Jessica F. Cantlon

Jessica Cantlon is the Ronald J. and Mary Ann Zdrojkowski Professor of Developmental Neuroscience at the Carnegie Mellon University. In 2017 she was selected as Time Person of the Year as one of the Silence Breakers.

Jessica F. Cantlon
Alma materDuke University (PhD)
Indiana University Bloomington (BSc)
Scientific career
InstitutionsCarnegie Mellon University
ThesisThe cognitive and neural roots of mathematical knowledge. (2007)
Doctoral advisorElizabeth M. Brannon

Early life and education

Cantlon studied anthropology at Indiana University Bloomington. She moved to Duke University for her graduate studies, where she worked with Elizabeth Brannon on the neural bases of mathematical knowledge. Early in her graduate studies, Cantlon trained herself in functional MRI, recognising that neuroimaging could be used to further our understanding of learning.[1] Her research involved investigations into the origin of the human and primate capacity for mathematics. Cantlon showed that monkeys can perform mental arithmetic.[2] Working with Brannon, Cantlon constructed a mathematical task that asked monkeys to deduce whether a series of numbers were larger or smaller than the ones that proceeded them.[3] This study showed that the mechanism that monkeys use to make comparisons are the same as the ones humans use.[3] To prove the numerical skills of monkeys, Cantlon constructed an experiment where macaques interacted with a touchscreen computer that displayed basic mathematical challenges.[2] Cantlon presented the same challenges to college students, who achieved 94% correct answers, whilst the monkeys were successful 76% of the time.[2] The monkeys and college students had the same reaction time.[2] She completed her doctorate in 2007.

Research and career

Cantlon joined the University of Rochester as an Assistant Professor in 2009. Here she studied the innate ability of humans to recognise and understand numbers.[4] Whilst the capacity for complicated symbolic mathematics appears to be unique to humans, it is not clear where this numerical prowess emerges from.[5] She combines psychological investigations with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) to understand mathematical intuition.[4] She continued to study the mathematical abilities of monkeys, showing that even young baboons can differentiate between large and small numbers.[6]

Whilst working at the University of Rochester Cantlon was one of the whistleblowers who reported the inappropriate behaviour of Florian Jaeger.[7] This behaviour included the use of drugs and hot tub parties with students.[8] In 2016, Cantlon and Richard Aslin filed a lawsuit that outlined how Jaeger had acted as a sexual harasser and presented a risk to students.[9] The University did not support their claims, and proceeded to investigate Cantlon and Aslin's university e-mail accounts.[9] In 2017 Cantlon and Celeste Kidd sued the University of Rochester, claiming that they had attempted to cover-up Jaegar's sexual harassment. Later that year Cantlon left her position at the University of Rochester after they failed to act after claims of sexual harassment.[10][11] In January 2018, an independent investigation into the conduct of Jaegar concluded that he did engage with "inappropriate, unprofessional and offensive" behaviour that students should not have to experience.[12]

In March 2020, Cantlon and the other plaintiffs settled with the University or Rochester, through their attorney Ann Olivarius, for $9.4 million.[13] "I think it’s going to have a really powerful impact on how seriously universities take women who come forward with complaints of sexual harassment," said Cantlon.[14]

In 2018 Cantlon was made the Zdrojkowski Chair in Developmental Neuroscience at Carnegie Mellon University. Using MRI, Cantlon studied activity in the intraparietal sulcus of young people during numerical tasks.[15] She demonstrated that boys and girls have identical capabilities.[16]

Awards and honours

Selected publications
  • Cantlon, Jessica F; Brannon, Elizabeth M; Carter, Elizabeth J; Pelphrey, Kevin A (2006-04-11). "Functional Imaging of Numerical Processing in Adults and 4-y-Old Children". PLOS Biology. 4 (5): e125. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0040125. ISSN 1545-7885. PMC 1431577. PMID 16594732.
  • Cantlon, Jessican (2011). "Chapter 7: Number Beyond Number". In Nicholas Rescher; Patrick Grim (eds.). Beyond Sets:A Venture in Collection-theoretic Revisionism. Beyond Sets. DE GRUYTER. doi:10.1515/9783110319750.93. ISBN 978-3-11-031975-0.
  • Cantlon, Jessica F.; Brannon, Elizabeth M. (May 2006). "Shared System for Ordering Small and Large Numbers in Monkeys and Humans". Psychological Science. 17 (5): 401–406. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01719.x. ISSN 0956-7976. PMID 16683927.

Personal life

Cantlon is married to Brad Mahon, a cognitive neuroscientist at Carnegie Mellon University.[7]

References
  1. "Jessica Cantlon seeks the origins of numerical thinking". Science News. 2016-09-21. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  2. "Monkeys Can Perform Mental Addition | Duke Health". corporate.dukehealth.org. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  3. "Monkey Math Machinery is Like Humans'". today.duke.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  4. "The Brain: Humanity's Other Basic Instinct: Math". Discover Magazine. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  5. "Monkey math: Zoo baboons shed light on the brain's ability to understand numbers". phys.org. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  6. "Our Evolutionary Number Heritage". www.conquermaths.com. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  7. "Jessica Cantlon". Post. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  8. Flasch, Jane (2018-02-05). "New report: U of R paid $4.5 million for "flawed" sexual assault investigation". WHAM. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  9. "Unauthorized searches of professors' email create rift at Rochester". www.insidehighered.com. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  10. Murphy, Justin. "Time Person of the Year honoree leaves university over sexual harassment inaction". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  11. Mangan, Katherine (2018-03-11). "How a Harassment Controversy Tore a University Apart". The Chronicle of Higher Education. ISSN 0009-5982. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  12. Pauly, Madison. ""Inappropriate, unprofessional, and offensive"—but not breaking any of University of Rochester's rules". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  13. "Rochester Settles Sex Harassment Case for $9.4M," Inside HigherEd, 30 March 2020.
  14. "University of Rochester and plaintiffs settle sexual harassment lawsuit for $9.4 million," Science, 27 March 2020.
  15. "Brain scans don't lie: The minds of girls and boys are equal in math". WTHI News. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  16. Hamilton, Jon. "Math Looks The Same In The Brains Of Boys And Girls, Study Finds". www.wboi.org. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  17. Peace, Lauren. "UR whistleblowers among those awarded Time's Person of the Year". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  18. "What Still Needs to Be Done to Break the Silence Surrounding Sexual Harassment". Time. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
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