Dr. Federica Amici
Position: post-doc researcher
Research Group "Primate Behavioural Ecology"
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture
Deutscher Platz 6
D-04103 Leipzig
Germany
phone: +49 341 97-36754
fax: +49 341 97-36848
e-mail: amici@~@eva.mpg.de
Research Interests
My main research interests lie in the evolutionary forces shaping the distribution of cognitive skills across vertebrates. So far, I have been working with several species (including humans) to better understand the relative contribution of social and ecological factors to the evolution of complex cognitive skills, the effects of social flexibility on cognition, and the distribution of prosocial and cooperative skills across taxa. I am also highly interested in innovation and social learning, and how these vary both within and across species. At the moment, I am focusing on three main topics: (i) the distribution of cognitive skills across ungulates, (ii) the emergence of empathy, and (iii) the role played by dominance style in the emergence of specific behavioural patterns and cognitive skills, with a special focus on moor macaques (Macaca maura). My research approach combines behavioural observations and strictly controlled experimental procedures, both in the wild and in captivity. Thanks to the long-term collaboration with several scholars around the world, I am also working on topics like memory (and collective memory), psycholinguistics and Neo-Whorfian effects, the role of language and culture in shaping human behavioural diversity, and conservation. For a link of our field site in Sulawesi, please see: https://macacamauraproject.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/
Curriculum Vitae
Present Position
| since 03/2014 | Scientific Assistant at the Institute of Biology, Behavioural Ecology Group, University of Leipzig; in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig (MPI EVA) |
Education
| 03/2009 | PhD in Behavioural Cognition, at the Liverpool John Moores University, UK, and in collaboration with the EVA-Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany. Dissertation thesis: “Inhibitory control and other cognitive abilities critical to fission-fusion dynamics in primates”. |
| 09/2008 | Habilitation as a Lawyer, at the Lawyer Order “Ordine degli Avvocati di Roma”, Rome, Italy. |
| 09/2005 | Master degree in Law, 102/110 (first equivalent), at the University “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy. Dissertation thesis: “Labor rights in theory and in practice: the study case of Mexican maquiladoras”. |
| 02/2002 | Master degree in Natural Sciences, 110/110 cum laude (first equivalent), at the University “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy. Dissertation thesis: “Affiliative behavior as sexual strategy in Macaca fascicularis”. |
Training and Experience
| Present | post-doc researcher at the Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, and at the Department of Primatology, EVA-MPI, Leipzig, Germany, financed by a 3-year DFG research grant. During this time, I will investigate the ability to innovate in primates. In particular, I will investigate (i) inter-specific differences in innovative behaviour across closely related species, as a result of different dominance styles, and (ii) intra-specific differences in innovative behaviour, as a result of inter-individual differences. Crucially, this project will include both captive and wild primate populations. |
| 10/2013-10/2015 | post-doc guest researcher at the Department of Comparative and Developmental Psychology, EVA-MPI, Leipzig, and part-time research assistant at the Psychology Department, Bern University, Switzerland. |
| 12/2010-04/2014 | Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Comparative and Developmental Psychology, EVA-MPI, Leipzig, Germany, with a project on primate cooperative behaviour and social inhibition. During this period, I have also conducted parallel projects on numerical, memory and prosocial skills in primates, on the neo-Whorfian effects and the influence of languages on human cognition, and on the co-evolution hypothesis in dogs and humans. |
| 04/2009-11/2010 | Implementationof different projects and data collection, including projects on the effects of domestication in pigs, and on neo-Whorfian effects in Japanese and Maya speaking human populations. |
| 09/2005-03/2009 | PhD at the John Moores University of Liverpool, UK, and at the EVA-MPI, Leipzig, Germany, under the supervision of Prof. Aureli and Prof. Call. |
| 09/2001-08/2005 | Data collection and analysis on female mate choice in captive primates, with Dr. Nikitipolous and Prof. Sterck (University of Utrecht, Netherlands); field work on wild spider monkeys in Punta Laguna, Mexico, with Prof. Aureli and Prof. Schaffner (University La Sapienza, Italy, and University of Liverpool, UK); data collection and analysis of different cognitive skills in captive primates, with Prof. Aureli, Prof. Call and Dr. Visalberghi (University La Sapienza, Italy, ISTC-CNR Primate Centre, Italy, University of Liverpool, UK, and EVA-MPI, Leipzig, Germany). |
Interruptions in Research Career
In 05/2005, 10/2008, 12/2012 and 02/2016 my four children were born.
Grants Awarded
| 2019-2020 | PRIC grant for Research and Conservation, Barcelona Zoo, Spain, with Prof. Montserrat Colell and Alvaro Lopez Caicoya |
| 03/2019-02/2020 | Pre-Post Doc Award from the University of Leipzig, Germany, on ungulate cognition |
| 10/2017-05/2019 | DFG research grant for the inclusion of a post-doc on the project on innovation |
| 2017-2018 | PRIC grant for Research and Conservation, Barcelona Zoo, Spain, with Prof. Montserrat Colell and Dr. Nereida Bueno-Guerra |
| 11/2015-06/2019 | DFG research grant on innovation |
| 01/2014 | DFG grant for international scientific events to organize a Workshop on Coordination, Collaboration and Cooperation |
| 12/2010-04/2014 | Post-doc from the Humboldt Foundation |
| FP 6/2002–2006 10/2005-09/2008 | SEDSU grant (contract number 012-984 NESTPathfinder) funded by the European Community’s Sixth Framework Programme in contrast to the other grants, this one was not awarded to me personally, but I have been among its benefiters. |
| 11/2004-02/2005 | Research stay DAAD grant |
| 12/2002-12/2003 | Specialization grant from the University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy |
Selected Invited Talks
- Comparative cognition: contrasting evolutionary hypotheses while testing specific cognitive skills. Anthropologisches Institut & Museum at the University of Zuerich in Zuerich, Switzerland.
- Prosociality and other-regarding preferences across different primate species. German Primate Center in Goettingen, Germany.
- Why comparative cognition should be really comparative. School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, UK.
Ad-hoc Reviewer
Nature, Cognition, Animal Cognition, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Sciences, PLoS ONE, Journal of Comparative Psychology, International Journal of Primatology, European Federation of Primatology, International Primatological Society, Leakey Foundation, Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
Publications
Articles
Caicoya, A. L., Amici, F., Ensenyat, C., & Colell, M. (2021). Comparative cognition in three understudied ungulate species: European bison, forest buffalos and giraffes. Frontiers in Zoology, 18: 30. |
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Caicoya, A. L., Colell, M., Ensenyat, C., & Amici, F. (2021). Problem solving in European bison (Bison bonasus): two experimental approaches. Royal Society Open Science, 8(4): 201901. |
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Gomez-Melara, J. L., Acosta-Naranjo, R., Castellano-Navarro, A., Beltrán Francés, V., Caicoya, A. L., MacIntosh, A. J. J., Maulany, R. I., Ngakan, P. O., & Amici, F. (2021). Dominance style predicts differences in food retrieval strategies. Scientific Reports, 11: 2726, pp. 1-9. |
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Anzá, S., Majolo, B., & Amici, F. (2021). The function of mounts in free-ranging Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus). International Journal of Primatology, 42, 426-441. |
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Caicoya, A. L., Colell, M., Holland, R., Ensenyat, C., & Amici, F. (2021). Giraffes go for more: A quantity discrimination study in giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis). Animal Cognition, 24, 483-495. |
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Castellano-Navarro, A., Macanás-Martínez, E., Xu, Z., Guillén-Salazar, F., MacIntosh, A. J. J., Amici, F., & Albiach-Serrano, A. (2021). Japanese Macaques’ (Macaca fuscata) sensitivity to human gaze and visual perspective in contexts of threat, cooperation, and competition. Scientific Reports, 11: 5264. |
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Hernández Tienda, C., Beltrán Francés, V., Majolo, B., Romero, T., Illa Maulany, R., Oka Ngakan, P., & Amici, F. (2021). Reaction to snakes in wild moor macaques (Macaca maura). International Journal of Primatology, 42, 528-532. |
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Schaffer, A., Caicoya, A. L., Colell, M., Holland, R., von Fersen, L., Widdig, A., & Amici, F. (2021). Neophobia in 10 ungulate specie - a comparative approach. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 75: 102. |
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Amici, F., Widdig, A., MacIntosh, A. J., Francés, V. B., Castellano-Navarro, A., Caicoya, A. L., Karimullah, K., Maulany, R. I., Oka, N. P., Hamzah, A. S., & Majolo, B. (2020). Dominance style only partially predicts differences in neophobia and social tolerance over food in four macaque species. Scientific Reports, 10: 22069. |
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Donnier, S., Kovacs, G., Oña, L. S., Bräuer, J., & Amici, F. (2020). Experience has a limited effect on humans’ ability to predict the outcome of social interactions in children, dogs and macaques. Scientific Reports, 10: 21240. |
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Schaffer, A., Caicoya, A. L., Colell, M., Holland, R., Ensenyat, C., & Amici, F. (2020). Gaze following in ungulates: Domesticated and non-domesticated species follow the gaze of both human and conspecifics in an experimental context. Frontiers in Psychology, 11: 604904. |
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Beltrán Francés, V., Castellano-Navarro, A., Illa Maulany, R. I., Oka Ngakan, P. O., MacIntosh, A. J. J., Llorente, M., & Amici, F. (2020). Play behavior in immature moor macaques (Macaca maura) and Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). American Journal of Primatology, 82(10): e23192. |
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Murray, L., Schaffner, C. M., Aureli, F., & Amici, F. (2020). There is no other monkey in the mirror for spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Journal of Comparative Psychology, 134(3), 323-329. |
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Padrell, M., Riba, D., Úbeda, Y., Amici, F., & Llorente, M. (2020). Personality, cognition and behavior in chimpanzees: A new approach based on Eysenck’s model. PeerJ, 8: e9707. |
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Bräuer, J., Stenglein, K., & Amici, F. (2020). Dogs (Canis familiaris) and wolves (Canis lupus) coordinate with conspecifics in a social dilemma. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 134(2), 211-221. |
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Amici, F., Caicoya, A. L., Majolo, B., & Widdig, A. (2020). Innovation in wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus). Scientific Reports, 10(1): 4597. |
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Pladevall, J., Mendes, N., Riba, D., Llorente, M., & Amici, F. (2020). No evidence of what-where-when memory in great apes (Pan troglodytes, Pan paniscus, Pongo abelii, and Gorilla gorilla). Journal of Comparative Psychology, 134(2), 252-261. |
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Dell'Anna, F., Llorente, M., Weiss, B. M., von Fersen, L., & Amici, F. (2020). The effect of individual and food characteristics on food retrieval and food sharing in captive Guinea baboons (Papio papio). American Journal of Primatology, 82(1): e23078. |
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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., Leeuwen, E. v., & 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. |
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Amici, F., Waterman, J., Kellermann, C. M., Karimullah, K., & Bräuer, J. (2019). The ability to recognize dog emotions depends on the cultural milieu in which we grow up. Scientific Reports, 9: 16414. |
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Amici, F. (2019). An evolutionary approach to the study of collaborative remembering? Topics in Cognitive Science, 11(4), 811-816. |
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Amici, F. (2019). Memories of emotional expressions in horses. Learning and Behavior, 47(3), 191-192. |
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Amici, F., & Widdig, A. (2019). An evolutionary perspective on the development of primate sociality. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 73(8): 116. |
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Amici, F., Holland, R., & Cacchione, T. (2019). Sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) fail to solve a novel problem even after social information and relevant experience are provided. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 133(3), 373-379. |
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Caicoya, A. L., Amici, F., Ensenyat, C., & Colell Mimo, M. (2019). Object permanence in giraffa camelopardalis: First steps in giraffes' physical cognition. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 133(2), 207-214. |
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Amici, F., Sánchez-Amaro, A., Sebastián-Enesco, C., Allritz, M., Cachhione, T., Salazar-Bonet, J., & Rossano, F. (2019). The word order of languages predicts native speakers’ working memory. Scientific Reports, 9: 1124. |
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Amici, F., Kulik, L., Langos, D., & Widdig, A. (2019). Growing into adulthood – a review on sex differences in the development of sociality across macaques. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 73(2): 18. |
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Amici, F., Widdig, A. *., Lehmann, J., & Majolo, B. (2019). A meta-analysis of interindividual differences in innovation. Animal Behaviour, 155, 257-268. |
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Minkner, M., Young, C., Amici, F., McFarland, R., Barrett, L., Grober, P., Henzi, S. P., & Widdig, A. (2018). Assessment of male reproductive skew via highly polymorphic STR markers in wild vervet monkeys, Chlorocebus pygerythrus. Journal of Heredity, 109(7), 780-790. |
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Bräuer, J., & Amici, F. (2018). Fake or not: Two prerequisites for jealousy. Animal sentience: an interdisciplinary journal on animal feeling, 22(18): 147. Retrieved from https://animalstudiesrepository.org/animsent/vol3/iss22/18/. |
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Haemmerli, S., Thill, C., Amici, F., & Cacchione, T. (2018). Domestic horses (Equus ferus caballus) fail to intuitively reason about object properties like solidity and weight. Animal Cognition, 21(3), 441-446. |
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Amici, F., Call, J., Watzek, J., Brosnan, S., & Aureli, F. (2018). Social inhibition and behavioural flexibility when the context changes: A comparison across six primate species. Scientific Reports, 8: 3067. |
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Amici, F., Cacchione, T., & Bueno-Guerra, N. (2017). Understanding of object properties by sloth bears, Melursus ursinus ursinus. Animal Behaviour, 134, 217-222. |
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Amici, F., Mimó, M. C., Borell, C. v., & Bueno-Guerra, N. (2017). Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) fail to prosocially donate food in an experimental set-up. Animal Cognition, 20(6), 1059-1066. |
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Amici, F., Call, J., & Aureli, F. (2017). Coexistence of general intelligence and specialized modules. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 40: e196. |
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Sanchez-Amaro, A., & Amici, F. (2016). Markets carefully interpreted: A reply to Kaburu and Newton-Fisher (2016). Animal Behaviour, 119, e7-e13. |
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Sanchez-Amaro, A., & Amici, F. (2015). Are primates out of the market? Animal Behaviour, 110, 51-60. |
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Kulik, L., Amici, F., Langos, D., & Widdig, A. (2015). Sex differences in the development of aggressive behavior in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). International Journal of Primatology, 36(4), 764-789. |
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Kulik, L., Amici, F., Langos, D., & Widdig, A. (2015). Sex differences in the development of social relationships in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). International Journal of Primatology, 36(2), 353-376. |
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Amici, F. (2015). The evolution and development of human cooperation. Interaction studies, 16(3), 383-418. |
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Amici, F., & Bietti, L. (2015). Coordination, collaboration and cooperation: Interdisciplinary perspectives. Interaction studies, 16(3), vii-xii. |
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Barney, B. J., Amici, F., Aureli, F., Call, J., & Johnson, V. E. (2015). Joint bayesian modeling of binomial and rank data for primate cognition. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 110(510), 573-582. |
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Cacchione, T., & Amici, F. (2015). Cohesion as a principle for perceiving objecthood: Does it apply to animate agents? Swiss Journal of Psychology, 74(4), 217-228. |
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Cacchione, T., Indino, M., Fujita, K., Itakura, S., Matsuno, T., Schaub, S., & Amici, F. (2014). Universal ontology: Attentive tracking of objects and substances across languages and over development. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 38(6), 481-486. |
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Amici, F., Visalberghi, E., & Call, J. (2014). Lack of prosociality in great apes, capuchin monkeys and spider monkeys: Convergent evidence from two different food distribution tasks. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281(1793): 20141699. |
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Amici, F., Aureli, F., Mundry, R., Sanchez-Amaro, A., Barroso, A. M., Ferretti, J., & Call, J. (2014). Calculated reciprocity? A comparative test with six primate species. Primates, 55(3), 447-457. |
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MacLean, E. L., Hare, B., Nunn, C. L., Addessi, E., Amici, F., Anderson, R. C., Aureli, F., Baker, J. M., Bania, A. E., Barnard, A. M., Boogert, N. J., Brannon, E. M., Bray, E. E., Bray, J., Brent, L. J. N., Burkart, J. M., Call, J., Cantlon, J. F., Cheke, L. G., Clayton, N. S., Delgado, M. M., DiVincenti, L. J., Fujita, K., Herrmann, E., Hiramatsu, C., Jacobs, L. F., Jordan, K. E., Laude, J. R., Leimgruber, K. L., Messer, E. J. E., de Moura, A. C. A., Ostojić, L., Picard, A., Platt, M. L., Plotnik, J. M., Range, F., Reader, S. M., Reddy, R. B., Sandel, A. A., Santos, L. R., Schumann, K., Seed, A. M., Sewall, K. B., Shaw, R. C., Slocombe, K. E., Su, Y., Takimoto, A., Tan, J., Tao, R., van Schaik, C. P., Virányi, Z., Visalberghi, E., Wade, J. C., Watanabe, A., Widness, J., Young, J. K., Zentall, T. R., & Zhao, Y. (2014). The evolution of self-control. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(20), E2140-E2148. |
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Amici, F., Aureli, F., & Call, J. (2014). Response facilitation in the four great apes: Is there a role for empathy? Primates, 55(1), 113-118. |
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Burkart, J. M., Allon, O., Amici, F., Fichtel, C., Finkenwirth, C., Heschl, A., Huber, J., Isler, K., Kosonen, Z. K., Martins, E., Meulman, E., Richiger, R., Rueth, K., Spillmann, B., Wiesendanger, S., & van Schaik, C. P. (2014). The evolutionary origin of human hyper-cooperation. Nature Communications, 5: 4747. |
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Amici, F., Barney, B., Johnson, V. E., Call, J., & Aureli, F. (2012). A modular mind? A test using individual data from seven primate species. PLoS One, 7(12): e51918. |
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Albiach-Serrano, A., Bräuer, J., Cacchione, T., Zickert, N., & Amici, F. (2012). The effect of domestication and ontogeny in swine cognition (Sus scrofa scrofa and S. s. domestica). Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 141(1-2), 25-35. |
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Amici, F., Call, J., & Aureli, F. (2012). Aversion to violation of expectations of food distribution: the role of social tolerance and relative dominance in seven primate species. Behaviour, 149(3-4), 345-368. |
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Amici, F., Aureli, F., & Call, J. (2010). Monkeys and apes: Are their cognitive skills really so different? American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 143(2), 188-197. |
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Amici, F., Aureli, F., Visalberghi, E., & Call, J. (2009). Spider Monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) and Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus apella) Follow Gaze Around Barriers: Evidence for Perspective Taking? Journal of Comparative Psychology, 123(4), 368-374. |
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Amici, F., Call, J., & Aureli, F. (2009). Variation in withholding of information in three monkey species. Proceeding of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 276(1671), 3311-3318. |
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Amici, F., Aureli, F., & Call, J. (2008). Fission-fusion dynamics, behavioral flexibility, and inhibitory control in primates. Current Biology, 18(18), 1415-1419. |
Open AccessBooks
Bueno-Guerra, N., & Amici, F. ( |
Book Chapters
Cacchione, T., & Amici, F. (2020). Insights from comparative research on cultural learning. In S. Hunnius, & M. Meyer ( |
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Amici, F. (2014). How new world monkeys see the social world. In H. A. Barrera Saldaña ( |
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Amici, F., & Bräuer, J. (2014). Monkey physical cognition: A comparative review. In H. A. Barrera Saldaña ( |
Meeting Abstracts
Padrell, M., Riba, D., Ubeda, Y., Amici, F., & Llorente, M. (2020). The Influence of Personality on Chimpanzees' Performance in Cognitive Tasks. Folia Primatologica, 91(5), 512-540. |
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Amici, F., Call, J., Brosnan, S., Watzek, J., & Aureli, F. (2015). When the social context changes: Social inhibition and fission-fusion dynamics. Folia primatologica, 86(4), 238-239. |
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Amici, F., Visalberghi, E., & Call, J. (2013). Prosocial behaviour across six primate species: The effect of different paradigms. Folia primatologica, 84, 241. |
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Amici, F., & Majolo, B. (2013). How to make comparative cognition really comparative. Folia primatologica, 84, 241-242. |
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Call, J., Amici, F., & Aureli, F. (2013). Social tolerance and inhibitory control in primates: Variation, sociality, and its relation to socio-ecology and cognition. Folia primatologica, 84, 255. |
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Amici, F., Aureli, F., & Call, J. (2008). Inhibitory Skills Are Associated with High Levels of Fission-Fusion Dynamics. Folia Primatologica, 79(5), 308. |