Dr. Marcela E. Benítez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Emory University, where she devotes herself to the study of primate social cognition, delving into the intricate mechanisms that shape social choices and the contextual factors that render these decisions adaptive.
As a primatologist, Dr. Benítez's work disentangles both proximate and ultimate mechanisms of social decision-making in primates, thereby providing valuable insights into the pivotal role of sociality, cooperation, and conflict in the cognitive evolution of primates.
Dr. Benítez co-directs a long-term field project, Capuchins de Taboga, which focuses on the cognition and behavior of wild white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) in the Guanacaste Region of Costa Rica, offering a unique opportunity to explore the intricacies of primate social dynamics.
In addition to her fieldwork, Dr. Benítez maintains an affiliation with the Language Research Center at Georgia State University, where she investigates the mechanisms of social choices in captive tufted capuchins (Sapajus apella),further expanding our understanding of the complex interplay between social cognition and decision-making in primates.
