Shannon M. Digweed

Dr. Digweed is a joint faculty member in the departments of Psychology and Biological Sciences. She received her PhD in Evolution and Behaviour from the University of Lethbridge, her Master of Arts from the University of Calgary and her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta. She teaches a variety of courses including, Animal Behaviour, Principles of Behaviour, Animal Communication, and Comparative Cognition. She has supervised a number of both honours and independent study students on projects related to acoustics and behaviour in red squirrels, pika, and wood frogs.

In addition to teaching, she is also actively involved in research, specifically in the areas of animal communication and cognition. Dr. Digweed’s research explores how the acoustic or physical structure of animal sounds are shaped in important ways by their function. Early research focused on the production of predator specific calls in white-faced capuchins, and current research explores several different vocalizations in the North American red squirrel, the Eurasian red squirrel, and the Douglas squirrel. Another, relatively new, communication project explore vocalizations in American pika, a small member of the rabbit family that lives in high altitude habitat. Current research with the pika examines the individual characteristics in their territorial call.