College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Behavioral SciencesPsychology

Francine Dolins

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Office:                         4066 CB
Hours:                         M 1:30-3:00 and by appointment
E-Mail:                         fdolins@umd.umich.edu
Phone:                        (313) 593-5377
Fax:                             (313) 583-6358
 
Website:                     Francine Dolins

                                  Berenty Reserve Website - The Berenty Reserve, a private wildlife reserve in Southern Madagascar. It has been the focus of scientific research on lemurs for over 40 years. It is also one of Madagascar's premier tourist destinations. Most television programs about Madagascar show Berenty's ringtailed lemur troops sauntering with tails in the air, and Berenty's white sifaka dancing over the ground or riccocheting between thorn-studded trees. 

Areas of Specialization:

Primatology, Spatial Cognition, Foraging Behavior and Navigation, Animal Behavior, Evolutionary Psychology, Comparative Psychology, Captive Animal Welfare, and Conservation Education


Research Interests:

Francine Dolins research investigates the interaction of ecological and cognitive processes involved in animal problem-solving.  Specifically, her research examines the spatial cognitive abilities, navigational behavior, and spatial decision-making processes of nonhuman and human primate species, comparatively.


Publications:

Dolins, F.L. & Mitchell, R.W. (2010). Linking spatial perception and spatial cognition. In F.L. Dolins and R.W. Mitchell (Eds.), Spatial Perception, Spatial Cognition: Mapping the Self and Space. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Mitchell, R.W. & Dolins, F.L. (2010). Psychology and the philosophy of spatial perception: A history, or how the idea of spatial cognition in animals developed. In F.L. Dolins and R.W. Mitchell (Eds.), Spatial Cognition, Spatial Perception: Mapping the Self and Space. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Garber, P.A. & Dolins, F.L. (2010). Examining spatial cognitive strategies in small-scale and large-scale space in tamarin monkeys In F.L. Dolins and R.W. Mitchell (Eds.), Spatial Cognition, Spatial Perception: Mapping the Self and Space. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Dolins, F.L., Jolly, A., Ratsimbazafy, J., Rasamimanana, H. & Feistner, A. (2010). The link between education and lemur conservation in Madagascar: successes and difficulties. Special Issue on Conservation Education, Guest editors: F.L. Dolins, A. Jolly & A. Savage. American Journal of Primatology.

Clay, A.W., Perdue, B.M., Gaalema, D.E., Dolins, F.L. & Bloomsmith, M.A. (2010). The Use of Technology to Enhance Captive Animal Environments. Zoo Biology.