Oxford Academics in China Series

How to study the infant mind: Reflections from the Oxford University BabyLab

By Professor Kim Plunkett, Director of the Oxford University BabyLab and Professor of Cognitive Science at the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford

Synopsis

A fundamental problem in studying infants’ development is their inability to tell us what they know. The youngest ones can’t talk and the older ones might not understand what you’re asking them. Therefore, we have to devise cunning methods to figure out what they know and how they’ve learnt what they know. This talk will provide a brief overview of some of the methods that are employed in the Oxford University Babylab to study cognitive and linguistic development during the first two years of life. Professor Plunkett will discuss questions such as:

• How do infants learn to categorise objects?
• How do infants learn the meanings of words?
• Does their native language influence their concept development?
• What are infants doing whilst they are asleep?

Professor Kim Plunkett is Director of the Oxford University BabyLab and Professor of Cognitive Science at the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford. He is the Tutorial Fellow in Experimental Psychology, St Hugh’s College, Oxford and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Co-organised by the University of Oxford, YK Pao School and Oxford University Press (Shanghai), with the kind support of the Shanghai Oxford & Cambridge Society

The University of Oxford is grateful for the generous support provided by our sponsor YK Pao School.