By studying how children learn and play, Alison Gopnik believes we can unlock the secrets of the human mind, and even answer some of our deepest philosophical questions. Her groundbreaking research helped establish “theory of mind” and the “theory theory” of children’s development. Through her work at the Cognitive Development and Learning Lab at the University of California at Berkeley, she explores how children develop causal models of the world. She is the author or co-author of numerous academic and popular books, and is widely published in scientific journals and the popular press. Her TED Talk “What Do Babies Think?” has been viewed almost 5 million times. She is a professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of California at Berkeley, a fellow of the Cognitive Science Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Most Influential Work:
- The Scientist in the Crib: Minds, Brains, and How Children Learn (New York: William Morrow, 1999, with Andrew Meltzoff and Patricia Kuhl) presented evidence that children’s play shows a sophisticated understanding of their world.
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