Olivia Tomeo, Second Century Initiative Fellow (Photo: Kiana Colquitt)
Second Century Initiative (2CI) Fellow Olivia Tomeo is studying the relationship between hormones and risk-taking behavior through an interesting combination: monkeys, banana-flavored pellets, and a joystick.
Tomeo, from Fairfield, Conn., began her college career at Bucknell University where she received her bachelor’s degree in animal behavior and Spanish. She chose to attend Georgia State because of the resources available at the university’s Language Research Center, as a part of the Cognitive Sciences program.
“The resources available through Georgia State’s Language Research Center played a huge role in why I decided to attend Georgia State,” she said. “I was specifically interested in the Cognitive Sciences program because it offered an interdisciplinary approach to what I’m interested in studying. It allows me to be able to conduct my research in new and exciting ways.”
Under the guidance of her advisor, Dr. Sarah Brosnan, Tomeo is investigating the hormonal underpinnings of risk-taking behavior, behavior in which performance of a task holds both the promise of personal success and risk of failure. Since the hormone data needed for this research can be difficult to obtain across several test sessions in humans, she is using capuchin monkeys to see if two hormones, cortisol and testosterone, influence whether individuals are more or less likely to make risky decisions.
“I’m looking at two hormones: cortisol, the hormone typically associated with stress, and testosterone, the hormone typically associated with aggression and competition,” she said. “It’s been hypothesized in humans that there is a relationship between testosterone and risk-taking behavior.
“Generally you expect to see more risk-taking behavior when testosterone levels are high, but that’s not always the case. It’s been suggested that cortisol might somehow be interacting or interfering with the relationship between testosterone and risk-taking behavior,” Tomeo continued.
Tomeo uses fecal samples of the primates involved in the research to test their hormone levels to see if their internally circulating hormone levels are affecting their behavior. She tests the monkeys’ behavior by using a joystick computer game that was originally made to assess risk-taking behavior in humans but was modified for primate use.
The original test, called the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), consists of a balloon that gets bigger each time an individual clicks the inflate button on the screen. With humans, individuals receive money each time they click on the inflate button that they can then cash out on by clicking a different button. But with each additional click of the inflate button, there is a higher risk that the balloon will pop, resulting in the loss of money earned.
“The idea is that it’s a high risk and high reward scenario, so generally people who are considered to be ‘risk takers’ will show a different pattern of balloon inflation than ‘non-risk takers’, even if it’s more likely to make the balloon pop, risking the loss of all their money,” she said.
Since she is using monkeys in the study, Tomeo substituted banana-flavored pellets instead of money to use as an incentive.
Tomeo said her interest in this research stemmed from her fascination with animal cognition, an interest that was fostered during her undergraduate college career.
“I thought it was really interesting to ask questions about the animal mind, and how animals such as nonhuman primates perceive the world, since they are our closest phylogenetic relatives and share characteristics with humans that might allow them to have similar mechanisms underlying their decision-making processes,” she said.
The 2CI Fellowship has helped Tomeo financially, providing her with the funding she needs to attend important conferences. Without the financial assistance of the fellowship, Tomeo said would not be able to attend these conferences and participate in the collaborations that often emerge from the conferences.
After she finishes the program, Tomeo said she would like to continue with research.
“I’m hoping to stay in academia and one day become a professor,” she said. “My career goal is to continue conducting research, studying primates, and maybe even continue studying risky decision-making behavior. Hopefully I can inspire others to do the same.”
– Kiana Colquitt, Graduate Administrative Assistant, Office of the Provost