Francesca De Petrillo
Papers
1
Total Citations
38
H-Index
1
About
Francesca De Petrillo is a comparative cognitive scientist whose research explores the evolutionary roots of decision-making, risk-taking, and reward processing across species. Her work bridges human and nonhuman cognition, with a particular focus on how primates, rodents, and even artificial agents navigate uncertainty and value-based choices. In her highly cited paper, "Nonhuman gamblers: lessons from rodents, primates, and robots" (2014, 38 citations), De Petrillo and colleagues argue that understanding pathological gambling in humans can be enriched by studying analogous behaviors in other species. By synthesizing findings from rodents, nonhuman primates, and robots, she highlights how diverse agents reveal shared psychological and neural mechanisms underlying risky decision-making. This interdisciplinary perspective has positioned her as a leading voice in comparative studies of reward and addiction. Her work not only advances fundamental knowledge of cognition but also informs translational research on human behavioral disorders. De Petrillo’s contributions continue to shape how scientists think about the evolution of choice, offering fresh insights into the biological and computational principles that guide behavior across species.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Nonhuman gamblers: lessons from rodents, primates, and robots38 citations · 2014