Research Output per year
Personal profile
Personal profile
I’m a Lecturer in the Division of Psychology, specialising in Developmental, Evolutionary, Comparative and Social Psychology.
Before joining the University of Abertay in 2016, I held a three-year Senior Research Fellowship at the University of St Andrews, based at Edinburgh Zoo, which involved working with capuchin and squirrel monkeys.
I completed my undergraduate Psychology degree at the University of Sussex and my masters and PhD at Durham University which focused on social learning mechanisms and strategies in children and chimpanzees.
My research is focused on social cognition in primate species - including humans. I take a developmental and comparative approach to try and understand the evolution of social cognition, and uniquely human forms of social cognition.
I peer review manuscripts for international and national journals including the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology and the British Journal of Developmental Psychology. I am a member of the Scottish Primate Research Group and the Primate Society of Great Britain.
I am the University's Lead Voice for the protected characterisitc of pregnancy. Please feel free to conact me regarding this.
Personal Website: https://larawood.wordpress.com/
Teaching
I teach on the following modules:
PSY310: Cultural Evolution of human Behaviour (Module Leader)
PSY507: Developmental and Social Psychology (MSc, Module leader)
I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Research interests
My research is focused on social cogntion in a number of primate species, including humans. I take a developmental and comparative approach to try and understand the evolution of social cognition, and uniquely human forms of social cognition.
Particular areas of interest include:
- Investigating social traditions in primate species
- Understanding the mechanisms of social learning and species' differences
- Social learning strategies, their development and their flexibility
- Pro-social behaviour, altruism and cooperation in primates
- Primate captive welfare
Funding
2018 Abertay Teaching & Learning Enhancement Fund: "Who's holding the baby/ An exploration of support for students who (or whose partner) are pregnant or on maternity"
Esteem
I peer review manuscripts for international and national journals including Journal of Experimental Child Pscyhology, PLOS ONE and the British Journal of Developmental Psychology.
I am a member of the Scottish Primate Research Group and the Primate Society of Great Britain.
Invited Speaker: Behaviour & Evolution Research Group (Stirling University); Rotary Club Dundee; Cafe Scientifique Dundee.
Winner: Best Student Talk Human Behavior and Evolution Society Conference (Durham, 2012)
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Network
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Research Output 2010 2019
Behavioral conservatism is linked to complexity of behavior in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): implications for cognition and cumulative culture
Davis, S. J., Schapiro, S. J., Lambeth, S. P., Wood, L. A. & Whiten, A., 1 Feb 2019, In : Journal of Comparative Psychology. 133, 1, p. 20-35 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Chimpanzees demonstrate individual differences in social information use
Watson, S. K., Vale, G. L., Hopper, L. M., Dean, L. G., Kendal, R. L., Price, E. E., Wood, L. A., Davis, S. J., Schapiro, S. J., Lambeth, S. P. & Whiten, A., 1 Sep 2018, In : Animal Cognition. 21, 5, p. 639-650 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Supporting student pregnancy pathways: an exploration of advice and support for students during a pregnancy and postnatally
Evans, K., Cameron, A. J. & Wood, L. A., 17 Oct 2018.Research output: Contribution to conference › Abstract
Individual differences in zoo-housed squirrel monkeys’ (Saimiri sciureus) reactions to visitors, research participation, and personality ratings
Polgar, Z., Wood, L. A. & Haskell, M., May 2017, In : American Journal of Primatology. 79, 5, 10 p., e22639.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Social traditions
Wood, L. A. & Whiten, A., 16 Apr 2017, The international encyclopedia of primatology. Fuentes, A. (ed.). Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 9 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter