Brian Hare (born 1976) is a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University.[1] He researches the evolution of cognition by studying both humans, our close relatives the primates (especially bonobos and chimpanzees), and species whose cognition converged with our own (primarily domestic dogs). He founded and co-directs the Duke Canine Cognition Center.

Brian Hare
Hare in 2010
Born1976
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materHarvard University (Ph.D)
Emory University (B.A.)
SpouseVanessa Woods
Scientific career
FieldsAnthropology, Psychology
InstitutionsDuke University
Doctoral advisorRichard Wrangham

Biography

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Hare obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and Psychology from Emory University in 1998. As an undergraduate, he conducted research with Michael Tomasello, where he found that chimpanzees are sensitive to what other chimpanzees can and cannot see, and that domestic dogs can follow humans’ pointing gestures to find food.[2][3][4][5]

Hare continued his study of primate and canid cognition at Harvard University, where he was advised by Richard Wrangham. In 2004, he obtained his Ph.D in Biological Anthropology. He joined the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, where he founded the Hominoid Psychology Research Group. He studied great ape cognition in several African sanctuaries, including bonobos at Lola ya Bonobo and chimpanzees at Tchimpounga and Ngamba Island.[6]

Since 2008, Hare has been a professor at Duke University. In 2009, he founded the Duke Canine Cognition Center, which has tested the cognitive abilities of pet dogs in the Research Triangle area as well as working dogs from organizations such as Canine Companions for Independence.[7] He has also researched lemur cognition at the Duke Lemur Center.

Hare co-founded Dognition, a citizen science enterprise where dog owners play a variety of games with their dogs to test the dogs’ cognitive skills.[8] With his wife, Vanessa Woods, Hare co-authored the popular science book The Genius of Dogs, which was a New York Times Best Seller.[9]

Publications

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Honors and awards

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Hare was a 2004 recipient of the Sofia Kovalevskaya Award.

References

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  1. ^ "Evolutionary Anthropology". Duke University.
  2. ^ McNamara, Chris (November 2008). "The Domestication and Social Cognition in Dogs". Bark: The Dog Culture Magazine.
  3. ^ Wade, Nicholas (22 November 2002). "From Wolf to Dog, Yes, but When?". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Hare, Brian; Call, Josep; Agnetta, Bryan; Tomasello, Michael (1 April 2000). "Chimpanzees know what conspecifics do and do not see". Animal Behaviour. 59 (4): 771–785. doi:10.1006/anbe.1999.1377. PMID 10792932. S2CID 3432209.
  5. ^ Hare, Brian; Tomasello, Michael (June 1999). "Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) use human and conspecific social cues to locate hidden food". Journal of Comparative Psychology. 113 (2): 173. doi:10.1037/0735-7036.113.2.173.
  6. ^ Dreifus, Claudia (5 July 2010). "Why Bonobos Don't Kill Each Other". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Zimmer, Carl (21 September 2009). "The Secrets Inside Your Dog's Mind". Time.
  8. ^ Waldman, Katy (8 February 2013). "A $60 App Promises To Tell You How Smart Your Dog Is". Slate.
  9. ^ "Best Selling Science Books". The New York Times. 14 April 2014.
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