Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Laura Lewis is making her mark at the UC Berkeley Psychology department, with interdisciplinary research in anthropology and evolutionary biology. Working with Alison Gopnik and Jan Engelmann, her research centers the evolution and development of social cognition in great apes, specifically chimpanzees, bonobos, and children. Dr. Lewis designs fun, non-invasive behavioral experiments to better understand the psychological mechanisms humans use to build, maintain, and repair social relationships. Her experiments take place across species in order to understand how humans and apes alike process the social world.
Dr. Lewis is particularly focused on complex emotions like jealousy and anger - how and why these evolved, and how they develop in children. She explains, “Broadly, I’m interested in the psychological mechanisms we use to build, maintain, and repair social relationships. That includes how we recognize and remember others, what kinds of social information we pay attention to, and how we infer others’ thoughts—what we call “theory of mind.”
One recent discovery Dr. Lewis is most excited about is the finding that long-term memory in apes and chimpanzees can actually rival that of humans. Lewis and her team published a study in 2023 that found that chimpanzees and bonobos can remember the faces of past groupmates for over a decade - some even up to 27 years.
“Even more exciting,” Dr. Lewis explained, “we found that they remembered their friends best, not necessarily the dominant individuals or rivals. They looked significantly longer at the faces of previous close companions. It suggests that, like in humans, social bonds strongly influence memory.”
Outside the lab, Dr. Lewis is passionate about nature and natural observation. From surfing to hiking to climbing, she believes the outdoors is a place where scientific observation and inquiry can thrive. Additionally, she finds a creative outlet in writing poetry. The creative practice, she explains, helps her find a balance between her research and herself.
Looking ahead, Dr. Lewis is set to transition into a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor in the UC Santa Barbara Psychological and Brain Sciences and Anthropology Departments. She is intent on building a lab that fosters communication, care, and scientific excellence. “I want it to be a space where people of all backgrounds - regardless of gender, ethnicity, identity, or sexuality - feel supported, welcome, and able to do transformative science.”