2026 Johan J. Bolhuis: Psychology Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Neuroscience	53	5088	4676	422	384	147	10770
Psychology	52	4996	4634	533	504	143	10610

Overview

Johan J. Bolhuis is affiliated with the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and has contributed to research predominantly in the areas of developmental biology, ecology, evolution, and behavior. Their work spans several subfields such as developmental and educational psychology, cultural studies, and ecological studies, with a particular focus on animal behavior and communication.

Their research frequently addresses topics including:

Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior
Animal Behavior and Reproduction
Language and Cultural Evolution
Marine Animal Studies Overview
Avian Ecology and Behavior
Primate Behavior and Ecology
Child and Animal Learning Development

Bolhuis has published several recent papers that indicate a focus on vocal learning, language, and cognition. Notable publications include:

"Vocal learning in songbirds: the role of syllable order in song recognition," 2021, published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences
"Three reasons why AI doesn't model human language," 2024, published in Nature
"No evidence for language syntax in songbird vocalizations," 2024, published in Frontiers in Psychology
"Memory-specific correlated neuronal activity in higher-order auditory regions of a parrot," 2021, published in Scientific Reports
"Language and learning: the cognitive revolution at 60-odd," 2023, published in Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society

Among frequent co-authors are Stephen Crain, Gabriël J. L. Beckers, Marinus A. C. Huybregts, Martin Everaert, and Martijn Egas, each having collaborated on at least two publications. Bolhuis' articles are often featured in venues such as Animal Biology, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Nature, Frontiers in Psychology, and Scientific Reports.

The range of journals and co-authors reflects an interdisciplinary approach, connecting fields of biology, psychology, and linguistics to explore the cognitive and communicative capacities of animals, particularly in relation to vocalization and language-like structures.

Best Publications

Evolution, brain, and the nature of language

Robert C. Berwick;Angela D. Friederici;Noam Chomsky;Johan J. Bolhuis

744
Citations
Twitter evolution: converging mechanisms in birdsong and human speech.

Johan J. Bolhuis;Kazuo Okanoya;Kazuo Okanoya;Constance Scharff

582
Citations
Songs to syntax: the linguistics of birdsong

Robert C. Berwick;Kazuo Okanoya;Kazuo Okanoya;Gabriel J.L. Beckers;Johan J. Bolhuis

557
Citations
Mechanisms of avian imprinting: a review.

Johan J. Bolhuis

490
Citations
Neural mechanisms of birdsong memory

Johan J. Bolhuis;Manfred Gahr

473
Citations
Darwin in Mind: New Opportunities for Evolutionary Psychology

Johan Bolhuis;Gillian Ruth Brown;Robert Richardson;Kevin Neville Laland

371
Citations
Localized neuronal activation in the zebra finch brain is related to the strength of song learning

Johan J. Bolhuis;Guus G. O. Zijlstra;Ardie M. den Boer-Visser;Eddy A. Van der Zee

369
Citations
How could language have evolved

Johan J. Bolhuis;Ian Tattersall;Noam Chomsky;Robert C. Berwick

321
Citations
Language, mind and brain

Angela D. Friederici;Noam Chomsky;Robert C. Berwick;Andrea Moro

298
Citations
Structures, Not Strings: Linguistics as Part of the Cognitive Sciences

Martin B.H. Everaert;Marinus A.C. Huybregts;Noam Chomsky;Robert C. Berwick

278
Citations
Memory: Organization and locus of change

Johan J. Bolhuis;Eddy A. van der Zee

235
Citations
Differential effects of cholinergic blockade on performance of rats in the water tank navigation task and in a radial water maze.

O. Burešová;J. J. Bolhuis;J. Bureš

234
Citations
Birdsong Memory: A Neural Dissociation between Song Recognition and Production

Sharon M.H. Gobes;Johan J. Bolhuis

224
Citations
A critique of the neuroecology of learning and memory

Johan J. Bolhuis;Euan M. Macphail

214
Citations
An analysis of the neural representation of birdsong memory.

Nienke J. Terpstra;Johan J. Bolhuis;Ardie M. den Boer-Visser

192
Citations
The growth of language: universal Grammar, experience, and principles of computation

Charles Yang;Stephen Crain;Robert C. Berwick;Noam Chomsky

191
Citations
The evolution of intelligence: adaptive specializations versus general process

Euan M. Macphail;Johan J. Bolhuis

188
Citations
Interaction between acquired preferences and developing predispositions during imprinting.

M.H. Johnson;J.J. Bolhuis;G. Horn

184
Citations
Sexual equality in zebra finch song preference: evidence for a dissociation between song recognition and production learning

Katharina Riebel;Isabel M Smallegange;Nienke J Terpstra;Johan J Bolhuis;Johan J Bolhuis

176
Citations
Imprinting, learning and development: from behaviour to brain and back

Johan J. Bolhuis;Robert C. Honey

171
Citations
Neural mechanisms of birdsong memory

Johan J. Bolhuis

0
Citations

Frequent Co-Authors

Gabriel Horn University of Cambridge

Kazuo Okanoya University of Tokyo

Robert Colin Honey Cardiff University

Eddy A. Van der Zee University of Groningen

Angela D. Friederici Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences

Clive D. L. Wynne Arizona State University

Patrick Bateson University of Cambridge

Manfred Gahr Max Planck Society

Stephen Crain Macquarie University

Carel ten Cate Leiden University

External Links

Personal website of Johan J. Bolhuis

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