PhD defence Yoran Gerritsma
| When: | Tu 11-02-2025 at 14:30 |
| Where: | Academy Building & online |
Yoran Gerritsma (BPE)
Promotor: Prof. S. Verhulst; copromotor: Dr S.F. de Boer
From adversity to personality
The effect of early-life adversity on zebra finch behaviour
What causes variation in personality? Anyone who has ever had a pet knows that animals have personalities, with unique preferences and behaviors. Much research has been done on the evolution and genetic basis of personality, and on the consequences of having a particular personality. Less well understood, however, is why different animals have different personalities. Yoran Gerritsma's research offers new insights.
Early development is an important stage in the life of any animal. During early development, animals learn to interact with their environment, their brain develops and the foundations for life are laid. Thus, it is not surprising that conditions during this period have a great deal of influence on one's growth, reproduction and survival, and possibly personality as well. Gerritsma studied this in zebra finches. By manipulating the environment of breeding birds, young birds were born in easy or difficult environments. He then tested whether early life affected their personality, both in standardized tests and in their social groups.
Gerritsma concluded that there were consistent differences in personality among the birds, and that early life affected the sociality of birds. Birds raised under difficult conditions were less social: they had fewer, and weaker, connections with other zebra finches. Other personality traits, such as boldness, dominance and exploration of a new environment, were not affected by these early conditions. This study shows that early development may play an important role in the development of personality differences.