University of Cambridge > Talks.cam > Social Psychology Seminar Series (SPSS) > How is Human Social Cognition Special?

  Browse A-Z

Log in

University Account External (via Google)

🔐 Log In

Information on

Subscribing to talksdetails Finding a talkdetails Adding a talkdetails Disseminating talksdetails Help and Documentationdetails

ℹ️ Information

How is Human Social Cognition Special?

Download to your calendar using vCal

  • UserDr Lasana Harris (UCL)
  • ClockWednesday 21 October 2020, 16:00-17:00
  • Housevia zoom .

If you have a question about this talk, please contact David Young .

Humans cannot claim to be the only social animal. But is there something special about human social cognition? Here I argue that it distinguishes itself by its unique flexibility: In scope, as it can be extended beyond fellow living humans and withheld from them; in content, as it is revised over time, and in certainty; in process, as it follows Bayesian inferences based on probability. Further, I posit that both the hyper-sociality of humans and some of its distinctive anthropological manifestations derive from this flexibility. This theoretical approach provides an alternative to content-based accounts of superior and distinctive human social cognition, and challenges the static ‘social-wiring’ hypothesis. Here, I present social neuroscience data consistent with this alternative hypothesis.

Dr Harris will discuss how this perspective can inform our understanding of racial prejudice in society and in research.

Dr Lasana Harris is a Senior Lecturer in Experimental Psychology at University College London.

This talk is co-hosted with the Zangwill Club.

Zoom link to follow

This talk is part of the Social Psychology Seminar Series (SPSS) series.

This talk is included in these lists:

Note that ex-directory lists are not shown.

Other lists

Average on weekdays: 9025.05619597 kWh Murray Edwards College, Buckingham House Engineering Department, CBL Room BE-438.

Other talks

Claudia Ribeiro Almeida, Group Leader, Babraham Institute CSAR lecture: Decarbonizing road freight (TBC) Cooperation for Nature LCLU Annual Talk: The Early Aqueous Environment of Mars Inferred From Mission Lifetime Results by the Curiosity Rover at Gale Crater Coming soon Gastroenterology and Acute Medicine
 

© 2006-2025 Talks.cam, University of Cambridge. Contact Us | Help and Documentation | Privacy and Publicity