Victoria M. Campbell,

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Education:

BSc Honours

University of St. Andrews, Scotland

Research Interests: Dr. Matt Cartmill

Cognitive evolution. I am interested in the following questions: Why was there a push toward greater cognitive ability and information processing in so many diverse species? Is it possible, by scrutinizing the context in which these abilities evolved, to find a common denominator that may have precipitated their development? How did these capabilities arise? Was a similar neurocircuitry needed, or did different species "adapt" their brains to cope with similar situations? How are cognitively complex organisms' brains similar? How are they different? What role do physical and evolutionary constraints as well as neuroplasticity play in all of this? Through pursuing answers to these questions using the comparative method I hope to encounter patterns of convergent cognitive evolution that will illuminate why and how our ancestors became so complex in their cognitive abilities. I am particularly interested in examining analogous abilities and neuroanatomy in primates and certain avian families.

Recent Publications   (search)

1. Richard F. Kay, Victoria M. Campbell, James B. Rossie,, The olfactory fossa of Tremacebus harringtoni (Platyrrhini, early Miocene, Sacanana, Argentina): implications for activity pattern, Anatomical Record (Accepted, November, 2004).

Selected Research Experience

1. Dissertation, 2004