Cognitive Science Speaker Series | Psychology of Animal Groups: When and how collective intelligence emerges from individual cognition

Speaker: Takao Sasaki, Ph.D.
Title: Psychology of Animal Groups: When and how collective intelligence emerges from individual cognition
Short Bio: Takao Sasaki is an Associate Professor in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester. He obtained a Ph.D. in Biology from Arizona State University and remained at the same institute as a postdoctoral researcher for a year. He then became a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford. Prior to joining the University of Rochester in 2024, he was an Assistant Professor in the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia.
Abstract: For over a century, researchers have been investigating collective cognition, in which a group of individuals together processes information and acts as a single cognitive unit. However, we still know little about the circumstances under which groups achieve better (or worse) decisions than individuals. To address this question my research applies concepts and methods from psychology to both individuals and groups in order to directly compare their cognitive abilities. I use house-hunting by the ant Temnothorax rugatulus as a model system. My work has shown that 1) rational group decisions can emerge from interactions among irrational individuals, 2) groups can process more information and thus are less prone to cognitive overload than individuals, and 3) groups show more precise discrimination than individuals, but individuals make better decisions than groups for easy discrimination tasks. Furthermore, my recent research has started investigating underlying mechanisms of collective cognition using . By combining empirical data and models I elucidate the emergent processes of collective cognition and suggest how and when groups (fail to) achieve higher cognitive performance than individuals.
ASL-English interpreters have been requested. Light refreshments will be provided.
Event Snapshot
When and Where
Who
Open to the Public
Interpreter Requested?
Yes