Alison Gopnik
Encyclopedia
Alison Gopnik daughter of Myrna Gopnik
, is an American Professor
of Psychology
at the University of California, Berkeley
. She is known for her work in the areas of cognitive
and language development
, specializing in causal learning and theory of mind
. She is the author of Words, Thoughts, and Theories, Causal Learning: Psychology, Philosophy, and Computation, The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind, and The Philosophical Baby: What Children's Minds Tell Us About Truth, Love and the Meaning of Life. She received a B.A.
in 1975 from McGill University
and a Ph.D.
in 1980 from Oxford University.
She worked at the University of Toronto
before joining the faculty at UC Berkeley in 1988. She was formerly married to George Lewinski and has three sons, including Alexei Gopnik-Lewinski aka Lexxx Luthor (the hip-hop jazz fusion musician), Nicholas Gopnik-Lewinski and Andres Gopnik-Lewinski. She is now married to Alvy Ray Smith
. She is the oldest of six siblings that include Blake Gopnik, the Washington Post art critic and Adam Gopnik
, a writer for The New Yorker
.
Myrna Gopnik
Myrna Gopnik is a Professor Emerita of Linguistics at McGill University. She is known for her discovery of the FOXP2 gene through research on the KE family, an English family with several members affected by specific language impairment...
, is an American Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. She is known for her work in the areas of cognitive
Cognitive development
Cognitive development is a field of study in neuroscience and psychology focusing on a child's development in terms of information processing, conceptual resources, perceptual skill, language learning, and other aspects of brain development and cognitive psychology compared to an adult's point of...
and language development
Language development
Language development is a process starting early in human life, when a person begins to acquire language by learning it as it is spoken and by mimicry. Children's language development moves from simple to complex. Infants start without language. Yet by four months of age, babies can read lips and...
, specializing in causal learning and theory of mind
Theory of mind
Theory of mind is the ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc.—to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires and intentions that are different from one's own...
. She is the author of Words, Thoughts, and Theories, Causal Learning: Psychology, Philosophy, and Computation, The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind, and The Philosophical Baby: What Children's Minds Tell Us About Truth, Love and the Meaning of Life. She received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1975 from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1980 from Oxford University.
She worked at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
before joining the faculty at UC Berkeley in 1988. She was formerly married to George Lewinski and has three sons, including Alexei Gopnik-Lewinski aka Lexxx Luthor (the hip-hop jazz fusion musician), Nicholas Gopnik-Lewinski and Andres Gopnik-Lewinski. She is now married to Alvy Ray Smith
Alvy Ray Smith
Alvy Ray Smith III is an American engineer and noted pioneer in computer graphics. He is a co-founder of the animation studio Pixar.- Life and career :...
. She is the oldest of six siblings that include Blake Gopnik, the Washington Post art critic and Adam Gopnik
Adam Gopnik
Adam Gopnik, is an American writer, essayist and commentator. He is best known as a staff writer for The New Yorker—to which he has contributed non-fiction, fiction, memoir and criticism—and as the author of the essay collection Paris to the Moon, an account of five years that Gopnik, his wife...
, a writer for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
.
External links
- Alison Gopnik's Homepage
- Alison Gopnik's UC Berkeley page
- http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/16889Video (and audio) of Gopnik speaking with Joshua KnobeJoshua KnobeJoshua Knobe is an experimental philosopher currently employed as an assistant professor in the Program in Cognitive Science and Department of Philosophy at Yale University. He was previously Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Knobe received his...
on Bloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers...
] - http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/the-colbert-report/#clip223710Video (and audio) of Gopnik speaking with Stephen ColbertStephen ColbertStephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
on The Colbert Report] - Video (and audio) of Gopnik delivering a TED talk entitled "What do babies think?"
- Book site for The Philosophical Baby
- Book site for The Scientist in the Crib
- Book site for Causal Learning: Psychology, Philosophy, and Computation
- Book site for Words, Thoughts, and Theories