Seminar: “Children’s Selective Learning and Teaching,” Dr. Sunae Kim (Sabancı University), A-130, 12:40PM March 23 (EN)

DATE: Thursday, March 23rd at 12:40-13:30
LOCATION: A 130, FEASS

Dear Bilkent colleagues and students,

Please join us for “Children’s selective learning and teaching ” by Dr. Sunae Kim in Developmental Psychology from Sabancı University .

Thank you,
Jedediah Allen & Ali Khatibi (PSYC Colloquium Committee)

One of unique human characteristics is to learn from others and teach others. Through learning and teaching a culture is maintained and enriched. Recent studies show that children do not blindly learn from others nor do they indiscriminately teach others. Children and young infants, for example, selectively learn from a knowledgeable person over an ignorant person and from a reliable person rather than an unreliable person. Moreover, young children choose to teach those who are ignorant over those who are knowledgeable. In this talk, I will present empirical data that qualifies this picture. First, I will demonstrate that under certain circumstance children still learn form an unreliable person. Next, I will present data suggesting that children’s selective teaching may be guided by different motives and goals, and also are subject to cultural influences. Together, I claim that children’s selective learning and teaching are flexible and they are guided by multiple considerations, both epistemic and social.