Kristin Bonnie
Professor of Psychology
Kristin Bonnie is a Professor of Psychology at Oxford College of Emory University. She is on sabbatical for the 2025-26 academic year.
Dr. Bonnie came to Oxford College in July 2022 and served as Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs until July 2025.
Prior to her appointment at Oxford College, Dr. Bonnie served for fifteen years (2007-2022) as a professor of Psychology and from January 2020 as Associate Dean of Faculty and the Learning Experience at Beloit College. Dr. Bonnie taught courses in Introductory Psychology, Biological Psychology, Research Methods and Statistics, Animal Cognition, and within Beloit’s first year seminar program. At Beloit, she was involved with multi-year institutional projects on topics including the development of student metacognition and reflective learning, decolonizing pedagogies and related DEI initiatives, and the development and implementation of a new strategic plan.
Dr. Bonnie earned a BS magna cum laude with honors in Psychology, and a minor in Biology from St. Lawrence University, an MA and PhD in Psychology from Emory University where she studied with renowned primatologist Frans de Waal. A former adjunct scientist with Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo, her scholarship focuses on learning and decision making in captive non-human primates, and has resulted in more than 20 publications and dozens of invited and conference presentations.
Education
BS| St. Lawrence University| 1999
MA| Emory Univeristy| 2003
PhD| Emory University| 2007
Courses Taught
PSYC 110 - Introduction to Psychobiology and Cognition
DASCI 100 - Introduction to Statistical Inference with Laboratory
Accomplishments
Phi Beta Kappa, Inducted 1999
Psi Chi International Psychology Honor Society, Inducted 1998
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2002-2005
Emory University, Dean's Teaching Fellow, 2006-2007
Publications
Yasukawa K, & Bonnie KE (2017). Observational and experimental methods in comparative psychology. In J. Call, G.M. Burghardt, I.M. Pepperberg, C.T. Snowdon, & T. Zentall (Eds.), APA handbook of comparative psychology (pp 65-86). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Cronin K, Jacobson SJ, Bonnie KE, & Hopper LM (2017). Studying primate cognition in a social setting to improve validity and welfare: a literature review highlighting successful approaches. PeerJ 5, e3649. doi: 10.7717/peerj.3649
Bonnie KE, Ang MYL, & Ross SR (2016). Effects of crowd size on exhibit use by and behavior of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) at an accredited zoo. Applied Animal Behavior Science, 178, 102–110.
Hopper LM, Kurtycz L, Ross SR, & Bonnie KE (2015). Captive chimpanzee foraging in a social setting: a test of problem solving, flexibility, and spatial discounting. PeerJ, 3, e833; doi:10.7717/peerj.833
Lonsdorf EV & Bonnie KE (2010). Opportunities and constraints when studying social learning: Developmental approaches and social factors. Learning and Behavior, 38(3), 195-205.
Horner V, Proctor D, Bonnie KE, Whiten A, & de Waal FBM (2010). Prestige affects cultural learning in chimpanzees. PLoS ONE 5(5): e10625. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010625.
Bonnie KE & Earley RL (2007). Expanding the scope for social information use. Animal Behaviour, 74, 171- 181. doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.12.009
Presentations
Bonnie KE (February 2026). Navigating unsuccessful faculty reviews: managing communication, confidentiality, emotions, and professional care. Roundtable discussion facilitated at the Annual Meeting of the American Conference of Academic Deans.
Bonnie KE & Boynton E (January 2023). Holistic leadership in challenging times. Roundtable discussion facilitated at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Bonnie KE, Tedesco M, McIntosh J, Hill M, Freeman S, & Bartanen K (January 2021). Leveraging shared governance in times of crises. Panel presentation accepted for presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Bonnie KE & Cox, S (January 2019). Efforts to diversify the psychology curriculum: Thoughts, strategies, and action. Participant Idea Exchange facilitated at the National Institute for the Teaching of Psychology conference in St. Petersburg, FL.
Bonnie KE, Kurtycz LMB, Shender MA, Ross SR, & Hopper LM (August 2016). Social influences on the acquisition and spread of a token economy in zoo-housed apes. Talk presented at the joint International Primatological Society/American Society of Primatologists meeting in Chicago, IL.
Bonnie KE, Ang MYL, & Ross SR (June 2015). Visitor effects on the behavior of and exhibit use by chimpanzees and gorillas at Lincoln Park Zoo. Talk presented at the American Society of Primatologists meeting in Bend, OR.