CoPAN Intern Q&A

Interested in doing your thesis or internship with the CoPAN lab? Check out a quick question and answer session with some of our interns! If you would like to learn more, or discuss potential study topics, contact CoPAN Comparative PhD candidates Karlijn van Heijst and/or Kia Radovanovic at copan-comparative@FSW.leidenuniv.nl. Please include your CV and a short motivation, as well as your intended internship period. Good to know: We require a minimum commitment of 6 months (though this does not have to be full-time), a strong interest in emotion and social cognition, and an affinity with studying animal behavior.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your study program.

Anniek: I’m Anniek, I’m in my second year of the research master Cognitive Neuroscience at Leiden University (pictured left)

Meike: Hi! My name is Meike Schaapveld, I’m a first-year master’s student of the track Evolution of Behavior and Mind (Biological Sciences) (pictured middle)

Jenna: My name is Jenna, I did my masters study in Animal Science with a specialization in Behavioural Ecology (pictured right)

How did you find the CoPAN lab and what drew you to it?

Anniek: I first learned about the CoPAN lab when Mariska gave a lecture for one of the courses that I was following. It was the first time that I heard about her research in great apes and it sounded really interesting. Before this, I didn’t even know that studying apes was something people were able to do in academic research. I was immediately curious. What especially drew me to the lab was how unique the research seemed. After the lecture, I looked more into the lab online and thought it would be interesting to ask about internship opportunities.

Meike: Before I started this master’s program, I graduated from the Academy of Arts in Utrecht (HKU) as a documentary director. After my graduation documentary, which was made in collaboration with Mariska Kret, and following some extra courses, I was able to get into the master’s and start a research project at Mariska’s lab. That ultimately feels like things have come full circle!

Jenna: I found the CoPAN lab during my masters internship at Ouwehands Dierenpark. My supervisor was a PhD student here and recommended it given aligned research interests. After looking into various publications and different projects within the lab, I was immediately interested in getting involved and building my experience in the field of animal emotionality. I offered to start volunteer work and was met with a few options to see what best aligned with my interests, from working with humans, to apes, or even cats and dogs!

What role do you play in the lab?

Anniek: I did my internship here last semester, and I’m currently writing my thesis in the lab.

Meike: At the CoPAN lab, I am conducting research with the gibbons at Ouwehands Zoo for my master’s thesis. I am currently setting up the training and study of the gibbons to participate in a touchscreen task about their visual preferences and emotions. What kind of faces and emotions do they prefer to see?

Jenna: I started off doing volunteer work, then did an 8 month long internship, and am now a part-time research assistant here!

What does a typical school week look like for you?

Anniek: A typical week for me is a mix of coursework and thesis/internship work. I usually spend two days on lectures and working on assignments for my other courses. During my internship, I used to go to Ouwehands Zoo once a week for eye-tracking research. Now, the rest of my week is mostly focused on writing my thesis and analyzing the data.

Meike: My weeks look very diverse since training with the gibbons requires a lot of problem solving, patience, and creativity. The gibbons have never seen a screen before, let alone a touchscreen! Two days a week I am doing trials at the zoo, once a week I am be in Leiden to meet up with the lab (and ask them for some wise advice!), and the rest of the time I am working on other small projects or my thesis. 

Jenna: I spent 2 days a week performing eye tracking experiments at zoos – one day with chimpanzees at Amersfoort Dierenpark and one day with orangutans at Ouwehands Dierenpark. I also helped out with a study in domestic and big cats, so I spent time filming lions and tigers as well as analysing videos of domestic cats from home!

Can you tell us more about your study topic?

Anniek: During my internship, I worked on an eye-tracking project with orangutans at Ouwehands Zoo. Right now, I’m writing my thesis on how the appearance of the pupil in dogs’ eyes influences people’s perceptions of cuteness.

Meike: Attention is very important for animals like us. Where the CoPAN lab focuses on the emotions and cognition of primates and other animals, my study focuses specifically on gibbons. The tasks that have already been done with chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans, will now also be done with gibbons to ultimately make a wider comparison. This is quite interesting because our common ancestors lived around 16 million years ago, instead of 2–3 million years ago (as is the case with chimpanzees). When we find similarities or differences in the visual preferences for emotion in these apes, we will gain a better understanding of our ancestors and their way of living. Also, gibbons live in a social system very similar to ours. 

Jenna: I helped our PhD students studying emotional attention in great apes. We performed eye tracking experiments using various stimuli to see where they directed their gaze. For example, is more time spent looking at familiar or unfamiliar individuals? I also helped analyse facial expressions in domestic cats during an experiment to see how they react to positively and negatively valanced emotional stimuli. I’ll work on similar video analysis for lions and tigers in the coming months.

How is it working with animals? Has studying them changed your perspective on any concepts like emotional intelligence or animal welfare?

Anniek: Working with animals has definitely changed my perspective. I honestly wasn’t a big fan of zoos before, because I mainly associated them with tiny enclosures and poor conditions. But during my internship, I learned that most animals in zoos are rescued or have lived in zoos their entire lives. I was also impressed by how dedicated the caretakers are to the animals’ wellbeing.

Meike: Working with animals is amazing! While I am training them, they are training me at the same time. They show me how their social bonds work, giving me a glimpse of their intelligence and personalities. The problems we encounter also teach me so many different skills for conducting research. 

Jenna: Being an animal person, I absolutely loved working with them! I have always had an interest in animal cognition but having the opportunity to see just how intelligent they are first hand amazed me. They have such distinct personalities, and just like people, have different moods and interests depending on the day. I found myself looking forward to each eye tracking session and really routing for them, especially the individuals who were more cautious, or visited our setup less often. I have worked with a variety of animals in the past, but the apes are incredibly special. Seeing their social bonds with each other, and their trust in the caretakers, is really amazing.

Do you see any parallels to humans? Could working with animals be helpful for more human based work down the line?

Anniek: Definitely. Especially with orangutans, I noticed how intelligent they are. They also have their own personalities and behaviors. Sometimes they even reminded me of young children: they can be very curious and also stubborn at times. I think working with animals can absolutely contribute to human focused research as well, since it can tell us a lot about cognition and social behavior more broadly.

Meike: I see so many parallels to humans! The way they take care of each other, raise their kids, learn new things, and communicate is more than inspiring. Also trying to understand their needs without speaking the same language makes you really attentive for other small cues like gestures, scents, and vocalizations. This is a very helpful skill to use in human-based work as well. 

Jenna: Absolutely. I think any experience conducting research can be useful for a scientific career down the line, whether that be more human or animal focused. Apes are some of our closest relatives so we can draw quite a few parallels between our cognition and behavior. Additionally, working with animals can really open your eyes to intelligence outside of our own species, and give us a greater understanding and respect for living creatures.

What is your favorite aspect of studying with CoPAN? What have you gained from this experience?

Anniek: One of my favorite aspects of studying with CoPAN has been how dynamic and unpredictable the work is. Before starting, I expected the research to be more structured and repetitive. But working with animals is very different, because you never really know what a day will bring or what mood the apes will be in. Sometimes they were very engaged and curious, and other times they were stubborn or simply not interesting in participating at all. This challenged my creative thinking and taught me to adapt quickly and think flexibly. It also made me realize how much there is still to learn about animal cognition and behavior.

Meike: At the CoPAN lab, we are expected to be flexible, because we have to adapt to the needs of the animals. But this flexibility also creates space for an openminded atmosphere; crazy ideas are welcome and so much is possible. Things are not strictly controlled; instead, you will get surprised. That is my favorite part.  

Jenna: I really enjoy working with the CoPAN lab and have learned so much! There is a quite a range of study topics available which really allows you to make the experience your own. I’m a cat lady so getting to study cats and explore their emotions was both interesting and practical as a pet owner. Then transitioning from that to studying apes opened my eyes to a whole new realm of research – it’s not often you get the chance to study chimpanzees and orangutans in a way that is both voluntary and enriching for them. I find it super rewarding to be able to participate in a study that advances our understanding of emotional intelligence while providing a rewarding experience for the apes.