Curriculum Vitae
Samantha Carouso-Peck, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology: Behavioral and Evolutionary Neuroscience
Cornell University
144 East Ave.
Ithaca, NY 14853
413-717-1643
Last Updated: Novermber 2021
Education
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
M.A., Psychology, 2015
Ph.D., Behavioral and Evolutionary Neuroscience, 2019
Williams College, Williamstown, MA
B.A., Biology, cum laude, June 2010
Positions
Research Assistant and Lab Manager
Cox Lab of Visual Neuroscience, Rowland Institute, Harvard University
2010 - 2012
Research Assistant
Pepperberg Parrot Cognition Lab, Brandeis University
Summers 2006-2007, 2009-2010
Research Assistant
AKTI Environmental NGO, Nicosia, Cyprus
Summer 2008
Awards and Honors
Winner of Best Graduate Paper Award, Cornell Psychology Department, 2020
Cornell Unviersity Russell Distinguished Teaching Award, February 2019
Cornell Psychology Department Research Grant, 2019
Animal Behavior Society’s Warder Clyde Allee Competition for Best Student Paper, first runner-up award, 2018
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, “Capturing Contingency: distilling components of socially embedded song learning”, 2013-2017
Cornell Institute for the Social Sciences Small Grant, “Learning to Talk, Learning to Sing: A Comparative Approach to Discovering Mechanisms of Infant Learning from Social Interaction”, 2013
Recognition of Excellence Award at workshop “Learning to Attend, Attending to Learn: Neurological, Behavioral, and Computational Perspectives”, San Diego, California, Nov 2013
Cornell University Sage Fellowship, 2012
Graduated Williams College with Latin Honors, six semesters on Dean’s List, 2010
Williams College Baxter Fellowship, 2009
University of Sydney High Distinction in Neuroscience, 2009
Class Salutatorian, International School of Bangkok, with International Baccalaureate, National Honor’s Society, and Prize for English Literature, 2006
Publications
Samantha Carouso-Peck and Michael H. Goldstein (in press). Evolving the capacity for
socially guided vocal learning: a preliminary study. Philosophical Transactions B.
Samantha Carouso-Peck, Michael H. Goldstein, and W. Tecumseh Fitch (in press). The many
functions of vocal learning. Philosophical Transactions B.
Katerina M. Faust, Samantha Carouso-Peck, Mary Elson, and Michael H. Goldstein (2020).
The origins of social knowledge in altricial species. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 2, 225-246.
Samantha Carouso-Peck, Otilia Menyhart, Timothy J. DeVoogd, and Michael H. Goldstein
(2020). Contingent parental responses are naturally associated with zebra finch song learning. Animal Behaviour, 165, 123-132.
Samantha Carouso-Peck and Michael H. Goldstein (2019). Female social feedback reveals
non-imitative mechanisms of vocal learning in zebra finches. Current Biology, 29(4), 631-636.
Samantha Carouso-Peck and Michael H. Goldstein (2018). Linking vocal learning to social
reward in the brain: Proposed mechanisms of socially guided song learning. In Oxford Handbook of Voice Perception, Sascha ühholz and Pascal Belin, Eds. Oxford University Press.
Nicole M. Baran*, Samantha C. Peck*, Tabitha H. Kim, Michael H. Goldstein, Elizabeth
Adkins-Regan (2017). Early life manipulations of vasopressin-family peptides alter vocal learning. Proc. R. Soc. B, 284 20171114; DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1114.
*Co-first authors
Manuscripts in prep
Samantha Carouso-Peck, Brittany Jaso, Otilia Menyhart, Timothy DeVoogd, and Michael
Goldstein (in prep). A critical period for social influences on song learning in the zebra finch.
Severine Hex, Samantha Carouso-Peck, and Michael Goldstein (in prep). Life history as a
predictor of communicative complexity across taxa.
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Presentations
Samantha Carouso-Peck (March 2021) Sing with the birds: How and why birds and humans
learn their sounds. Invited talk for Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts’ ‘Intersection of Science and Fine Arts’ lecture series, Trumansburg, NY.
Samantha Carouso-Peck (Jan 2020) From birds to words: how social feedback guides vocal
development. Invited talk at Bennington College, Bennington, VT.
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Samantha Carouso-Peck (July 2019). How Birds Learn from Signals Invisible to Us. Invited talk at O'Reilly Science Foo 2019 at Google X, Mountain View, CA.
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Samantha Carouso-Peck and Michael Goldstein (October 2018). Developmental manipulations
of non-vocal social feedback reveal novel mechanisms of vocal learning in songbirds. Poster presentation at Bird Song and Animal Communication Annual Meeting, Rockefeller University Field Center, Millbrook NY.
Michael Goldstein, Sara Schroer, Samantha Carouso-Peck, and Jennifer Schwade (October
2018). Reward-based social learning of vocal communication: A comparative approach linking brain and behavior. Invited talk at Bird Song and Animal Communication Annual Meeting, Rockefeller University Field Center, Millbrook NY.
Samantha Carouso-Peck and Michael H. Goldstein (Aug 2018) Evolving the capacity for social
guidance of vocal learning in songbirds. Invited talk at Animal Behavior Society, Milwaukee WI.
Samantha Carouso-Peck and Michael H. Goldstein (Sept 2017) Evidence of socially guided
vocal learning in the zebra finch. Poster at Animal Communication and Human Language Workshop, University of Maryland.
Michael H. Goldstein, Samantha V. Carouso, and Jennifer A. Schwade (April 2017)
Reward-based vocal learning in social context: A comparative approach linking brain and behavior. Paper and invited symposium talk at Society for Research in Child Development, Austin, TX.
Samantha V Carouso and Michael H. Goldstein (Nov 2016) Evolutionary and developmental
evidence of socially guided vocal learning in the zebra finch. Poster at Birdsong 6 SFN satellite, San Diego, CA.
S. Carouso and M. Goldstein (July 2016) Changes in parental responsiveness to immature song
affect learning in juvenile zebra finches. Poster at Animal Behavior Society, Columbia, Missouri.
S. Carouso and M. Goldstein (July 2016) Interactive, non-vocal social feedback guides song
learning in the zebra finch. Seminar talk at Animal Behavior Society, Columbia, Missouri.
Faust KM, Kim TH, Carouso SV, and Goldstein MH (Aug 2015) Organizational effects of
vasotocin on patterns of early social interaction in the zebra finch. Poster session at the International Conference on Development and Learning, and on Epigenetic Robotics, Providence, RI.
Faust KM, Kim TH, Carouso SV, and Goldstein MH (Oct 2015) The relationship between
patterns of early social interaction and song learning outcomes is modulated by vasotocin in zebra finches. Poster session at Birdsong 5 (SFN satellite conference), Chicago, IL.
Samantha V Carouso, Otilia Menyhart, Katerina M. Faust, Michael H. Goldstein (Oct 2015)
Changes in levels of parental responsiveness to song throughout sensorimotor period affects learning outcomes in juvenile zebra finches. Poster session at Birdsong5, Chicago, IL.
Samantha V Carouso, Nicole M. Baran, Tabitha H. Kim, Michael H. Goldstein, Elizabeth
Adkins-Regan (Aug 2015) Vasotocin organizationally alters social motivation and song learning in the zebra finch. Poster session at fifth International Conference on Development and Learning and Epigenetic Robotics, Brown University, Providence, RI.
Samantha V Carouso, Nicole M. Baran, Elizabeth Adkins-Regan, Michael H. Goldstein (Nov
2014) Developmental effects of vasotocin and V1aR on song learning and social behavior in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Poster session at Birdsong4: Rhythms and Clues from Neurons to Behavior, Washington, D.C.
Nicole M. Baran, Michelle L. Tomaszycki, Samantha V. Carouso, Elizabeth Adkins-Regan (Nov
2014) Vasotocin and V1aR exert organizational influences on courtship and pair maintenance behaviors in the zebra finch. Poster session at Society for Neuroscience, Washington, D.C.
SV Carouso, NM Baran, E Adkins-Regan, MH Goldstein. (Aug 2014) Organizational effects of
vasotocin and V1aR on social affiliation and song learning. Contributed talk at Animal Behavior Society, Princeton, NJ.
Carouso SV, Menyhart O, Goldstein MH. (Nov 2013) Development of juvenile female
responsiveness to adult song in zebra finch. Poster session at Mechanisms of Communication conference, San Diego, California.
Carouso SV, Menyhart O, Goldstein MH. (July 2013) Development of juvenile female
responsiveness to adult song in zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Poster session at Animal Behavior Society, Boulder, Colorado.
Graham B, Carouso S & Cox D (Nov 2011) High resolution stereotaxy using structured light
imaging. Poster session at Society for Neuroscience, Washington, D.C.
Affiliations
International Society for Developmental Psychobiology
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Animal Behavior Society
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National Center for Science Education
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Association for Psychological Science
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New York Academy of Science
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Association for Women in Science
Teaching Experience
Redesigned lecture-based Statistics and Research Methods course, PSYCH 2500, as an R-based course based on hands-on programming and manipulation of real data sets, incorporating activities with statistics relevant to students’ lives and interests.
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Launched and ran Cornell introductory Psychology course, PSYCH 1101, as a fully online course of >1000 students with virtual lectures, synchronous Q&As, weekly quizzes, interactive reading assignments, and small-group weekly discussions, Fall 2020
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Redesigned Cornell Psychology course PSYCH 3220: Hormones and Behavior to implement active learning strategies, Fall 2019
Designed and taught new Cornell Writing in the Majors Seminar, PSYCH 2091: Comparative Developmental Psychology, Spring 2018 and 2019
Lecturer in PSYCH Freshman Writing Seminar 1130: Parental Care: Animal Survival and Social Learning, Cornell University Psychology Department, Fall 2017
Teaching Assistant for Cornell University course PSYCH 2090: Developmental Psychology, Spring 2017
Designed and taught Cornell University seminar course PSYCH 1103: Comparative Cognition, Fall 2016
Guest Lecturer in BIONB 4200: Evolution of Acoustic Communication, Cornell University Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Fall 2016
Guest Lecturer in BIONB 4260: Animal Communication, Cornell University Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, 2015-2016
Undergraduate Biology Mentor, Williams College, 2008-2010