Publications by authors named "Amanda Epping"
Article Synopsis
- In certain species, like humans and possibly bonobos, feeling threatened by outgroups can lead to stronger bonds within their own group.
- A study tested this idea in bonobos by observing their behavior in response to unfamiliar vocal sounds from outgroups, finding that they engaged in more social grooming when faced with these outgroup cues.
- The results hint at a shared ancestral behavior of forming ingroup cohesion in response to outgroup threats, even before humans and bonobos evolved separately.
Article Synopsis
- SNPs in forkhead box protein P2 and oxytocin receptor genes are linked to language and social development in humans, as well as autism severity.
- A study on bonobos did not find the same ASD variants present in humans, but discovered novel SNP variants that could affect social behavior.
- Bonobos with a specific genetic combination demonstrated more sociable behavior, supporting the idea that genetic factors may influence social communication in both species.
Humans share the ability to intuitively map 'sharp' or 'round' pseudowords, such as 'bouba' versus 'kiki', to abstract edgy versus round shapes, respectively. This effect, known as sound symbolism, appears early in human development. The phylogenetic origin of this phenomenon, however, is unclear: are humans the only species capable of experiencing correspondences between speech sounds and shapes, or could similar effects be observed in other animals? Thus far, evidence from an matching experiment failed to find evidence of this sound symbolic matching in great apes, suggesting its human uniqueness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) demonstrate deficits in cognitive and academic functioning. This study compared the visual motor integration (VMI) skills of children with SCD to non-SCD sibling controls.
Procedure: In total, 105 participants (67 patients with SCD, 38 controls) were recruited during a routine clinic visit.
Background: Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) demonstrate deficits in cognitive and academic functioning. This study compared the academic attainment of children with SCD relative to national, state, and local school district rates for African American students.
Methods: A retrospective chart review of children with SCD was completed and academic information was collected from caregiver report and school records.