Midyear Meeting, Online: Invited talk
11/2020Meeting of the Working Group Sience and Research, Verband der Zoologischen Gärten e.V., Online: Invited talk
01/2020Seminar Research Ethics, University of Leipzig: Guest talk
01/2020Zoo Magdeburg, Germany: Invited public talk
12/2018Psychology Research Colloquium, Medizinische Hochschule Brandenburg, Neuruppin, Germany: Guest talk
10/2016Primate keepers' meeting of the Berufsverband der Zootierpfleger e.V., Stuttgart, Germany: Invited talk
10/2013Project Day of Philosophy at Heinz-Berggruen-Gymnasium Berlin, Germany: Invited talk
Memberships
  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie e.V.
  • Gesellschaft für Primatologie e.V.
  • Berufsverband der Zootierpfleger e.V.
  • Orang-Utans in Not e.V.

Publications

* Joint first author

Kopp, K. S. *., Kanngiesser, P. *., Brügger, R. K., Daum, M. M., Gampe, A., Köster, M., van Schaik, C. P., Liebal, K., & Burkart, J. M. (2024). The proximate regulation of prosocial behaviour: towards a conceptual framework for comparative research. Animal Cognition, 27(1): 5.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Gräßle, T., Crockford, C., Eichner, C., Girard-Buttoz, C., Jäger, C., Kirilina, E., Lipp, I., Düx, A., Edwards, L., Jauch, A., Kopp, K. S., Paquette, M., Pine, K., EBC Consortium, Haun, D. B. M., McElreath, R., Anwander, A., Gunz, P., Morawski, M., Friederici, A. D., Weiskopf, N., Leendertz, F. H., & Wittig, R. M. (2023). Sourcing high tissue quality brains from deceased wild primates with known socio‐ecology. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 14(8), 1906 -1924.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Friederici, A. D., Wittig, R. M., Anwander, A., Eichner, C., Gräßle, T., Jäger, C., Kirilina, E., Lipp, I., Düx, A., Edwards, L. J., Girard-Buttoz, C., Jauch, A., Kopp, K. S., Paquette, M., Pine, K. J., Unwin, S., Haun, D. B. M., Leendertz, F. H., McElreath, R., Morawski, M., Gunz, P., Weiskopf, N., Crockford, C., & Consortium, E. (2023). Brain structure and function: a multidisciplinary pipeline to study hominoid brain evolution. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 17: 1299087.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Kopp, K. S. *., Ebel, S. J. *., Wittig, R. M., Haun, D. B. M., & Crockford, C. (2021). Small mirrors do the trick: A simple, but effective method to study mirror self-recognition in chimpanzees. Animal Behavior and Cognition, 8(3), 391-404.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Ebel, S. J., Kopp, K. S., & Liebal, K. (2020). Object preferences in captive Sumatran orang-utans (Pongo abelii). Behavioural Processes, 170: 103993.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Haun, D., Liebal, K., Amici, F., Bender, A., Bohn, M., Bräuer, J., Buttelmann, D., Burkart, J., Cacchione, T., DeTroy, S., Faßbender, I., Fichtel, C., Fischer, J., Gampe, A., Gray, R. D., Horn, L., Oña, L. S., Kärtner, J., Kaminski, J., Kanngießer, P., Keller, H., Köster, M., Kopp, K. S., Kornadt, H.-J., Rakoczy, H., Schuppli, C., Stengelin, R., Trommsdorff, G., Van Leeuwen, E. J. C., & Schaik, C. v. (2020). Ein Plädoyer für die Relevanz der Vergleichenden Psychologie für das Verständnis menschlicher Entwicklung (Kommentare zu Daum, M. M., Greve, W.,Pauen, S., Schuhrke, B. und Schwarzer, G.(2020). Positionspapier der Fachgruppe Entwicklungspsychologie: Ein Versuch einer Standortbestimmung. In: Psychologische Rundschau, 71(1), 24-46). Psychologische Rundschau, 71(1), 40-41.
DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Kopp, K. S., & Liebal, K. (2018). Conflict resolution in socially housed Sumatran orangutans (̑Pongo abelii). PeerJ, 6: e5303.
Open Access    DOI    BibTeX   Endnote   

Kopp, K. S. (2017). Prosocial behaviour in captive Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii). PhD Thesis, Freie Universität, Berlin.
Open Access    BibTeX   Endnote   

Kopp, K. S., & Liebal, K. (2016). Here you are!—Selective and active food sharing within and between groups in captive Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 70, 1219-1233. Retrieved from 10.1007/s00265-016-2130-2.
BibTeX   Endnote