Thrilled to be awarded a McCalla Professorship! Learn more about my project: “Building nests to bridge the gap between the laboratory, the classroom and the community” here: https://bit.ly/4yDzd0h PsychUAlberta
LaurenGuillette.bsky.social
@laurenguillette.bsky.social
Animal Cognition Research Group leader, Associate Prof. @psychualberta.bsky.social, Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Ecology (she/her) ally 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 @laurenguillette on X
Double celebration PsychUAlberta Welcome Event! 🎉 I received the 2026 Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization in Teaching Award, while Ben Whittaker received the Nicoladis Undergraduate Teaching Award, nominated by a student from the very first class they taught!
Please share! I have two positions for graduate students in my lab, starting Fall 2027. Details on the position s and application process can be found here: kjmathot.wordpress.com/opportunities/
Opportunities
********************************************************************************************************* ***Two graduate student positions in the Mathot Lab**** I am recruiting two new graduate st…
kjmathot.wordpress.com
We’re seeking highly motivated MSc and PhD students to join the Animal Cognition Research Group at the University of Alberta in Fall 2027! 🐦 All positions are funded: MSc: 2.3 years PhD: 5 years Applications: Sept. 1–Dec. 1, 2026 sites.psych.ualberta... PsychUAlberta 🧪 1/2
A dreich day for a lab picnic, but the sass in this photo brought out the sun. ☁️☀️😎 The ACRG looking exceptionally unimpressed by the weather. 😂
🌍 We're recruiting 2 Mitacs Globalink Research Interns (undergraduates) for Summer 2027! Join us to study zebra finch cognition, nest building, and social learning. 🔗 www.mitacs.ca/our-pr... 🪺 Project ID: 54002 @mitacscanada.bsky.social Applications close 16 Sept 16 26 1/5
It was my pleasure to participate in the #AnimalArchitecture symposium to share @julself.bsky.social thesis work and recent pub 🧪 @psychualberta.bsky.social journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Conformity and individual preference shape nest material use in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)
Culture, learned behaviours shared within a group, is found in diverse species and critically impacts fitness. Culture arises through social learning and persists when newcomers adopt group norms via ...
journals.plos.org
Vivek Nityananda@viveknityananda.bsky.social · 2mo agoBird nests as evidence of avian culture. @laurenguillette.bsky.social at #ICN2026 tells us about her fun research showing how zebra finches develop preferences for colours of strings depending on what the majority of their neighbouring nests look like and their own preferences. @neuroethology.org
Bird nests as evidence of avian culture. @laurenguillette.bsky.social at #ICN2026 tells us about her fun research showing how zebra finches develop preferences for colours of strings depending on what the majority of their neighbouring nests look like and their own preferences. @neuroethology.org
I wrote a "Behind the Paper" post for Springer Nature Research Communities, sharing the story behind our newest publication in Learning & Behavior. go.nature.com/4ywFQSR Ben Whittaker Julia Self Psychonomic Society PsychUAlberta
From a Connecticut garden to a Canadian laboratory: a century in the Private Lives of Birds | Research Communities by Springer Nature
Nearly 100 years after two naturalists wondered whether birds have favourite colours, we finally had the chance to test their idea. The results challenged our predictions and revealed that individual preferences shape how zebra finches use social information during nest building.
go.nature.com
Nearly 100 years ago, naturalists Henry & Felicia Williams noticed that birds in their Connecticut garden seemed to have favourite colours for their nest-building materials. We've now shown that they were was onto something in a new paper our today in Learning & Behavior 1/3
In the #CO32026 EDI event this evening, these resources were shared: • 5calls.org • www.goodsuniteus.com • resist.bot • turnup.us • tmt.newtactics.org • Volunteer for a local organization • Write a letter of a support for someone in your institution
5 Calls
Spend 5 minutes. Make 5 calls. Make your voice heard.
5calls.org
Excellent talk by @ba-whittaker.bsky.social linking the Gundestrap cauldron, Heated Rivalry and nest building decisions in zebra finches in one 10 min talk.
Comparative Cognition Society@compcogsoc.bsky.social · 6mo ago@ba-whittaker shared interesting new data on individual preferences of paired Taeniopygia guttata nest-building decisions in our #CO32026 Decision Making & Learning session this morning 🪺
First two free book packages are packed and heading to Edmonton Public School Grade 1 classrooms this Monday. Know a Grade 1 teacher in YEG? Share this or tag them below. If they’d like a free set of books, send me a message and I’ll get them sorted.
LaurenGuillette.bsky.social@laurenguillette.bsky.social · 6mo agoBook give away: Animal Architecture! Grade 1 teachers in the Edmonton: we created a freely available lesson plan & activities (English & French) https://bit.ly/4dS7Qbu We can provide teachers w/ these books (limited #) Please share post University of Alberta PsychUAlberta 1/2
This book 😍😍😍 is a dream! By Joris de Raedt
Book give away: Animal Architecture! Grade 1 teachers in the Edmonton: we created a freely available lesson plan & activities (English & French) https://bit.ly/4dS7Qbu We can provide teachers w/ these books (limited #) Please share post University of Alberta PsychUAlberta 1/2
Caitlyn, Walter and Cheska, three undergraduates student on our team, presented their independent study work at the Royce Conference last week.
Listen to me on NPR's Science Friday bit.ly/40uGG2M (8 min 19 sec in) @julself.bsky.social liaLSelf was on The Early Edition AM 1150 in Kelowna for ‘Bianca’s Bizarre’ (04 Mar) bit.ly/4s96wW1 & @dtcooper The Last Show bit.ly/4bbFE1C @psychualberta.bsky.social
Who uses Farmers’ Almanacs? + Zebra finch home design
Have climate change and weather apps made Farmers' Almanacs obsolete? Plus, home decorating tips from zebra finches.
bit.ly
New article by me and @julself.bsky.social and yes, we got and @edmontonoilers.bsky.social reference in there 🏒 @psychualberta.bsky.social @ualbertapress.bsky.social @ualberta.bsky.social
A new study by @julself.bsky.social and colleagues reports that male zebra finches balance social conformity and individual preference when selecting nest materials.
Conformity and individual preference shape nest material use in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)
Culture, learned behaviours shared within a group, is found in diverse species and critically impacts fitness. Culture arises through social learning and persists when newcomers adopt group norms via…
plos.io
These Finches Have A Favorite Color, And Nothing Their Friends Can Say Will Change Their Minds www.iflscience.com/these-finche...
These Finches Have A Favorite Color, And Nothing Their Friends Can Say Will Change Their Minds
Those with a higher affinity for one color were less likely to change their mind when influenced by their peers.
iflscience.com
Little outreach about our recent paper @julself.bsky.social @ba-whittaker.bsky.social @ualbertapress.bsky.social @psychualberta.bsky.social
Science X / Phys.org@sciencex.bsky.social · 8mo agoZebra finches with strong color preferences are less likely to conform to group choices during nest building, highlighting how individual biases can influence cultural traditions in animals. doi.org/hbpk56
Happy to spend time with these two humans
PsychUAlberta@psychualberta.bsky.social · 8mo agoThe 2026 Canada Research Chair Appreciation Event was attended by our two Tier 2 CRC's Faculty of Science Drs Peggy St Jacques (middle) and Lauren Guillette (right), and, Department Chair Professor Wendy Hoglund. @ualberta.bsky.social @laurenguillette.bsky.social
New ACRG open-access paper by first-author (and recent MSc recipient) Julia Self : Conformity and individual preference shape nest material use in zebra finches https://bit.ly/460cQpT Stefan Stanescu Ben Whittaker PsychUAlberta
Conformity and individual preference shape nest material use in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)
Culture, learned behaviours shared within a group, is found in diverse species and critically impacts fitness. Culture arises through social learning and persists when newcomers adopt group norms via conformity and conformist transmission. We examined conformity and conformist transmission in a novel context: avian nest building, testing whether male zebra finches, the primary nest builders in this species, forgo their preferred nest material colour in favour of the majority-demonstrated alternative, and whether the likelihood of switching was disproportionate relative to majority size. First, we determined each male’s preferred colour and preference strength. Then, each male, paired with a female, was introduced into a population containing four conspecific pairs, each incubating eggs in a nest. Populations varied in the number of nests (0–4) built using the male’s non-preferred colour material. After three days, males were given both material colours for nest construction. Males with weaker preferences were more likely to conform, using the majority-demonstrated, non-preferred colour, whereas males with stronger preferences resisted social influence. Although males often acquired social information – evidenced by their initial interactions with the majority-demonstrated material – this did not consistently translate into conformist nest-building behaviour. These findings show socially influenced nest-building and individual variation in susceptibility to social information.
bit.ly
Book recomendation 🪶The Feather Detective by Chris Sweeney. Brilliant story of Roxie Laybourne. Interview here (haven’t listened yet): https://ab.co/4ruOPQc Women in STEM ✨
New paper with data collected @univofstandrews.bsky.social & @psychualberta.bsky.social Models run @MPI_EVA_Leipzig Congrats to first-author @alexisjbreen.bsky.social on making this project work! bit.ly/4j2s7eV @royalsocietypublishing.org @rmcelreath.bsky.social
Dynamic strategic social learning in nest-building zebra finches and its generalizability
Abstract. Animals often balance asocial and social information strategically, adjusting when and from whom they copy based on context. Yet the cognition dr
bit.ly
Lauren giving a talk at the International Society for Comparative Psychology conference hosted at the Konrad Lorenz Universidad in Bogotá 🇨🇴 @psychualberta.bsky.social
I used this eSIM when I travelled to India and Thailand in September and I am using again for my upcoming trip to Colombia, here is a coupon code: Get CAD $4.50 off your first eSIM package from Airalo. Use code LAUREN9624 when you sign up or check out. airalo.go.link/fMd21
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