Thomas Morgan
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Phone: 480-965-7144
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ISTB7 294B 777 E University Drive Tempe, AZ 85281
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Mail code: 2402Campus: Tempe
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Thomas Morgan is the director of the ecco lab and an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Arizona State University. His research aims to explain human cognition and behavior by integrating learning and culture into an evolutionary framework. His work involves a range of different methods including lab experiments, theoretical simulations, mathematical models and large-scale online experimentation.
He completed his PhD in 2013 at the University of St Andrews working with Kevin Lala. From 2014 to 2016, he worked as a postdoc with Tom Griffiths in the computational cognitive science lab at UC Berkeley. He joined the Institute of Human Origins at ASU in 2016.
- Ph.D. Biology, University of St Andrews 2013
- B.A. Zoology, University of Cambridge 2009
Humans possess both uniquely complex cognition and uniquely complex culture. My goal is to explain the former, by integrating the latter into an evolutionary framework. As such, my work involves two major themes. The first is the nature and evolution of the psychological mechanisms that support culture. This combines lab studies of human behavior with evolutionary simulations and models of decision making to understand when, how and why individuals learn from each other, and the conditions under which complex forms of communication are expected to evolve. Secondly, I use evolutionary models and large scale experiments to understand how culture changes the evolutionary process offering novel explanations for how humans came to be.
Muthukrishna, M., Morgan, T. J. H., & Henrich, J. (2016). The when and who of social learning and conformist transmission. Evolution and Human Behavior, 37(1), 10–20.
Morgan, T. J. H., & Harris, P. L. (2015). James Mark Baldwin and contemporary theories of culture and evolution. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 5629, 1–12.
Morgan, T. J. H., Uomini, N. T., Rendell, L. E., Street, S. E., Lewis, H. M., Cross, C. P., Evans, C., Kearney, R., de la Torre, I., Whiten, A., & Laland, K. N. (2015). Experimental evidence for the co-evolution of hominin tool-making teaching and language. Nature Communications, 6, 1–8.
Morgan, T. J. H., K. Laland & P. L. Harris (2014). The Development of Adaptive Conformity in Young Children: Effects of Uncertainty and Consensus. Developmental Science.
Mesoudi, A., S. Blanchet, A. Charmantier, É. Danchin, L. Fogarty, E. Jablonka, K. N. Laland, T. J. H. Morgan, G. B. Müller, F. J. Odling-Smee & B. Pujol (2013). Is Non-genetic Inheritance Just a Proximate Mechanism? A Corroboration of the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis. Biological Theory, 189–195.
Morgan, T. J. H., & K. N. Laland (2012). The Biological Bases of Conformity. Frontiers in Neuroscience 6, 1–7.
Morgan, T. J. H., L. E. Rendell, M. Ehn, W. J. E. Hoppitt, and K. N. Laland (2011). The Evolutionary Basis of Human Social Learning. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
Rendell, L. E., L. Fogarty, W. J. E. Hoppitt, T. J. H. Morgan, M. M. Webster, and K. N. Laland (2011). Cognitive Culture: Theoretical and Empirical Insights into Social Learning Strategies. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 15, 68–76.
Courses
2025 Summer
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
AML 792 | Research |
2025 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 493 | Honors Thesis |
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
AML 792 | Research |
ASB 592 | Research |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 790 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASM 300 | Anthropological Sciences Sem |
ASB 493 | Honors Thesis |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
2024 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
AML 792 | Research |
ASB 790 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
ASB 493 | Honors Thesis |
ASB 592 | Research |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
ASB 493 | Honors Thesis |
2024 Summer
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
AML 792 | Research |
2024 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASB 592 | Research |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 790 | Reading and Conference |
2023 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 790 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
ASB 493 | Honors Thesis |
ASB 592 | Research |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
ASM 463 | Guide Bayesian Data Analysis |
ASM 563 | Guide Bayesian Data Analysis |
ASB 493 | Honors Thesis |
2023 Summer
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
2023 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 493 | Honors Thesis |
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASB 592 | Research |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 790 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASM 246 | Human Origins |
ASB 493 | Honors Thesis |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
2022 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 790 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
ASB 493 | Honors Thesis |
ASB 592 | Research |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
2022 Summer
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
2022 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 493 | Honors Thesis |
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASB 592 | Research |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 790 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASM 494 | Special Topics |
ASM 594 | Conference and Workshop |
2021 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 790 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
ASB 592 | Research |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASM 300 | Anthropological Sciences Sem |
2021 Summer
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
2021 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 493 | Honors Thesis |
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASB 592 | Research |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 790 | Reading and Conference |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 584 | Internship |
2020 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 790 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
ASB 493 | Honors Thesis |
ASB 592 | Research |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
2020 Summer
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
ASM 104 | Bones, Stones/Human Evolution |
2020 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
ASB 493 | Honors Thesis |
ASB 799 | Dissertation |
ASB 792 | Research |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASB 590 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 790 | Reading and Conference |
ASB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
ASM 494 | Special Topics |
ASB 499 | Individualized Instruction |
ASM 594 | Conference and Workshop |
ASB 584 | Internship |