Renee Baillargeon
Encyclopedia
Renee Baillargeon is Alumni Distinguished Professor of Psychology
at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
in infancy. Baillargeon is perhaps best known for her research that has shown that infants have an intuitive awareness of physical laws
such as solidity, containment, and occlusion. However, her research interests encompass a variety of issues in causal reasoning
, focusing not only on the physical but also the psychological and biological domains. Baillargeon received a B.A.
McGill University
in 1975 and a Ph.D.
from the University of Pennsylvania
in 1981 under the supervision of Rochel Gelman
and Elizabeth Spelke
, and she subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT under the supervision of Susan Carey
from 1981-1982. She received her first academic appointment at the University of Texas at Austin
in 1982, and she moved to the University of Illinois a year later, where she has remained since.
in 2007.
She was a 1991 Guggenheim Fellow.
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 Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Life
She specializes in the development of cognitionCognitive 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...
in infancy. Baillargeon is perhaps best known for her research that has shown that infants have an intuitive awareness of physical laws
Naïve physics
Naïve physics or folk physics is the untrained human perception of basic physical phenomena. In the field of artificial intelligence the study of naïve physics is a part of the effort to formalize the common knowledge of human beings....
such as solidity, containment, and occlusion. However, her research interests encompass a variety of issues in causal reasoning
Teleology
A teleology is any philosophical account which holds that final causes exist in nature, meaning that design and purpose analogous to that found in human actions are inherent also in the rest of nature. The word comes from the Greek τέλος, telos; root: τελε-, "end, purpose...
, focusing not only on the physical but also the psychological and biological domains. Baillargeon 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...
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...
in 1975 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...
from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1981 under the supervision of Rochel Gelman
Rochel Gelman
Rochel Gelman is a psychology professor at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, and Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive Science.- Biography :...
and Elizabeth Spelke
Elizabeth Spelke
Elizabeth Shilin Spelke is an American cognitive psychologist at the Department of Psychology of Harvard University and director of the Laboratory for Developmental Studies....
, and she subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT under the supervision of Susan Carey
Susan Carey
Susan E. Carey is an American psychologist. She is a Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. She is an expert in language acquisition and is known for introducing the concept of fast mapping, whereby children learn the meanings of words after a single exposure. Carey received a B.A. from...
from 1981-1982. She received her first academic appointment at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
in 1982, and she moved to the University of Illinois a year later, where she has remained since.
Awards
She was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 2007.
She was a 1991 Guggenheim Fellow.