Humans are born helpless, and remain helpless longer than most other species. Soon after, we become reckless. Emerging capacities allow children to pursue goals and desires that endanger themselves and others: They haphazardly climb out of cribs, attempt staircases despite just learning to walk, and urge siblings to retrieve items from frequented roadways. Gradually, children learn, but not on their own: Parents and other caregivers provide necessary sustenance and enriching nurturance throughout this critical period. Together, care and protection allow the youngest among us to both weather the storm of development, and gain vast knowledge before demands for efficiency become paramount.
Developmental science has long considered the implications of care and protection, with recent investigations reviving a foundational proposal: That even in the absence of explicit instruction, children possess a broad, theory-like understanding about how the social world works. This intuitive theory, or "internal working model" (Bowlby, 1969; see also, Ainsworth, 1989), is the output of cognitive mechanisms––ones supported by maturation and shaped by personal experiences, third-party observations, and even figments of the imagination. This abstract, early emerging framework allows children to explain and predict social phenomena from strikingly sparse evidence and with limited personal experience or investment.
My own work builds on this foundation, and incorporates modern perspectives––mainly, that understanding the social world depends on understanding the physical world. Thus, my research converges on the integration of two early emerging frameworks: an intuitive theory of people as social agents, and an intuitive theory of the physical world. The first lets children interpret social behaviors, mental states, and relationships; the second lets children predict features of the physical world, from the cost of an bodily action to the purpose and possible danger of holding a knife. I propose that, in early childhood, we understand care and protection through the integration of these two intuitive theories: Physical phenomena inform our social learning and reasoning.
These questions carry theoretical and practical implications. Recognizing that the confiscation of a knife from a toddler is not antisocial, but an act of care, is a challenging intellectual feat: It requires understanding that a caregiver is countering an immediate desire based on a prediction that doing so better promotes the child's wellbeing. Characterizing how and when in development humans possess this incredible intellectual capacity bears on our understanding of the mind and behavior, on interventions that help people recognize the value in efforts to thwart goals, and on the design of intelligences that prioritize human welfare.
I value rigorous, transparent, and open science practices; and believe all is made easier, and better, by prioritizing camaraderie in communication, scientific inquiry, and professional development.
I started college as a neurobiology major, with plans to pursue a career in medicine. But, one psychology class (taken as an elective) and one summer as a camp counselor (because nowhere else was hiring, apparently) later, I switched my major. A few more psychology classes and another summer as a camp counselor later, my career aspirations changed. Before I knew it, I was moving from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic, back to the Pacific again, and then just a few hours south. I characterize my path as serendipitous, curiosity-driven, and the basis for conducting science that balances theory with real-world practicality.