The D.O. Hebb Lecture Series was initiated in 1989 in memory of Hebb’s contribution to the science of behavior. Invited speakers of the D.O. Lecture series are scientists who have made distinguished empirical contributions to basic research in all areas of psychology. It is currently made possible by the generous support of the D.O. Hebb Endowment Memorial Fund.
Most speakers also deliver an informal seminar held in the morning.
2020 - 2021 Hebb Lecture
March 26, 2021 (Zoom) ***14h - 15h30***
Susan Gelman
Susan GelmanHeinz Werner Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Linguistics
Department of Psychology
University of Michigan
About: https://lsa.umich.edu/psych/people/faculty/gelman.html
Where: Zoom, https://mcgill.zoom.us/s/82996010393 or Meeting ID: 829 9601 0393
Title: How Children Look Beyond the Obvious
Abstract: A hallmark of human cognition is the capacity to think about observable experience in ways that are non-obvious -- from scientific concepts (genes, molecules) to everyday understandings (germs, soul). Where does this capacity come from, and how does it develop? I argue that, contrary to what is classically assumed, young children often extend beyond the tangible "here-and-now" to think about hidden, invisible, abstract entities. I give examples from three lines of research: essentialism, generics, and object history.