Developmental Perspectives on Causal Language, Causal Reasoning, and Counterfactual Thinking: A Mental Space Study<\/p>\n
Asl\u0131 Aktan-Erciyes<\/p>\n
Kadir Has University, Department of Psychology<\/p>\n
Date: November 5, 2026<\/p>\n
Time: 12:30-13:30<\/p>\n
Venue: A130 Seminar Room<\/p>\n
Abstract<\/p>\n
Causal reasoning allows children to learn, explain, and make sense of their surroundings, and counterfactual thinking, imagining what would have happened otherwise, is closely tied to how causes are judged. Although infants are sensitive to causal events within the first year, causal language emerges gradually, and how causal language, causal reasoning, and counterfactual thinking relate to one another across development remains further investigation. This talk presents a T\u00dcB\u0130TAK-funded project that examines these abilities in Turkish-speaking children. In Study 1, we used a longitudinal corpus of naturalistic caregiver-child interactions from 8 to 36 months to investigate causal language in child-directed (CDS) and child speech (CS). Caregivers\u2019 causal talk increased with child age and plateaued around 30 months, while children\u2019s causal language grew steadily and was linked to how often caregivers used causal language. In Study 2, we tested 5- to 6-year-olds and 9- to 10-year-olds on causal language production, causal verb production, language-based and force-dynamics causal reasoning, and counterfactual reasoning. Children\u2019s causal reasoning was associated with the causal verbs they produced, but not with how much causal language they used. Together, these findings suggest that the specific causal meanings encoded in language, rather than the amount of causal talk, are tied to how children reason about causes. They also raise new questions about the role of counterfactual thinking in this relationship.<\/p>\n
Speaker Biography<\/p>\n
Asl\u0131 Aktan-Erciyes is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Kadir Has University, where she coordinates the Studies in Language and Bilingualism Lab (SiLaB). She received her B.A. in Business Administration, M.A. in Developmental Psychology, and Ph.D. in Psychology from Bo\u011fazi\u00e7i University. Her doctoral work examined the effects of second language acquisition on event perception and narrative skills. She completed her postdoctoral research at the Language and Cognition Lab at Ko\u00e7 University with Prof. Tilbe G\u00f6ksun, working on a longitudinal project funded by the James S. McDonnell Foundation. Her research examines the interaction between language and cognition, focusing on causal and counterfactual reasoning, narrative development, and bilingual development, including how early and intensive exposure to a second language shapes the first. She has completed two T\u00dcB\u0130TAK-funded projects and currently leads a T\u00dcB\u0130TAK-funded project on the development of causal language, causal reasoning, and counterfactual thinking. She is a recipient of the 2025 Science Academy Young Scientists Award (BAGEP).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Developmental Perspectives on Causal Language, Causal Reasoning, and Counterfactual Thinking: A Mental Space Study Asl\u0131 Aktan-Erciyes Kadir Has University, Department of Psychology Date: November 5, 2026 Time: 12:30-13:30 Venue: A130 Seminar Room Abstract Causal reasoning allows children to learn, explain, and make sense of their surroundings, and counterfactual thinking, imagining [\u2026] <\/p>\n