Research output per year
Research output per year
Personal profile
Curriculum vitae
I’m a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. I consider myself a multidisciplinary human scientist. I’m interested in how cultures and technologies evolve, and how people — past and present, across cultural boundaries — have solved everyday problems.
My work sits at the intersection of cognitive science, (cognitive) anthropology, cultural evolution, complexity science, and sustainability science. Regarding the latter, I (try to) apply my research to help preserve a more ecologically and culturally diverse world. I am a part of the Past Present Sustainability Research Unit (PAES).
I am interested in the broad methodological palette, ranging from computational methods to ethnographic research.
Fields of Science
- 6162 Cognitive science
- 5143 Social and cultural anthropology
- 1172 Environmental sciences
- 6160 Other humanities
- Cultural Evolution
- 611 Philosophy
- Philosophy of Science
- Environmental Philosophy
- Philosophy of Psychology
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Living in the Mycelial World: A global cross-cultural ethnomycological review
Kaaronen, R. O., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Topics in Cognitive Science. 47 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Open Access -
The effect of the 8.2 ka cold event on Fennoscandian hunter-gatherer metapopulation inferred from climatic, environmental, and archaeological signals
Manninen, M. A., Kaaronen, R. O., Eronen, J. T. & Tallavaara, M., 25 Apr 2025, In: Quaternary environments and humans. 2025, 3, 100065.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
The Ties That Bind: Computational, Cross-cultural Analyses of Knots Reveal Their Cultural Evolutionary History and Significance
Kaaronen, R. O., Henrich, A. K., Manninen, M. A., Walsh, M. J., Wisher, I., Eronen, J. T. & Riede, F., 13 Mar 2025, In: Cambridge Archaeological Journal. 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
A global cross-cultural analysis of string figures reveals evidence of deep transmission and innovation
Kaaronen, R. O., Walsh, M. J., Henrich, A. K., Wisher, I., Miu, E., Manninen, M. A., Eronen, J. T. & Riede, F., 4 Dec 2024, In: Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 21, 221, 15 p., 20240673.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Measuring Beyond the Standard: Informal Measurement Systems as Cognitive Technologies
Kaaronen, R. O., Manninen, M. A. & Eronen, J. T., 10 Nov 2024, In: Topics in Cognitive Science. 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Open AccessFile
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Ajattelua ympäristön kanssa: nyrkkisäännöt ja ihmisen adaptaatio holoseenista antroposeeniin
Kaaronen, R. O. (Project manager)
01/09/2022 → 31/08/2025
Project: Research Council of Finland: Postdoctoral Researcher
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H-DOUBT: Heuristics of Doubt: Information Foraging in Digital Media Environments
Gritsenko, D. (Principal Investigator) & Kaaronen, R. O. (Co-Principal Investigator)
01/01/2023 → 31/12/2024
Project: Foundations (Private Foundations, Non-Profit Foundations, Charitable Trusts)
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Multi-method synergies for studying human decision-making
Gritsenko, D. (Principal Investigator), Kaaronen, R. O. (Participant) & Nagatsu, M. (Participant)
01/01/2023 → 31/12/2023
Project: Research project
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LONGRISK: Decision support to manage the long-term growth of environmentally induced multi-hazard risks in urban areas (LONGRISK)
Eronen, J. T. (Project manager), Hukkinen, J. I. (Project manager), Lehtonen, T.-K. (Project manager), Pulliainen, J. (Project manager), Gustafson, K. A. (Participant), Kaaronen, R. O. (Participant), Laine, E. J. (Participant), Parviainen, T. (Participant), Salomaa, A. (Participant) & Suutarinen, I. M. (Participant)
SUOMEN AKATEMIA Vähäkylä Leena
21/08/2020 → 30/11/2023
Project: Research Council of Finland: Targeted Academy Project
Prizes
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Honorable Mention for exceptional effort at the 2019 Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) at IIASA
Kaaronen, R. O. (Recipient), 13 Jan 2020
Prize: Prizes and awards
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The University of Helsinki doctoral dissertation award
Kaaronen, R. O. (Recipient), Jun 2021
Prize: Prizes and awards
Activities
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EAA Annual Meeting 2023
Manninen, M. A. (Speaker: Presenter), Eronen, J. T. (Attendee), Kaaronen, R. O. (Attendee) & Tallavaara, M. (Attendee)
1 Sept 2023Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Organisation and participation in conferences, workshops, courses, seminars
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Mycological rationality: Heuristics and problem solving in mushroom foraging
Kaaronen, R. O. (Speaker)
29 Jul 2023Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Kaaronen, R. O. (Visiting researcher)
5 Mar 2023 → 11 Mar 2023Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Academic visit to other institution
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Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Biological Sciences (Journal)
Kaaronen, R. O. (Reviewer)
1 Sept 2022Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Peer review of manuscripts
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Body-based units of measure in cultural evolution
Kaaronen, R. O. (Speaker)
Sept 2022Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
Press/Media
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Los mismos nudos aparecen a lo largo de 12 milenios
Kaaronen, R. O., Eronen, J. T. & Manninen, M. A.
28/06/2025
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Intrecci dal passato. La cultura si conserva anche nei nodi
Kaaronen, R. O., Manninen, M. A. & Eronen, J. T.
13/05/2025
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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In knots, archaeologists see evidence of cultural exchange, and perhaps the early sparks of cognition
Kaaronen, R. O., Manninen, M. A. & Eronen, J. T.
01/04/2025
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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String figures: our shared history of play, culture, and mathematics
Kaaronen, R. O., Eronen, J. T. & Manninen, M. A.
04/12/2024
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media