We seek to understand how fundamental aspects of the mind give rise to the rich social and cognitive abilities that allow people to understand others and learn about the world. Our research is guided by two broad questions:
How Do We Understand Other People?
Human beings are deeply social. From infancy onward, we spend much of our lives interacting with family members, friends, teachers, coworkers, and members of our communities. We study how children and adults understand emotions, relationships, and social situations, and how they come to understand what other people think, feel, and intend.
How Do We Learn About the World?
Throughout life, people encounter new experiences. Some fit with what they already know, while others challenge their expectations. We study how children and adults learn from experience, adapt to change, and build knowledge about the world around them.
Our Approach
To answer these questions, we study infants, children, and adults using a combination of behavioural and neuroscience methods. Our research often involves games, stories, videos, and other age-appropriate activities designed to be engaging and enjoyable.
We also use tools such as eye tracking and electroencephalography (EEG) to understand what people pay attention to and how their brains process information. These methods are safe and non-invasive, allowing us to investigate aspects of thinking, learning, and development that cannot always be observed through behaviour alone.