Research

In the Caves lab, we investigate visually-guided behaviors in animals by studying links between signaling behavior and signal form, sensory physiology, perceptual processing, and behavioral outcomes across species. Our broader aim is to better our understanding of how animals perceive their visual world and how that perception influences their behavior, how signals and perceptual systems evolve, and how and when differences in sensory capability lead to differences in perception that influence resultant behaviors. We take an interdisciplinary approach, using tools from animal behavior, evolutionary biology, and sensory physiology to conduct research projects that focus on different stages of sensory and perceptual processing, including signaling behavior, signal filtering by the environment and the visual system, perceptual processing, and behavioral outcomes.