Staff profile

Come and work with me!

I am interested in and happy to supervise Masters by Reserch (which can be one year full time or two years part time), and PhD students in any of the following topics, or related ones (please do email me if you’d like to discuss or chat):

• The development of tool innovation, including across cultures
• The development of creativity, including across cultures (for an example project, see here). 
• Educational influences on creativity and/or innovation
• The development of imitation and overimitation
• Individual, social and/or cognitive influences on imitation, innovation and/or creativity in children
• Comparative (particularly children and chimpanzees) perspectives on innovation and imitation
• Cumulative cultural evolution in general

I am also recruiting research assistants (Bachelor's level Year 1 - 3), to assist with projects in these areas.

Research

I am the director of the Durham Cultural Evolution Research Centre (DCERC), and DE&I Associate Editor at Developmental Science

My research uses developmental, cross-cultural, and comparative methods to study cognition, with a particular focus on the psychology of cultural evolution. I am currently particularly interested in studying the development of tool innovation from cognitive, social, and comparative perspectives, and the factors influencing the development of imitation and overimitation in children. I am also increasingly interested in creativity in children, and the types of cognitive, social and cultural factors that shape its development.

I am my department's lead on decolonising the curriculum.

PhD supervision students

• Sayyeda Rubab (PI Dr Patricia Kanngiesser, University of Plymouth), 2022-present: The development of creativity across cultures

Recent funding

2024-2027: ESRC/NSF Award: Learning to innovate: development and diversity (£1.65m). Role: PI

2024-2027: ESRC New Investigator Award: Developing a culturally fair framework for measuring the development of tool innovation across cultures (£300,000). Role: PI.

2023-2027: ESRC: Age-based imitation bias throughout development, during daily interactions, and across culture (£974,227). PI Sheina Lew-Levy. Role: Co-investigator 

2022-2025: Does big culture require big brains? Collective intelligence in roaches and rats. Diverse Intelligences, PI Sarah Brosnan. $233,968. Role: Co-investigator 

2022: Time for some introspection: Can we improve our protocols in cross-cultural developmental research? Workshop funding awarded by the Cultural Evolution Society. £1,000.  

Career

I did my undergraduate degree in psychology at Plymouth University. From there, I did a master's degree in cognitive neuroscience at the University of York. I then took several research assistant projects examining chimpanzee and capuchin monkey social learning and social dynamics, including doing research in Piaui, Brazil (capuchins) as well as Edinbugh Zoo and Chimfunshi Wildlife Orhphanage, Zambia (chimpanzees). I then did a PhD in Evolutionary Anthropology at Durham University where I studied social learning and innovation in children and chimpanzees (housed in Texas). After my PhD, I did a three year postdoc at the University of Texas at Austin studying cross-cultural variation in imitation and innovation in children from all over the world, as well as comparatively, with chimpanzees.

• Comparative research (particularly chimpanzees)
• Cross-cultural research
• Cumulative cultural evolution
• Developmental research
• Imitation
• Innovation (particularly tool innovation)
• Creativity

• 2025: DEI Associate Editor, Developmental Science:

Chapter in book

• What Is Innovation?: A Review of Definitions, Approaches, and Key Questions in Human and Non-Human Innovation
  
  Rawlings, B. S., & Reader, S. M. (2024). What Is Innovation?: A Review of Definitions, Approaches, and Key Questions in Human and Non-Human Innovation. In J. J. Tehrani, J. Kendal, & R. Kendal (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Cultural Evolution. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198869252.013.11
• Cross-Species Comparisons of Human and Non-Human Culture: Approaches, Discoveries, Limitations, and Future Directions
  
  Wood, L. A., Vale, G. L., Flynn, E. G., & Rawlings, B. S. (2023). Cross-Species Comparisons of Human and Non-Human Culture: Approaches, Discoveries, Limitations, and Future Directions. In J. J. Tehrani, J. Kendal, & R. Kendal (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Cultural Evolution. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198869252.013.30
• Overimitation across development: the influence of individual and contextual factors
  
  Rawlings, B., Dutra, N., Turner, C., & Flynn, E. (2020). Overimitation across development: the influence of individual and contextual factors. In N. Jones, M. Platt, K. Mize, & J. Hardin (Eds.), Conducting Research in Developmental Psychology A Topical Guide for Research Methods Utilized Across the Lifespan. Routledge.

Journal Article

• Divergent thinking is linked with convergent thinking; implications for models of creativity
  
  Rawlings, B., Chetwynd-Talbot, D., Husband, E., Nuttall, A., Quinn, E., Taggart, R., & Roome, H. E. (2025). Divergent thinking is linked with convergent thinking; implications for models of creativity. Thinking and Reasoning, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/13546783.2025.2485059
• Construct Validity in Cross-Cultural, Developmental Research: Challenges and Strategies for Improvement
  
  Wen, N. J., Amir, D., Clegg, J. M., Davis, H. E., Dutra, N. B., Kline, M. A., Lew-Levy, S., MacGillivray, T., Pamei, G., Wang, Y., Xu, J., & Rawlings, B. S. (2025). Construct Validity in Cross-Cultural, Developmental Research: Challenges and Strategies for Improvement. Evolutionary Human Sciences. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2025.3
• Linking Disparate Strands: A Critical Review of the Relationship Between Creativity and Education
  
  Rawlings, B. S., & Cutting, S. J. (2024). Linking Disparate Strands: A Critical Review of the Relationship Between Creativity and Education. Educational Psychology Review, 36(4), Article 135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09973-z
• Quantifying quality: The impact of measures of school quality on children's academic achievement across diverse societies
  
  Rawlings, B. S., Davis, H. E., Anum, A., Burger, O., Chen, L., Morales, J. C. C., Dutra, N., Dzabatou, A., Dzokoto, V., Erut, A., Fong, F. T., Ghelardi, S., Goldwater, M., Ingram, G., Messer, E., Kingsford, J., Lew‐Levy, S., Mendez, K., Newhouse, M., … Legare, C. H. (2024). Quantifying quality: The impact of measures of school quality on children’s academic achievement across diverse societies. Developmental Science, 27(5), Article e13434. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13434
• A Comparative Approach to the Study of Cumulative Cultural Evolution: Where Are We Now, and Where Do We Go?
  
  Vale, G. L., & Rawlings, B. S. (2024). A Comparative Approach to the Study of Cumulative Cultural Evolution: Where Are We Now, and Where Do We Go?. Comparative Cognition & Behavior Reviews, 19, 97-103. https://doi.org/10.3819/ccbr.2024.190021
• Developing Cross-Cultural Data Infrastructures (CCDIs) for Research in Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences
  
  Burger, O., Chen, L., Erut, A., Fong, F. T., Rawlings, B., & Legare, C. H. (2023). Developing Cross-Cultural Data Infrastructures (CCDIs) for Research in Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences. Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 14, 565–585. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13164-022-00635-z
• Chimpanzee communities differ in their inter- and intrasexual social relationships
  
  Rawlings, B. S., van Leeuwen, E. J., & Davila-Ross, M. (2023). Chimpanzee communities differ in their inter- and intrasexual social relationships. Learning & Behavior, 51, 48-58. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-023-00570-8
• Peer learning and cultural evolution
  
  Lew-Levy, S., Bos, W. van den, Corriveau, K. H., Dutra, N. B., Dutra, N., Flynn, E. G., O’Sullivan, E., Pope-Caldwell, S., Rawlings, B., Smolla, M., Xu, J., & Wood, L. (2023). Peer learning and cultural evolution. Child Development Perspectives, 17, 97-105. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12482
• Examining relations between performance on non‐verbal executive function and verbal self‐regulation tasks in demographically‐diverse populations
  
  Dutra, N. B., Chen, L., Anum, A., Burger, O., Davis, H. E., Dzokoto, V. A., Fong, F. T., Ghelardi, S., Mendez, K., Messer, E. J., Newhouse, M., Nielsen, M. G., Ramos, K., Rawlings, B., dos Santos, R. A., Silveira, L. G., Tucker‐Drob, E. M., & Legare, C. H. (2022). Examining relations between performance on non‐verbal executive function and verbal self‐regulation tasks in demographically‐diverse populations. Developmental Science, 25(5). https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13228
• After a decade of tool innovation, what comes next?
  
  Rawlings, B. S. (2022). After a decade of tool innovation, what comes next?. Child Development Perspectives, 16(2), 118-124. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12451
• Culture is an optometrist: Cultural contexts adjust the prescription of social learning bifocals
  
  Clegg, J. M., Wen, N. J., & Rawlings, B. (2022). Culture is an optometrist: Cultural contexts adjust the prescription of social learning bifocals. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 45. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x22001376
• Personality predicts innovation and social learning in children: implications for cultural evolution
  
  Rawlings, B., Flynn, E., & Kendal, R. (2022). Personality predicts innovation and social learning in children: implications for cultural evolution. Developmental Science, 25(1), Article e13153. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13153
• Cognitive flexibility supports the development of cumulative cultural learning in children
  
  Davis, S., Rawlings, B., Clegg, J. M., Ikejimba, D., Watson-Jones, R. E., Whiten, A., & Legare, C. H. (2022). Cognitive flexibility supports the development of cumulative cultural learning in children. Scientific Reports, 12, Article 14073. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18231-7
• Leveling the playing field in studying cumulative cultural evolution: Conceptual and methodological advances in nonhuman animal research.
  
  Rawlings, B. S., Legare, C. H., Brosnan, S. F., & Vale, G. L. (2021). Leveling the playing field in studying cumulative cultural evolution: Conceptual and methodological advances in nonhuman animal research. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 47(3). https://doi.org/10.1037/xan0000303
• Toddlers, Tools, and Tech: The Cognitive Ontogenesis of Innovation
  
  Rawlings, B., & Legare, C. H. (2021). Toddlers, Tools, and Tech: The Cognitive Ontogenesis of Innovation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2020.10.006
• Why do chimpanzees have diverse behavioral repertoires yet lack more complex cultures? Invention and social information use in a cumulative task
  
  Vale, G. L., McGuigan, N., Burdett, E., Lambeth, S. P., Lucas, A., Rawlings, B., Schapiro, S. J., Watson, S. K., & Whiten, A. (2021). Why do chimpanzees have diverse behavioral repertoires yet lack more complex cultures? Invention and social information use in a cumulative task. Evolution and Human Behavior, 42(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.11.003
• Sex differences in longitudinal personality stability in chimpanzees
  
  Rawlings, B., Flynn, E., Freeman, H., Reamer, L., Schapiro, S., Lambeth, S., & Kendal, R. (2020). Sex differences in longitudinal personality stability in chimpanzees. Evolutionary Human Sciences, 2, Article e46. https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2020.45
• The social side of innovation
  
  Rawlings, B., & Legare, C. H. (2020). The social side of innovation. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 43. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x20000217
• Testing differential use of payoff-biased social learning strategies in children and chimpanzees
  
  Vale, G., Flynn, E. G., Kendal, J., Rawlings, B., Hopper Lydia, M., Schapiro Steven, J., Lambeth Susan, P., & Kendal, R. (2017). Testing differential use of payoff-biased social learning strategies in children and chimpanzees. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284(1868), Article 20171751. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.1751
• To copy or to innovate? The role of personality and social networks on children's learning strategies
  
  Rawlings, B., Flynn, E., & Kendal, R. (2017). To copy or to innovate? The role of personality and social networks on children’s learning strategies. Child Development Perspectives, 11(1), 39-44. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12206
• An analysis of bimanual actions in natural feeding of semi‐wild chimpanzees
  
  Forrester, G. S., Rawlings, B., & Davila-Ross, M. (2016). An analysis of bimanual actions in natural feeding of semi‐wild chimpanzees. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 159(1), 85-92. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22845
• Semi-wild chimpanzees open hard-shelled fruits differently across communities
  
  Rawlings, B., Davila-Ross, M., & Boysen, S. (2014). Semi-wild chimpanzees open hard-shelled fruits differently across communities. Animal Cognition, 17(4), 891-899. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-013-0722-z
• Constrained prose recall and the assessment of long-term forgetting : the case of ageing and the Crimes Test.
  
  Baddeley, A., Rawlings, B., & Hayes, A. (2014). Constrained prose recall and the assessment of long-term forgetting : the case of ageing and the Crimes Test. Memory, 22(8), 1052-1059. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2013.865753
• Network Analysis of Social Changes in a Captive Chimpanzee Community Following the Successful Integration of Two Adult Groups
  
  Schel, A., Rawlings, B., Claidiere, N., Wilke, C., Wathen, J., Richardson, J., Person, S., Herrelko, E., Whiten, A., & Slocombe, K. (2012). Network Analysis of Social Changes in a Captive Chimpanzee Community Following the Successful Integration of Two Adult Groups. American Journal of Primatology, 75(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22101
• We are all capable of cumulative cultural evolution, but we don't need to all the time.
  
  Rawlings, B., Flynn, E., & Wood., L. (n.d.). We are all capable of cumulative cultural evolution, but we don’t need to all the time. Current Anthropology. Advance online publication.