Talks etc

Here I list my presentations at international conferences.

Talks

• “Beyond transmission: Using CRQA to reveal coordination dynamics in social learning”, presented at the 14th Peripatetic conference, Zakopane, Poland, October 2025. Author: Murillo Pagnotta
  In this talk I presented results from Pagnotta et al 2020 and unpublished results from my PhD thesis to discuss the value of using recurrence quantification analysis to examine the role of coordination of attention in social learning.
  
  
• “Using transmission chains to study symbolic mark-making: The case of the Blombos and Diepkloof engravings”, presented at HBES (Human Behavior and Evolution Society), Aarhus, Denmark, May 2024. Authors: Murillo Pagnotta; Izzy Wisher; Malte Petersen; Felix Riede; Riccardo Fusaroli; Kristian Tylén
  In this talk I present the preliminary results of an experimental study conducted to investigate if the functional context in which drawings are produced (decoration, identity marker, or communication) affect how they change as they are used and reproduced across generations.
  
  
• (withdrawn): “Form and Function in the Evolution of Symbolic Artifacts: a Transmission Chain Study” to be presented at EVOLANG, Wisconsin, USA, May 2024. Authors: Murillo Pagnotta; Izzy Wisher; Malte Petersen; Felix Riede; Riccardo Fusaroli; Kristian Tylén
  Talk withdrawn since for logistic reasons I would not be able to attend the conference.
  
  
• “What catches the eye? Investigating the impact of symmetry and face pareidolia”, presented at PROTOLANG, Rome, Italy, Sep 2023. Authors: Murillo Pagnotta; Izzy Wisher; Malte Petersen; Juan Olvido; Larissa Straffon; Riccardo Fusaroli; Kristian Tylén
  In this talk I present the results of an experimental study conducted to examine the attention-grabbing properties of the Makapansgat cobble (associated with australopithecines dated at 2-3 Ma) and the implications for our understanding of the evolution of early symbolic behavior.
  
  
• “The evolution of early mark-making and ‘symbolic behaviour’ in humans: lessons from the ecological approach”, presented at the International Conference on Perception and Action, Guadalajara, Mexico, June 2023. Author: Murillo Pagnotta
  In this talk I review conceptual and empirical work on the topics of visual perception, picture perception, and drawing, conducted from the perspective of ecological psychology since 1960s. I argue that this work provides new insights and directions for research on Paleolithic cave art and the discovery of representation.
  
  
• “Changing the perspective in the study of social learning: from ‘transmission of information’ to ‘relational developmental process”, presented at the International Society for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology, Oslo, Norway, July 2019. Author: Murillo Pagnotta
  The ‘transmission of information’ model is prominent in the study of social learning. Based on the notions of ecological information, abilities, affordances, and intentions, in this talk I criticize the transmission model and advocate for a processual-relational approach instead by integrating ideas from developmental systems theory in biology, ecological and enactive approaches in the cognitive sciences, and relational thinking in social anthropology. I argue that social learning can be conceived of as relational histories of development rather than as transmission of information.
  
  
• “The dynamics of social learning: how children learn through ‘making together”, presented at the European Student Conference Behaviour and Cognition, St Andrews, UK, 2016. Authors: Murillo Pagnotta; Kevin Lala
  In this talk I presented results from an empirical study using recurrence analysis to examine interpersonal coordination between instructor-child pairs engaging in a collaborative making activity. This innovative methodology had never been used to study social learning.
  
  
• “What do children do when they imitate?”, presented at the Cognition and Communication workshop, Vienna, 2015. Authors: Murillo Pagnotta; Kevin Lala
  In this talk I presented preliminary results from an empirical study examining interpersonal coordination between instructor-child pairs engaging in a collaborative making activity.

Poster presentations

• “Capturing coordination of attention during observational learning of a manual task”, presented at the Early-career Social Learning Researchers Summer Workshop, St Andrews, UK, 2018. (Best poster prize) Authors: Murillo Pagnotta; Kevin Lala
  In this poster I presented results from an empirical study using recurrence analysis to examine interpersonal coordination between instructor-child pairs engaging in a collaborative making activity.

• “Looking at ‘social learning’ under the microscope”, presented at the Postgraduate Society Meeting, St Andrews, 2016. Authors: Murillo Pagnotta; Kevin Lala
  In this poster I presented results from an empirical study using recurrence analysis to examine interpersonal coordination between instructor-child pairs engaging in a collaborative making activity.