David Guez

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My primary research interests revolve around the study of animal learning, cognition and consciousness, and the development of new theoretical models that encompass these areas. Recently, I proposed a new bio-logical theory of learning (Guez, 2009) and new definitions for cognition and consciousness (Guez, 2010). I am currently pursuing these ideas experimentally (with bees, wallabies, birds and rodents) and theoretically in order to devise an integrated theory of cognition. This would help our understanding of how animals and humans construct and use knowledge about the world, which in turn could further areas in artificial intelligence, animal behaviour and welfare, and help us to gain a better understanding of the biology that underlies cognitive deficits in mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

I am also pursuing the following experimental areas:

• The study of transitive inference in animals (indirect learning)
• Observation learning, and whether it is sensitive to the learning phenomena 'blocking'
• Metarule acquisition, or how previous learning influences new learning about an unrelated set of cues
• The formation of hypothesis in non-human animals (see Guez, 2010).

In addition, I have a keen interest in ecotoxicology and specifically how pesticides affect normal cognitive processes.

Experience

  • 2011–present
    Lecturer, School of Psychology, University of Newcastle
  • 2010–2011
    Visiting Fellow, The Australian National University
  • 2008–2009
    Lecturer, Faculty of Applied Science, University of Canberra
  • 2005–2006
    Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Binghamton
  • 2002–2005
    Post doctoral fellow, Research School of Biological Science, The Australian National University
  • 2001–2002
    Lavoisier Fellow, Research School of Biological Science, The Australian National University

Education

  • 2002 
    University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI), PhD in Neurobiology of Behaviour and Ecotoxicology
  • 1998 
    University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI), Masters in Invertebrate Physiology

Publications

  • 2011
    Is reasoning in rats really unreasonable? Revisiting recent associative accounts, Frontiers in Psychology 2:277. doi: 10.3389/ fpsyg.2011.00277
  • 2010
    From Cognition to Consciousness: a discussion about learning, reality representation & decision m.., Biological Theory, 5 (2), 136-141.
  • 2010
    Enhanced cholinergic transmission promotes recall in honeybees, Journal of Insect Physiology, 56 (9), 1341-1348.
  • 2009
    A Bio-Logical Theory of Animal Learning, Biological Theory, 4 (2), 148-158.
  • 2008
    Blocking and Pseudoblocking: The Reply of Ratus norvegicus to Apis mellifera, The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 61 (8), 1186-1198.
  • 2005
    Methyl Parathion modifies foraging behaviour in honeybees (Apis mellifera), Ecotoxicology, 14 (4), 431-437.
  • 2004
    Floral scents induce recall of navigational and visual memories in honeybees., The Journal of Experimental Biology, 207, 4371-4381.

Research Areas

  • Animal Behaviour (060801)
  • Animal Neurobiology (060805)
  • Invertebrate Biology (060808)
  • Cognitive Sciences Not Elsewhere Classified (170299)

Contact David for

  • General
  • Media request
  • Speaking request
  • Consulting / Advising
  • Research collaboration
  • Research supervision