We often study cognition in other species, in part to learn about modes of thinking that are different from our own. Today's guest, psychologist/philosopher Alison Gopnik, argues that we needn't look that far: human children aren't simply undeveloped adults, they have a way of thinking that is importantly distinct from that of grownups. Children are explorers with ever-expanding neural connections; adults are exploiters who (they think) know how the world works. These studies have important implications for the training and use of artificial intelligence.Blog post with transcript: <a href="https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/03/17/308-alison-gopnik-on-children-ai-and-modes-of-thinking/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/03/17/308-alison-gopnik-on-children-ai-and-modes-of-thinking/</a>Support Mindscape on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Patreon</a>.Alison Gopnik received her D.Phil in experimental psychology from Oxford University. She is currently a professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. Among her awards are the Association for Psychological Science Lifetime Achievement Award, the Rumelhart Prize for Theoretical Foundations of Cognitive Science, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She is a past President of the Association for Psychological Science. She is the author of&nbsp;The Scientist in the Crib,&nbsp;The Philosophical Baby, and&nbsp;The Gardener and the Carpenter,&nbsp;among other works.<ul><li><a href="http://alisongopnik.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Web site</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gopniklab.berkeley.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lab web site</a></li><li><a href="https://psychology.berkeley.edu/people/alison-gopnik" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Berkeley web page</a></li><li><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2tt6ZJ0AAAAJ&hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google Scholar publications</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001IXROIO" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amazon author page</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison_Gopnik" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></li></ul>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

308 | Alison Gopnik on Children, AI, and Modes of Thinking

Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews