Description du sujet de thèse

Description of the PhD project:
To understand and adapt to its complex environment, an individual can employ multiple strategies. On the one hand, it can draw upon its own knowledge acquired through past experiences to extrapolate the consequences of ongoing events or predict the outcome of its actions. It can thus proceed by trial and error, repeating actions that have led to success and avoiding those that are not beneficial. On the other hand, it can draw upon the experience acquired by other individuals to complement its own, which allows it to save learning time and avoid the risk of harmful consequences from inappropriate behaviour. It is crucial that these different strategies, involving varying degrees of risk-taking, coexist to optimize resource exploitation while reducing the level of competition among conspecifics. Although the ability to imitate and even cooperate is well documented in many social species, inter-individual variations in the use of different strategies remain largely unexplored.

The PhD project aims to identify the individual factors influencing the use of different strategies. We will focus on two main types of endogenous factors: personality traits and cognitive skills. With an interdisciplinary focus, this project explores these inter-individual differences through a comparative approach in order to identify key, fundamental elements that are conserved or converge during evolution. To this end, we specifically intend to study the strategies employed to solve a similar problem by two highly social species, particularly distant from a phylogenetic point of view, but which are classic models for studying pro-social behaviour: bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) and humans (young children at a pre-verbal stage). The originality and success of the project therefore lies on the complementarity between experimental human sciences and animal cognition.

Exploring social cognition in young children with very limited articulate language often presents a methodological challenge. By drawing on both the methods used in ethology to explore social cognition and an interspecific perspective on common factors that can influence learning strategies (level of tolerance, exploration, social attraction, social network, etc.), this project will test the social cognition of young children with an innovative approach inspired by cognitive ethology: problem-solving of the 'puzzle-box' or 'string-pulling' whether through imitation or not. Since the psychomotor skills of young children also appear to influence their use of social information, such modulating capacities will also be examined. This PhD research will be conducted within a BabyLab and in a more social environment (a daycare center), which will allow for the integration of the impact of social affinities and attentional competition on the use of imitation.

Our collaborative research project provides funding for two PhDs, one focusing on bumblebees and the other on young children (with the same supervisory team for both), working in close contact. The comparative approach will allow the candidates to deepen their understanding of the individual factors influencing the use of prosocial behaviours and to be introduced to two different scientific disciplines and cultures, while also developing a multidisciplinary perspective on cognitive sciences. The theoretical and methodological advances made on each model will thus inform the research on the other model.
The project is funded and carried out within the framework of the IMITATION project (TIRIS Scaling-up, ANR PIA4 France 2030).

Desired profile:
The candidate must hold an engineering degree and/or a Master's degree in ethology, psychology, neuroscience, or cognitive sciences. Scientific curiosity, adaptability, and the ability to work in a team will be significant assets given the interdisciplinary nature of the subject. Strong motivation and a rigorous approach to experimental studies are expected, as well as an interest in developing experimental setups and protocols. Other skills such as fluency in English (written and spoken), writing skills, and communication will also be appreciated.

It is necessary to apply including:
1/ A curriculum vitae;
2/ A .pdf document including a cover letter (1 page) describing the candidate's interest in research as well as their skills and motivation in relation to the project; 1 or 2 references from previous supervisors; a copy of the Master 2 diploma or equivalent if already obtained (or, failing that, the transcripts of the Master's degree), as well as a short summary of the Master 2 thesis.
Candidates will be pre-selected based on their academic excellence and motivation for an in-person interview in Toulouse or remotely via video conference.

Contexte de travail

Professional context:
The PhD candidate will join the Cognition, Languages, Speech, and Ergonomics Laboratory (CLLE, UMR 5263) in Toulouse (University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès). He/she will be affiliated with the Doctoral School of Behaviour, Language, Education, Socialization, and Cognition (CLESCO). The candidate will conduct his/her thesis under the supervision of Gwenaël KAMINSKI (CLLE) and Aurore AVARGUES-WEBER (CRCA, Toulouse). Experimental studies will be carried out at the BabyLab (research platform of the MSHS-T's CCU technology platform) as well as in several daycare centers in Toulouse. The candidate will benefit from a stimulating environment in a multidisciplinary laboratory (with a broad scope encompassing linguistics, psychology, computer science, philosophy, education, and neuroscience) within the field of Cognitive Sciences.

Contraintes et risques

No risk identified.