Research Interests

Human and Animal Cognition: Concept Formation, Metacognition, Memory, Consciousness, Reasoning, Cognitive Evolution, Theory of Mind, Prosociality

 

Previous Academic Appointments

2002- 2005 Post-doctoral Research Fellow and Study Director
Advisor: Dr. Daniel J. Povinelli
Cognitive Evolution Group/ University of Louisiana

 

Education:

Ph.D. Psychology York University 1998 – 2002
Thesis: Abstract Concept Formation in a Group of Captive Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus abelii) and a Juvenile Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
Advisor: Dr. Suzanne E. MacDonald

MA Psychology Wilfrid Laurier University 1996 - 1998
Thesis: Attentional, Instructional and Depth Effects on Retrieval Estimates
Advisor: Dr. Keith D. Horton

Honours BA Psychology McMaster University 1990 - 1994
Thesis: Effects of Intrauterine Position on Morphological and Behavioral Development in Mongolian Gerbils
Advisors: Dr. Mertice M. Clark and Dr. Bennett G. Galef

Teaching Experience

2006 Professor, Psychology, Research Methods University of Southern Mississippi
Professor, Psychology, Animal Behaviour

2005-2006 Professor, Psychology History & Systems

2005 Professor, Psychology Introduction to Statistics

Course Instructor, Cognitive Processes York University

Peer-reviewed Publications:

Vonk, J. & Horton, K.D. (2006). The role of automatic and conscious retrieval processes in directed forgetting. Memory & Cognition, 34, 505-517.

Silk, J., Brosnan, S.F., Vonk, J., Henrich, J., Povinelli, D.J., Shapiro, S., Richardson, A, Lambeth, S.P., & Mascaro, J. (2006). Animal Behaviour: Chimpanzee choice and prosociality (reply). Nature, 440, E6.

Silk, J., Brosnan, S.F., Vonk, J., Henrich, J., Povinelli, D.J., Shapiro, S., Richardson, A, Lambeth, S.P., & Mascaro, J. (2005). Chimpanzees are indifferent to the welfare of unrelated group members. Nature, 437, 1357-1359.

Horton, K.D., Wilson, D.E., Vonk, J., Kirby, S.L., & Nielsen, T. (2005). A comparison of implicit memory and process dissociation with the speeded response procedure: Depth of processing and attentional effects on automatic retrieval. Acta Psychologica, 119, 235-263.

Vonk, J., & MacDonald, S.E. (2004). Levels of abstraction in orangutan (Pongo abelii) categorization. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 118, 3-13.

Povinelli, D.J. & Vonk, J. (2004). We don’t need a microscope to explore the chimpanzee’s mind. Jointly published in Mind and Language, 19, 1-28, and S. Hurley & M. Nudds (Eds.) Rational Animals (2006) Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Povinelli, D.J. & Vonk, J. (2003). Chimpanzee Minds: Suspiciously Human. Trends in Cognitive Science, 7, 157-160.

Vonk, J. (2003). Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and Orangutan (Pongo abelii) understanding of first and second order relations. Animal Cognition, 6, 77-86.

Vonk, J. (2002). Can Orangutans (Pongo abelii) and Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) acquire concepts for social relationships? International Journal of Comparative Cognition, 15, 257-277.

Vonk, J., & MacDonald, S.E. (2002). Natural concept formation in a juvenile gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at 3 levels of abstraction. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behaviour, 78, 315-332.

Clark, M.M., Vonk, J.M., & Galef, B.G. Jr. (1998). Intrauterine position, parenting and nest-site attachment in male Mongolian Gerbils. Developmental Psychobiology, 32, 177-181.

Clark, M.M., DeSousa, D., Vonk, J., & Galef, B.G. Jr. (1997). Parenting and potency: routes to reproductive success in male Mongolian gerbils. Animal Behaviour, 54, 635-642.

Clark, M.M., Vonk, J.M., & Galef, B.G. Jr. (1997). Reproductive profiles of adult Mongolian Gerbils gestated as the sole fetus in a uterine horn. Physiology and Behaviour, 61, 77-81.

Chapters

Vonk, J . & Povinelli, D.J. (2006). Similarity and difference in the conceptual systems of primates: The Unobservability hypothesis. In E.Wasserman and T. Zentall (Eds.) Comparative Cognition: Experimental Explorations of Animal Intelligence. Oxford University Press, England.

Book Reviews

Vonk, J. (2006). The Puzzle of Great Ape Cognition: Still in Pieces. [Review of the book “The evolution of thought: Evolutionary origins of Great Ape intelligence”], Current Anthropology, 47, 558.

MacDonald, S.E. & Vonk, J. (2002). [Review of the book “The Orangutans: Their Evolution, Behavior, and Future”], Quarterly Review of Biology, 77, 81-82.

Invited Conference Presentations

Vonk, J. & Povinelli, D.J. (2005). Theory of mind in non-human primates: an Empirical Challenge. Paper presented at Human Behavior and Evolution Society 2005 Conference, June 5, Austin, TX.

Vonk, J. (2005). Causality in non-humans: Empirical Questions. Invited paper published online for Interdisciplines: Causality, May 23, 2005.

Refereed Conference Presentations:

Vonk, J. (2006). Estimation of numerosities by a zoo-housed orangutan  (Pongo abelii) in a matching task. Paper presented at the 29 th Annual Meeting of American Society of Primatologists , August 17, San Antonio, TX.

Subiaul, F., Vonk, J, Barth, J, Okamoto-Barth, S. & Povinelli, D.J. (2006) Chimpanzees Infer The Reputation of Strangers. Paper presented at the 13 th Annual International Conference on Comparative Cognition, CO3. March 24, Melbourne, FLA.

Vonk, J., Povinelli, D.J. & Silk, J.B. (2006). Chimpanzees do not Donate Food to Unrelated Group Members. Paper presented at the 13 th Annual International Conference on Comparative Cognition, CO3. March 24, Melbourne, FLA.

Subiaul, F. & Vonk, J. (2005) The Role of Agency Attribution in Cognitive Imitation. Poster presented at the 4 th Meeting of the Cognitive Development Society, CDS, Oct. 22, San Diego, CA.

Vonk, J., Reaux, J.E., & Povinelli, D.J. (2005). Determinants of Individual Differences in Cognitive Tasks with Chimpanzees. Paper presented at the 12 th Annual International Conference on Comparative Cognition, CO3. March 18, Melbourne, FLA.

Vonk, J., & Povinelli, D.J. (2004). Primate Concepts: Do Nonhuman Primates Reason about Unobservables? Paper presented at the joint 12 th Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Comparative Psychology (ISCP) and 16 th Congress of the Spanish Society for Comparative Psychology, Oviedo, Spain, Sept. 18.

Vonk, J., Reaux, J.E., Castille, C.M., & Povinelli, D.J. (2004). What Human-Enculturated Apes Know about Seeing: Preliminary Results. Paper presented at the 11 th Annual International Conference on Comparative Cognition, CO3. March 24, Melbourne, Fla.

Vonk, J. & Horton, K.D. (2003). Automatic and Conscious Retrieval in Directed Forgetting. Poster presented at the 44 th annual meeting of the Psychonomics society, November, Vancouver, B.C.

Vonk, J. (2002) Abstract concept formation in non-language trained orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus abelii) and gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Poster presented at “Why Language Matters for Theory of Mind” conference, Toronto, April 26.

Vonk, J., & MacDonald, S.E. (2001). Using a touch-screen to test the conceptual abilities of Orangutans and Gorillas. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the AAZK, Oct.1, 2001, Toronto, On. Published in the proceedings of the AAZK annual meeting, 2001.

Vonk, J., & MacDonald, S.E. (2001). Abstract natural concept formation in captive orangutans (Pongo pgymaeus abelli) and one captive gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Paper presented at the 24 th annual meeting of the American Society of Primatologists, Aug 11, 2001, Savannah, GA. Abstract published.

Vonk, J., & MacDonald, S.E. (2001). Abstract concept formation in a young captive Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) using a touch-screen. Paper presented at the 8 th Annual International Conference on Comparative Cognition, CO3. March 17, Melbourne, Fla.

Vonk, J., & MacDonald, S.E. (2000). Natural concept formation in Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) using a touch-screen. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Animal Behaviour Society, August, Atlanta, GA.

Vonk, J., & MacDonald, S.E. (2000). Natural concept formation in Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus). Paper presented at the 7 th Annual International Conference on Comparative Cognition, CO3. March 16, Melbourne, Fla.