Join the Developmental Psychology area for a talk by Ashley Thomas (Harvard University)!
Title: How Young Humans Think about Social Relationships
Abstract: Every day, we recognize social relationships and use knowledge about social relationships to inform our behavior. For example, we recognize that it is acceptable to eat off our spouse’s plate, but unacceptable to eat off our employer’s plate. We may laugh at our boss’s joke to maintain our deferential relationship or do a favor for a coworker to maintain a cooperative one. Previous research on social cognitive development has largely focused on infants' and children’s social reasoning either at the microscale of a person’s actions, thoughts, attributes, and beliefs (e.g., ‘theory of mind’), or at the macroscale, of societal groups and social categories (e.g., ingroups and outgroups, gender, or race). My research program is situated between these scales, focusing on how humans think about relationships and the social dynamics within groups. In this talk I will discuss my past work and ongoing work in my lab, including cognitive representations of intimacy, social partners, and family.
The Developmental Seminar Series area features both internal and external speakers who are experts in a wide range of topics including the development of cognition, perception, learning, emotional processing, and social relationships.
For more information, contact Developmental Psychology area coordinator Zeynep Saygin.