Origins of the Social Mind

February 23, 2023 — In-Person (at the hotel in Atlanta)

What are the origins of the social mind? Addressing this question requires integrating insights and methodology from developmental psychology (how does the social mind change over developmental time?), comparative cognition (which aspects of the social mind are shared with other species vs. unique to humans?), and cross-cultural work (what is the scope and scale of variation in the social mind?). Together, research from these disciplines has shed important light on the psychological mechanisms that shape and constrain social reasoning and behavior among humans and other species. Yet, while research within these sub-disciplines has made distinct contributions to social psychology, it is rare for such theoretical and methodological diversity to be represented in one place. In this uniquely innovative and interdisciplinary preconference, we bring developmental, comparative, and cross-cultural perspectives together to showcase research investigating key questions about the foundations of social thought and behavior.

Keynote and Plenary Speakers

Dr. Marjorie Rhodes (Keynote), Department of Psychology; New York University

Dr. Arnold Ho (Plenary), Department of Psychology, University of Michigan

Other Invited Speakers

Dr. Deon Benton, Department of Psychology and Human Development; Vanderbilt

Dr. Margaret Echelbarger, Department of Marketing; Stony Brook

Dr. Lou Haux, Max Planck Institute for Human Development

Dr. Ryan Lei, Department of Psychology, Haverford

Dr. Rachna Reddy, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology; Harvard

Dr. Ashley Thomas, Department of Psychology, Harvard

Preconference Organizers

Margaret Echelbarger, margaret.echelbarger@stonybrook.edu, Stony Brook
Rachel Leshin, rachel.leshin@nyu.edu, New York University
Katherine McAuliffe, mcaulikg@bc.edu, Boston College
Julia Marshall, marshaau@bc.edu, Boston College

SUBMISSIONS OPEN SEPTEMBER 1

We welcome submissions from researchers at all levels across a wide range of topics, including developmental, comparative, and cross-cultural psychology, in addition to other areas of research that may not be traditionally represented at SPSP.

We encourage you to submit abstracts for our poster session (open to all career stages) and our Data Blitz sessions (open to graduate students and post-doctoral researchers, and those within 5 years of receiving their Ph.D.).

If you have any issues or questions while submitting, please reach out to either Margaret Echelbarger (margaret.echelbarger@stonybrook.edu), Rachel Leshin (rachel.leshin@nyu.edu), or Julia Marshall (marshaau@bc.edu).

The deadline to submit is 11:59 PM ET on Nov. 15. The organizers will announce poster and data blitz decisions by early December, 2022.

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Schedule

We are excited to feature new work in the form of poster sessions and data blitzes as well to facilitate conversation amongst pre-conference attendees through break-out discussion groups throughout the day.

Schedule will be available in December.