We study embodied choices. These are the choices we make with our brain and body together. For example, as the sensory parts of our brain process external information, our body generates internal physiological states. These internal states help us dynamically adapt to the outside world while remaining the same individual.

Another example is when the way we use our body to interact with the world has been shaped by evolution. We might choose to visually explore a novel, potentially dangerous object because there’s little risk in looking. But when something feels familiar, we reach out and take it without hesitation, especially when it’s valuable.

To study embodied choices, we record activity from the brain while also tracking the body and eyes. This leaves us with enormous amounts of data, which we make sense of using computational models.

Publications

Nathanael is the boss

Meet Nathanael and Vin, two monkeys with a clear hierarchy: Nathanael is the boss, calling the shots and leading the way. Vin happily follows Nathanael’s lead, perfectly at ease in this social order. But there is a twist: Vin is more experienced in this task...

This experiment showcase how primates balance looking around, for example for collecting information and learning, with manual reward collection.

(This clip was made by the media team at the University of Goettingen. Some of the footage was recorded by the media team at the German Primate Center)

How many banana chips does Vin find?

Vin, a curious Rhesus macaque at the German Primate Center, searches wood piles for banana chips. "Learning to guess from a guess", Vin finds his way through more than a hundred woodchip piles.

This experiment showcase how macaques explore a novel food terrain in which gaining information about food distribution is as important as the food itself.   

(This experiment was conducted with the sensorimotor group, cognitive neuroscience lab, German Primate Center)

Vin meets automatic feeder

Here Vin again, encounters a brand-new early prototype of an automatic feeder. Curious and determined, Vin explores every angle, trying to figure out how to access the food pellets hidden inside.

(The automatic feeder was prototyped with the sensorimotor group, cognitive neuroscience lab, German Primate Center)

Clips from the lab

Affiliations