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Overview

Mr Jake Brooker

Research Associate


Affiliations
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Research Associate in the Department of Psychology  

Biography

Research

I am a PhD student researching individual variation in empathic tendencies of chimpanzees and bonobos. I am interested in the emotional responding of our closest living relatives and how they manage and resolve conflicts, in partiular with a comparative approach. My project with Dr Zanna Clay is funded through a grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation.

I have worked with captive, wild, and sanctuary-living populations of primates. My current research is focused on great apes but I have interests and some experience in studying human populations.

I completed my Bachelor's in Psychology and Master's in Evolution and Human Behaviour at the University of Kent.

Research interests

  • Empathy
  • Great ape social behaviour
  • Conflict management
  • Comparative psychology

Media Contacts

Available for media contact about:

  • Conflict and resolution: I study how chimpanzees and bonobos mitigate social tension.
  • Primate behaviour: I am interested in the origins of human behaviour from an evolutionary perspective.
  • Aggression: Studying consolation as a marker of empathy in great apes involves observing conflicts and how involved parties and bystanders respond to different aggressive actions.
  • Gender differences: I am interested in how individual characteristics influence empathic behaviour, including sex and age classes.