CogSci Colloquium: Melissa Koenig (U Minnesota)

Children’s Testimonial Learning: Early Judgments of Epistemic and Moral Agency

Abstract: Children’s testimonial learning involves a sophisticated conception of human agency. Developmental research on children’s testimonial learning opened a window onto a form of reasoning aimed at identifying the intentions of epistemic and moral agents. Children’s testimonial reasoning takes both a critical interest in the reliability of sources, as well as a cooperative view of another person and her acts of communication. In this talk, I will focus on the role that social groups play in children’s epistemic judgements and discuss ongoing work in our lab that capitalizes on the trust children place in parents, friends and teachers.

Bio: Melissa Koenig's research focuses on the factors that constrain and support children's learning from others. Her lab group studies various aspects of trust, cultural learning, moral judgment, source memory, language and cognitive development in young children. As a first-generation college student, Koenig lead a collaborative lab, supporting students’ navigation of the hidden curriculum of academia and enjoy supporting graduate students on their own unique trajectory. Her lab group does work that is deeply collaborative, interdisciplinary, multi-method with a cultural lens and is dedicated to doing impactful work that moves the fields of psychology, philosophy, and development forward.