Rita Anderson

Rita Anderson, an Honourary Research Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland's Faculty of Science (Psychology Department), specializes in cognitive psychology and animal behavior. Her work focuses on human mental imagery and canine cognition, particularly in domestic dogs and wolves. She retired in 2010 but continues collaborative research on canine social behaviors and vocalizations. She holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego.

Her research explores how mental imagery aids problem-solving in visual-spatial tasks and investigates wolf and dog communication through projects like HYPERWOLF, a coding system analyzing social interactions. Recent studies include cortisol levels in dogs, personality assessments, and social behavior in dog parks. She collaborates with Carolyn Walsh and colleagues on interdisciplinary projects.

• Education: B.A., University of Wisconsin; Ph.D., University of California, San Diego.
• Affiliations: Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology/Cognition research group.

Her publications span cognitive ethology, mental discovery processes, and canine behavior. She co-developed tools for analyzing wolf interactions and contributed to understanding nonlinear vocalizations in red wolves. Current work emphasizes companion dog behavior and stress responses in human-animal dyads.