Reader, S. M. 2004. Don't call me clever. New Scientist, 183 (2456), 34-37.

Cover story. See accompanying features in Spiegel Online (July 19, 2004), Heise Online (July 20, 2004), forskning.no (July 28, 2004), Dagbladet (July 28, 2004), Dagens Næringsliv (July 28, 2004), Aftenposten (July 29, 2004), Adresseavisen (July 29, 2004), Weekendavisen (August 15, 2004), De Morgen (September 16, 2004), Bionieuws (2004, 16, p.5), and on Radio New Zealand ('Ideas', November 14, 2004).

In 2011 our work on animal innovation was featured in a research report by information technology company Gartner, for their ‘Masters of Innovation’ series (subscription required).

Guigueno, M. F., Foster, A. C. & Reader, S. M. In press. Current predation risk has opposing effects on social learning of foraging locations across two guppy populations. Animal Cognition.

Fox, J. A., Toure, M. W., Heckley, A., Fan, R., Reader, S. M. & Barrett, R. D. H. 2024. Insights into adaptive behavioural plasticity from the guppy model system. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 291, 20232625.

Rawlings, B. S. & Reader, S. M. In press. What is innovation? A review of definitions, approaches and key questions in human and nonhuman innovation. In J. Tehrani, J. R. Kendal & R. L. Kendal (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Cultural Evolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Creighton, M. J. A., Luo, A. Q., Reader, S. M. & Mooers, A. O. 2023. Predictors of taxonomic splitting and its role in primate conservation. Animal Conservation, 26, 355-364.

Fan, R., Reader, S. M.* & Sakata, J. T.* 2022. Alarm cues and alarmed conspecifics: Neural activity during social learning from different cues in Trinidadian guppies. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 289, 20220829. *Equal contributors. 

PDF via journal

McGill repository PDF (direct download)

Supplementary material

Data

Reddon, A. R., Aubin-Horth, N. & Reader, S. M. 2022. Wild guppies from populations exposed to higher predation risk exhibit greater vasotocin brain gene expression. Journal of Zoology, 316, 118-127.

Supplementary table

Data

Toure, M. W. & Reader, S. M. 2022. Colour biases in learned foraging preferences in Trinidadian guppies. Ethology, 128, 49-60.

Figshare data and code

Supplementary information

Reddon, A. R., Ruberto, T. & Reader, S. M. 2022. Submission signals in animal groups. Behaviour, 159, 1-20.

PDF (Open access)

McGill repository PDF (direct download) 

Creighton, M. J. A., Greenberg, D. A., Reader, S. M. & Mooers, A. O. 2021. The role of behavioural flexibility in primate diversification. Animal Behaviour, 180, 269-290.

Appendix (PDF)

PDF (Open access)

McGill repository PDF (direct download)

Turner, S. E., Nakamichi, M., Nobuhara, T., Nobuhara, H. & Reader, S. M. 2018. Disability and dominance rank in adult female and male Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). In: U. Kalbitzer & K. M. Jack (Eds.), Primate Life Histories, Sex Roles, and Adaptability: Essays in Honour of Linda M. Fedigan (pp. 133-155). Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.

Milham, M. P., et al. 2018. An open resource for non-human primate imaging. Neuron, 100, 61-74.

Featured in a Neuron preview by Vanduffel (‘The blind men and the elephant: The quest for open data repositories’).

Reddon, A. R., Chouinard-Thuly, L., Leris, I. & Reader, S. M. 2018. Wild and laboratory exposure to cues of predation risk increases relative brain mass in male guppies. Functional Ecology, 32, 1847-1856.

Featured by the British Ecological Society (June 5, 2018); 'Today', BBC Radio 4 (June 5, 2018); BBC Worldwide News (June 5, 2018), La Presse (June 10, 2018)

• Summary
• 

Navarrete, A. F., Blezer, E. L. A., Pagnotta, M., de Viet, E. S. M., Todorov, O. S., Lindenfors, P., Laland, K. N. & Reader, S. M. 2018. Primate brain anatomy: New volumetric MRI measurements for neuroanatomical studies. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 91, 1-9.

Please see the accompanying erratum. 

Selected as an Editor's Choice article.

PDF of article (open access)

PDF of erratum (open access)

Data homepage

• Supplementary information (with data)
• 

• ESM appendix
• 

Reader, S. M. 2016. Animal social learning: Associations and adaptations. F1000Research (Faculty Reviews), 5.

• ESM
• 

• ESM
• 

McCabe, C. M., Reader, S. M. & Nunn, C. L. 2015. Infectious disease, behavioural flexibility and the evolution of culture in primates. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 282, 20140862. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.0862.

Electronic Supplementary Material (ESM) and trees are available on the journal website. 

ESM

MacLean, E. L., et al. 2014. The evolution of self-control. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 111, E2140–E2148.

Featured in National Geographic Phenomena (April 22, 2014), The New York Times (April 28, 2014), and 'This Week in PNAS' (May 20, 2014). Recommended by Faculty of 1000.

ESM

Dataset

Lefebvre, L., Reader, S. M. & Sol, D. 2013. Innovating innovation rate and its relationship with brains, ecology and general intelligence. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 81, 143-145.

Invited Citation Classic essay to commemorate our 2004 paper.

Reader, S. M., Hager, Y. & Laland, K. N. 2011. The evolution of primate general and cultural intelligence. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 366, 1017-1027.

Electronic Supplementary Material (ESM) is available on the journal website. Data can be downloaded via the Dryad repository.

Part of a special issue of Philosophical Transactions entitled 'Culture Evolves'.

In the top 10 most cited articles in 2011 (third highest cited), Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

Reprinted as: Reader, S. M., Hager, Y. & Laland, K. N. 2012. The evolution of primate general and cultural intelligence. In: Culture evolves (Ed. by Whiten, A., Hinde, R. A., Stringer, C. B. & Laland, K. N.), pp. 139-158. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• ESM
• 

Mühlhoff, N., Stevens, J. R. & Reader, S. M. 2011. Spatial discounting of food and social rewards in guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Frontiers in Psychology, 2, 68.

Data are archived online as Electronic Supplementary Material or via the Dryad repository.

González-Lagos, C., Sol, D. & Reader, S. M. 2010. Large-brained mammals live longer. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 23, 1064-1074.

See accompanying podcast on scientificamerican.com (July 18, 2010) and features on ScienceDaily (July 15, 2010), radio-canada.ca (July 20, 2010) and forskning.no (July 26, 2010).

Reader, S. M., Bruce, M. J. & Rebers, S. 2008. Social learning of route preferences in adult humans. Biology Letters, 4, 37-40.

See accompanying feature in The Daily Telegraph (2007, December 12, p.3)

Réale, D., Reader, S. M., Sol, D., McDougall, P. T. & Dingemanse, N. J. 2007. Integrating animal temperament within ecology and evolution. Biological Reviews, 82, 291-318.

Now cited over 2500 times on Google Scholar and 1500 times on WoS! Third most cited article in Biological Reviews. 

Morand-Ferron, J., Lefebvre, L., Reader, S. M., Sol, D. & Elvin, S. 2004. Dunking behaviour in Carib grackles. Animal Behaviour, 68, 1267-1274.

See accompanying feature in Nature Australia (2005, 28 (5), p.16).

Lefebvre, L., Reader, S. M. & Sol, D. 2004. Brains, innovations and evolution in birds and primates. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 63, 233-246.

Reprinted in 'Animal Behaviour', Sage Publications 2010 (pp. 89-112, volume 4)

Selected as a 'Citation Classic' by Brain, Behavior and Evolution: Read our essay on the background to this article.

Reader, S. M. & MacDonald, K. 2003. Environmental variability and primate behavioural flexibility. In: Animal Innovation (Ed. by S.M. Reader & K. N. Laland), pp. 83-116. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Read the appendix of brain component volumes (PDF file).

Reader, S. M. & Laland, K. N. 2002. Social intelligence, innovation and enhanced brain size in primates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 99, 4436-4441.

Cover story. See accompanying features in New Scientist (2002, March 16, p.11), Science News (2002, 161, p.166), The Japan Times (March 14, 2002), Current Anthropology (2003, 44, p. 151), and the commentary by Seyfarth & Cheney in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (What are big brains for? PNAS, 99, p. 4141-4142).

PDF (free access) or Open access PDF via Utrecht University Repository

Dataset - see Reader et al. 2011

Reader, S. M., Morand-Ferron, J., Côté, I. & Lefebvre, L. 2002. Unusual feeding behaviors in five species of Barbadian birds. El Pitirre, 15, 117-123.

(El Pitirre is now the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology)

PDF (free access) or Open access PDF via Utrecht University Repository

Reader, S. M. & Laland, K. N. 2000. Diffusion of foraging innovations in the guppy. Animal Behaviour, 60, 175-180.

See accompanying feature in BBC Wildlife magazine (2001, 19(1), 22).

PDF (free access) or Open access PDF via Utrecht University Repository

Laland, K. N. & Reader, S. M. 1999a. Foraging innovation in the guppy. Animal Behaviour, 57, 331-340.

See accompanying features in Nature (1999, 398, 111) and Science News (1999, 155, 364-366).

Dufour, L. 2025. Foraging under stress: Studies of three neotropical species. M.Sc. thesis, McGill University, Canada.

Link to access: https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/nz806587b

Rao, A. 2024. Investigating shoal dynamics: Behavioural flexibility in the grouping of Trinidadian guppies. M.Sc. thesis, McGill University, Canada.

Link to access: https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/p5547z14f

Toure, M. W. 2021. Learning and exploration in the Trinidadian guppy: investigations into plasticity and constraints. M.Sc. thesis, McGill University, Canada.

Link to access: https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/qb98mm18q

Fan, R. 2020. Alarm cues and alarmed conspecifics: Neural correlates of learning from others about novel threats in the Trinidadian guppy. M.Sc. thesis, McGill University, Canada.

Link to access: https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/mp48sj55c

Creighton, M. J. A. 2020. Determinants of primate diversity with implications for comparative biology and conservation. M.Sc. thesis, McGill University, Canada.

Link to access: https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/df65vd44g

Sims, P. Q. 2020. Behavioural innovation: Sources and predictors of intraspecific variation in Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Ph.D. thesis, McGill University, Canada.

Link to access: https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/9z903472r

Vassileva, I. 2019. Assessing flexibility in shoaling and learning in the Trinidadian guppy, McGill University. 

Link to access: https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/t148fn491 

Cabrera-Álvarez, M. J. 2018. Neural mechanisms of social behaviour and social information use in guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Ph.D. thesis, McGill University, Canada.

Chouinard-Thuly, L. 2018. Phenotypic plasticity in social information use and stress responses in Trinidadian guppies. Ph.D. thesis, McGill University, Canada. 

Link to access: https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/2v23vw33n 

Leris, I. 2016. Early environment and the development of social behaviours in the Trinidadian guppy, Poecilia reticulata. Ph.D. thesis, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

Lindeijer, C. M. 2012. A neurobehavioural analysis of social behaviour and learning in fish and mammals. Ph.D. thesis, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

Goossens, B. M. A. 2008. There is more to gaze than meets the eye: How animals perceive the visual behaviour of others. Ph.D. thesis, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

Creighton, M. J. A., Greenberg, D. A., Reader, S. M. & Mooers, A. O. 2021. The role of behavioural flexibility in primate diversification. bioRxiv, 2020.10.15.341859.

Chouinard-Thuly, L. & Reader, S. M. 2019. Population differences in how wild Trinidadian guppies use social information and socially learn. bioRxiv, 786772.