Damian Scarf
Damian Scarf | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1983 |
| Died | 18 December 2024 Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Citizenship | New Zealand |
| Alma mater | University of Otago (BSc, PhD) |
| Known for | Serial-order learning in animals; positive youth development research |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Developmental psychology; comparative cognition |
| Institutions | University of Otago |
| Thesis | Representation of serial order in pigeons (Columba livia) (2011) |
Damian Kieran Scarf was a New Zealand psychologist and associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Otago. He combined work in comparative cognition with studies of adolescent behaviour and was noted for mentoring Māori and Pasifika students.[1][2][3][4]
Early life and education
Scarf originally studied zoology at the University of Otago, then completed a PhD in psychology in 2011 that examined how pigeons represent and plan serial order. His dissertation was later placed on the Division of Sciences list of "exceptional theses".[1] During his doctorate he received a Fulbright scholarship and spent a year at Columbia University’s Primate Cognition Laboratory as a visiting researcher.[5][6]
Academic career
After a post-doctoral fellowship in child development, Scarf joined Otago’s psychology department as a lecturer in 2013 and was promoted to Associate Professor. He directed the Adolescent Behaviour and Child Development (ABCD) Lab and taught papers on adolescent behaviour and child development.[2]
Scarf was awarded a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship in 2019 for ‘‘The Belonging Project’’, which investigated how group identification supports mental health.[5] Scarf’s early comparative work showed that pigeons and other animals could plan action sequences and even recognise written words. A 2016 paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences demonstrated orthographic processing in pigeons.[7] Later projects focused on the "social cure" and positive youth development, exploring how group belonging buffers students from anxiety, alcohol harm and loneliness.[2]
Death and legacy
Scarf died suddenly in Dunedin on 18 December 2024, aged 41.[1] Colleagues said his passing "left a huge hole" in the department, noting both his prolific scholarship and his advocacy for under-represented students.[8]
Selected works
- Scarf D. et al. "Orthographic processing in pigeons (Columba livia)." PNAS 113 (40): 11272–11276 (2016).[7]
- Scarf D.; Colombo M. "Representation of serial order in pigeons." Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes 36 (2010): 423–429.[9]
- Riordan B.C. et al. "Fear of missing out and alcohol use during events." Drug & Alcohol Review 38 Suppl 1 (2019): S88–S89.[10]
References
- ^ a b c Shaw, Ruby (22 January 2025). "Professor's death leaves 'huge hole' in department". Otago Daily Times. Dunedin. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "Associate Professor Damian Scarf – Research interests". University of Otago. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ Littlewood, Matthew (16 November 2024). "Benefits of social media ban doubted". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ Otago, University of. "Pigeons can learn to distinguish real words from non-words". phys.org. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Damian Scarf – Rutherford Discovery Fellowship". Royal Society Te Apārangi. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ Gibb, John (25 June 2008). "Fulbright award for bird-brain research". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ a b Scarf, Damian; Boy, Karoline; Reinert, Anelisie U.; Devine, Jack; Güntürkün, Onur (2016). "Orthographic processing in pigeons (Columba livia)". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 113 (40): 11272–11276. Bibcode:2016PNAS..11311272S. doi:10.1073/pnas.1607870113. PMID 27638211.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
RNZwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "APA PsycNet". Archived from the original on 14 April 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ Riordan, Benjamin C.; Flett, Jayde A. M.; Cody, Louise M.; Conner, Tamlin S.; Scarf, Damian (1 August 2021). "The Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and event-specific drinking: The relationship between FoMO and alcohol use, harm, and breath alcohol concentration during orientation week". Current Psychology. 40 (8): 3691–3701. doi:10.1007/s12144-019-00318-6. ISSN 1936-4733.