Associate Professor of Psychology and Anthropology
About
My group examines the evolutionary origins of the human mind. How do our primate relatives think about the world, are their psychological abilities similar to or different from our own, and why do some species differ in their cognitive abilities? Our research uses a comparative approach drawing on evolutionary theory, cognitive science, and developmental psychology to understand how complex cognitive traits emerge within species over ontogeny, and between species over evolutionary time. We are especially focused on capacities supporting decision-making, executive control, and social cognition. To do this work, we study a variety of semi-free-ranging ape, monkey, and lemur populations.
Recent publications:
Cole, M.F., Emery Thompson, M., González, N., Paskus, E., Rukundo, J., Atencia, R., Rosati, A.G. (2026). Minimal evidence of inflammaging in naturalistic chimpanzee populations. American Journal of Biological Anthropology.
Sabbi, K.H., Monroe, I.,Rosati, A.G. & Machanda, Z.P. (2026) Lifespan development of gaze following in wild chimpanzees. Developmental Science.
Cantwell, A., Nair, P., De Petrillo, F. & Rosati, A.G. (2025). Temperament and cognitive flexibility across lemur species. Animal Behaviour.
Schwob, N., Bettle, R., Mulhinch, M., Machanda, Z.P., & Rosati, A.G. (2025). Tolerant and despotic macaques show divergent temperament but similar theory of mind. Philosophical Transactions B.
Mackenzie, C. Brodnan, S., Felsche, E., Sabbi, K., Otali, E., Wrangham, R., Rosati, A.G., & Machanda, Z.P. (2025). Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) use tools to access out of reach water. American Journal of Primatology.
Huang, Y. & Rosati, A.G. (2025). Early emergence of metacognition in rhesus monkeys. Developmental Science.
Diaz, A.A., Hernández-Pacheco, R., & Rosati, A.G. (2025). Individual differences in sociocognitive traits in semi-free-ranging rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). American Journal of Primatology.
Cole, M.F., Barnes, P., Monroe, I., Rukundo, J., Emery Thompson, M., & Rosati, A.G. (2024). Age-related physiological dysregulation progresses slowly in semi-free-ranging chimpanzees. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health.
Rosati, A.G., Felsche, E., Cole, M.F., Atencia, R., & Rukundo, J. (2024). Flexible information-seeking in chimpanzees. Cognition.
Huang, Y., Chang, H., Santos, L.R. & Rosati, A.G. (2024). Predictions about reward outcomes in rhesus monkeys. Behavioral Neuroscience.
Rosati, A.G., Emery Thompson, M., Atencia, R., & Buckholtz, J.W. (2023). Distinct developmental trajectories for risky and impulsive decision-making in chimpanzees. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
Rosati, A.G., Sabbi, K.H., Bryer, M.A.H., Barnes, P., Rukundo, J., Mukungu, T., Sekulya, P., Ampeire, I., Aligumisiriza, H., Kyama, S., Masereka, J., Nabukeera, W., Okello, A., Waiga, B., Atwijuze, S., Camargo Peña, N., Cantwell, A., Felsche, E., Flores-Mendoza, K., Mohamed, S., Monroe, I., Mulhinch, M., O’Gorman, K., Salamango, J., Shamah, R., Otali, E., Wrangham, R.W., & Machanda, Z.P. (2023). Observational approaches to chimpanzee behavior in an African sanctuary: implications for research, welfare, and capacity-building. American Journal of Primatology
Hernández-Pacheco, R., Steiner, U.K., Rosati, A.G., Tuljapurka, S. (2023). Advancing methods for the biodemography of aging within social contexts. Neuroscience and BioBehavioral Reviews.
De Petrillo, F., Nair, P., Cantwell, A., & Rosati, A.G. (2022). The evolution of cognitive control in lemurs. Psychological Science.
Cantwell, A., Buckholtz, J.W., Atencia, R., & Rosati, A.G. (2022). The origins of cognitive flexibility in chimpanzees. Developmental Science.
Rosati, A.G., Machanda, Z.P., & Slocombe, K.E. (2022). Cognition in the wild: understanding animal thought in its natural context. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences
