Tuesdays, 3:30 to 6:00 pm, Spring 2012
Professor Jonathan Beier
Department of Psychology
This graduate seminar explores the foundations of social cognition, from birth through the first few years of life. In this course, we will first review infants’ and toddlers’ conceptual development in the social domain. Topics will include the detection of social partners in one’s environment, representations of intentional agents and their actions, and understanding of others' perceptual and belief states. We will then consider the ways that this early knowledge guides young children’s own social behaviors and evaluations of others. On what grounds do infants and toddlers form preferences for some individuals over others? What social motivations might underlie their imitative behaviors? What is their grasp of other people’s communicative intentions? Why do children act in helpful ways towards others? Throughout the course, we will discuss different theories concerning the origins of these basic cognitive abilities and dispositions, in both ontogeny and phylogeny.
Enrollment is open to graduate students in fields related to psychology, by permission of the instructor.
Contact: Jonathan Beier, email: jsbeier@umd.edu
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