SCHEMA LAB
RESEARCH
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SOCIAL COGNITION
How do humans understand what other people feel and believe? Psychologists and philosophers have long explored the ability to understand the beliefs, knowledge, and intentions of others based on their behavior. These behaviors are often referred to as theory of mind, perspective-taking or mentalizing.
We study the validity and reliability of constructs related to social cognition, individual differences in performance across the life span, and factors that influence the understanding of others' intentions, including cognitive factors (e.g., working memory, executive function, reasoning), linguistic factors (e.g., bilingualism, metalinguistic awareness, sociolinguistic experience), and social factors (e.g., cultural influences, social competence).
BILINGUAL EXPERIENCES
Another focus of the lab is the cognitive and social outcomes of bilingualism and multiculturalism. While bilingualism has long been considered a monolithic trait opposed to monolingualism, we study the degree to which being bilingual varies based on a multiplicity of factors, including the level of formal instruction, the type of language, the context and frequency with which the language(s) are used, and the amount of language switching, among others.
With collaborators in the US and abroad, we explore the factors that influence bilingualism, the extent to which bilingual experiences vary and how sociolinguistic and cognitive outcomes are affected by this variability using behavioral, psychophysiological, and psychometric approaches.
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES & MEASUREMENT
IMPAIREMENTS IN SOCIAL COGNITION
Psychometric measurement is the basis of psychological theory and practice. Strong psychometric properties can demonstrate whether a construct is being properly measured, a tool is adequately developed, or a theoretical model is empirically supported.
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Our research uses advanced modeling techniques to explore a diversity of topics, including the degree to which social cognition is appropriately measured by existing tools, issues around the validity of existing measures of cognitive control, and individual differences in social cognition, bilingual experience, and cognitive control, among others.
Multiple aspects of social cognition, such as theory of mind and empathy, are often impaired in people with clinical disorders, including maladaptive personality, schizophrenia, and autism.
We explore what behavioral approaches could help identify these impairments and how impairment in these abilities can fit larger theoretical frameworks of social cognition, using behavioral, eye-tracking, and neuroimaging methods.
