Funded by: "Field of Focus 4: Self-Regulation and Regulation: Individuals and Organisations" Research Program by the University of Heidelberg

Partners: University of Heidelberg (Germany) and Institute of Cognitive Science and Technology - CNR - Roma (Italy)

Description: The present project addresses self-regulation in multiple facets. First, we focus on tool innovation as an indicator of self-regulatory behavior that is of considerable practical relevance to society.  Thereby we will not only consider precursors of this component of self-regulation in children from a developmental perspective, but also study its biological roots in capuchin monkeys from a comparative perspective. Second, we explore which aspects of self-regulation (divergent, convergent thinking, and executive functions) are critical for ontogenetic and phylogenetic emergence of innovation behavior, probably revealing deeper insights into how higher self-regulatory processes built up on more basic processes.