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Research
    
My primary interest is in how behavior impacts fitness in natural populations. 
For the past several years I have pursued two related lines of research. The first 
addresses the mechanisms by which sexual selection shapes mating signals, 
specifically bird song, in both the mate attraction and male competition contexts
in which song functions. The second integrates behavioral ecology and cognition. 
In this work I seek to understand the cognitive processes that underlie signal 
perception and mate choice. Current work includes:

Selective mechanisms enforcing honest aggressive signaling 

Song acquisition and the development of female preferences for mating signal traits 

The role of categorical perception in song learning and assessment

The relationship between cognitive performance and signal complexity  

Sexual selection and cognitive performance in jumping spiders