REU Site: Comparative and Developmental Origins of Social Cognition

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This project is funded from the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the SBE Directorate. The REU program has both scientific and societal benefits integrating research and education. The broad goal of the Comparative and Developmental Origins of Social Cognition REU Site is to provide students from under-represented backgrounds with joint training in comparative and developmental psychology research. Students will gain experience investigating the origins of human social cognition from two different but related perspectives: developmental studies testing human children?s social understanding and comparative studies examining social cognition in domesticated dogs. REU students will have a rare opportunity to participate in all aspects of the research process: research design, subject recruitment, stimulus generation, data collection, data entry, coding, and statistical analysis. In addition, students will have the opportunity to interact as colleagues: participating in weekly lab meetings, reading current literature, contributing to theoretical discussions regarding the comparative and developmental origins of social cognition, and attending a professional development series focusing on topics such as applying to graduate school, getting the most out of your undergraduate career, etc. Students will meet weekly with a graduate student mentor, and the PI and co-PI will attend bi-monthly social events. A primary objective of this REU site is to include students who have fewer research opportunities, including those attending non-Research I universities and students from underrepresented groups and first-generation college students. In this way, this REU proposal aims to increase the odds that its undergraduates will be competitive in applying to graduate school in psychology or a related field. In addition, this REU site will be one of the few locations in the world where students can to learn study one topic (social cognition) from many perspectives including a comparative approach, a developmental approach and an adult social psychological approach.