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SUMMARY:The reluctant collaborator? How developing social understanding sh
 apes knowledge - Patrick J. Leman (Royal Holloway\, University of London)
DTSTART:20110311T130000Z
DTEND:20110311T140000Z
UID:TALK29042@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Carissa Sharp
DESCRIPTION:Humans have an instinct for social interaction\, and the desir
 e to communicate with others is often assumed to be a key driver for devel
 opment. However\, many models of child development have been criticised fo
 r focussing on cognitive processes and casting the child as a solitary pro
 blem-solver and a rather asocial and reluctant collaborator. How should we
  reconcile these different perspectives? This presentation will discuss re
 search that has explored the development of collaboration skills and the s
 ocial and cognitive processes that underpin this development. A particular
  focus will be on how aspects of social identity including gender and ethn
 icity influence children’s communication\, problem-solving and learning.
  It will conclude by suggesting that cognitive and social processes are in
 tertwined in development\, and that children’s emerging social competenc
 es (typically the focus of research in social psychology) cannot easily be
  separated from their changing knowledge of the world (the focus of resear
 ch in developmental psychology). In this respect\, autonomous participatio
 n in social interactions is a fundamental developmental achievement that h
 as important epistemological consequences. Implications for work in educat
 ion and children’s social relationships are also discussed.
LOCATION:PPSIS Seminar Room (Free School Lane)
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