Outputs (50)

Bonobos and chimpanzees overlap in sexual behaviour patterns during social tension (2025)
Journal Article
Brooker, J. S., Webb, C. E., van Leeuwen, E. J. C., Kordon, S., de Waal, F. B. M., & Clay, Z. (2025). Bonobos and chimpanzees overlap in sexual behaviour patterns during social tension. Royal Society Open Science, 12(3), Article 242031. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.242031

Sexual behaviour during tense social situations is extensively documented in various animals. Bonobos, our closest living relatives alongside chimpanzees, habitually perform genital contacts during social tension, which is thought to enhance cooperat... Read More about Bonobos and chimpanzees overlap in sexual behaviour patterns during social tension.

Conspecific alarm calls, but not food-associated calls, elicit affect-based and object-based mental representations in a bonobo (Pan paniscus) (2025)
Journal Article
Lahiff, N. J., Clay, Z., Epping, A. J., Taglialatela, J. P., Townsend, S. W., & Slocombe, K. E. (2025). Conspecific alarm calls, but not food-associated calls, elicit affect-based and object-based mental representations in a bonobo (Pan paniscus). Royal Society Open Science, 12(3), Article 241901. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.241901

Non-human vocalizations carrying information regarding external events have been likened to referential words and are thus integral for exploring the origins of linguistic reference. Previous research suggests receivers decode this referential inform... Read More about Conspecific alarm calls, but not food-associated calls, elicit affect-based and object-based mental representations in a bonobo (Pan paniscus).

Contagious Crying Revisited: A Cross‐Cultural Investigation Into Infant Emotion Contagion Using Infrared Thermal Imaging (2025)
Journal Article
Vreden, C., Renner, E., Ainamani, H. E., Crowther, R., Forward, B., Mazari, S., Tuohy, G., Ndyareeba, E., & Clay, Z. (2025). Contagious Crying Revisited: A Cross‐Cultural Investigation Into Infant Emotion Contagion Using Infrared Thermal Imaging. Developmental Science, 28(2), Article e13608. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13608

Contagious crying in infants has been considered an early marker of their sensitivity to others’ emotions, a form of emotional contagion, and an early basis for empathy. However, it remains unclear whether infant distress in response to peer distress... Read More about Contagious Crying Revisited: A Cross‐Cultural Investigation Into Infant Emotion Contagion Using Infrared Thermal Imaging.

Factors shaping socio-emotional trajectories in sanctuary-living bonobos: a longitudinal approach (2024)
Journal Article
Kordon, S., Webb, C. E., Brooker, J. S., de Waal, F. B., & Clay, Z. (2024). Factors shaping socio-emotional trajectories in sanctuary-living bonobos: a longitudinal approach. Royal Society Open Science, 11(12), Article 240435. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.240435

Early maternal loss can have lasting detrimental effects on primate social development. While many rehabilitation settings provide enriching environments to buffer against such effects in orphans, previous research indicates that young bonobo (Pan pa... Read More about Factors shaping socio-emotional trajectories in sanctuary-living bonobos: a longitudinal approach.

ChimpanSEE, ChimpanDO: Grooming and play contagion in chimpanzees (2024)
Journal Article
Sandars, G., Brooker, J. S., & Clay, Z. (2024). ChimpanSEE, ChimpanDO: Grooming and play contagion in chimpanzees. PLoS ONE, 19(11), Article e0312467. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0312467

Behavioural contagion—the onset of a species-typical behaviour soon after witnessing it in a conspecific—forms the foundation of behavioural synchrony and cohesive group living in social animals. Although past research has mostly focused on negative... Read More about ChimpanSEE, ChimpanDO: Grooming and play contagion in chimpanzees.

Increased alertness and moderate ingroup cohesion in bonobos’ response to outgroup cues (2024)
Journal Article
Brooks, J., van Heijst, K., Epping, A., Lee, S. H., Niksarli, A., Pope, A., Clay, Z., Kret, M. E., Taglialatela, J., & Yamamoto, S. (2024). Increased alertness and moderate ingroup cohesion in bonobos’ response to outgroup cues. PLoS ONE, 19(8), Article e0307975. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307975

In a number of species, including humans, perceived outgroup threat can promote ingroup cohesion. However, the distribution and selection history of this association across species with varied intergroup relations remains unclear. Using a sample of 8... Read More about Increased alertness and moderate ingroup cohesion in bonobos’ response to outgroup cues.

Impact of social context on human facial and gestural emotion expressions (2024)
Journal Article
Heesen, R., Szenteczki, M. A., Kim, Y., Kret, M. E., Atkinson, A. P., Upton, Z., & Clay, Z. (2024). Impact of social context on human facial and gestural emotion expressions. iScience, 27(11), Article 110663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.110663

Humans flexibly adapt expressions of emotional messages when interacting with others. However, detailed information on how specific parts of the face and hands move in socio-emotional contexts is missing. We identified individual gesture and facial m... Read More about Impact of social context on human facial and gestural emotion expressions.

Frans de Waal - A pioneer who shone a light on the primate mind. (2024)
Journal Article
Clay, Z. (2024). Frans de Waal - A pioneer who shone a light on the primate mind. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 162, Article 105725. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105725

Biology has just lost one of its greatest thinkers. An intellectual pioneer and exceptional observer of animals, de Waal inspired us all to think differently about animals as well as ourselves - his far-reaching impact within and beyond biology and p... Read More about Frans de Waal - A pioneer who shone a light on the primate mind..

The expression of empathy in human's closest relatives, bonobos and chimpanzees: current and future directions (2024)
Journal Article
Brooker, J. S., Webb, C. E., de Waal, F. B. M., & Clay, Z. (2024). The expression of empathy in human's closest relatives, bonobos and chimpanzees: current and future directions. Biological Reviews, 99(4), 1556-1575. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13080

Empathy is a complex, multi‐dimensional capacity that facilitates the sharing and understanding of others' emotions. As our closest living relatives, bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (P. troglodytes) provide an opportunity to explore the origin... Read More about The expression of empathy in human's closest relatives, bonobos and chimpanzees: current and future directions.

Perceptual integration of bodily and facial emotion cues in chimpanzees and humans (2024)
Journal Article
Heesen, R., Kim, Y., Kret, M. E., & Clay, Z. (2024). Perceptual integration of bodily and facial emotion cues in chimpanzees and humans. PNAS Nexus, 3(2), Article pgae012. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae012

For highly visual species like primates, facial and bodily emotion expressions play a crucial role in emotion perception. However, most research focuses on facial expressions, while the perception of bodily cues is still poorly understood. Using a no... Read More about Perceptual integration of bodily and facial emotion cues in chimpanzees and humans.