معرفی
Katherine D. Kinzler is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago, where she also previously served as Vice Provost. She joined the Department of Psychology in 2008 and has been a leading figure in research at the intersection of developmental and social psychology. Prior to her return to the University of Chicago, she was on faculty at Cornell University, where she served as Chair of the Department of Psychology from 2015 to 2019.
- BA in Cognitive Science – Yale University
- PhD in Psychology – Harvard University
- Fulbright Scholar – École Normale Supérieure, Paris
Her research explores how early social cognition develops, particularly how language, accent, food preferences, and moral judgments contribute to group formation and intergroup bias. She investigates how children and adults perceive social categories and how these perceptions influence behavior and attitudes. Her work integrates experimental methods from developmental psychology with social cognitive theory.
While specific publications are not listed in the provided text, her scholarly focus consistently spans developmental origins of social perception, linguistic cues in social evaluation, food as a social marker, and moral reasoning in childhood. These themes reflect interdisciplinary engagement across psychology, cognitive science, and social neuroscience.
Her scientific honors include being named a Young Scientist by the World Economic Forum and receiving a Fulbright Scholarship.
- Recognized as one of the 50 top scientists under 40 by the World Economic Forum
- Fulbright Scholar for research in Paris
Professor Kinzler has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the John Templeton Foundation, supporting her investigations into the foundations of social cognition and moral development. She mentors students and researchers through her Development of Social Cognition Lab, which conducts cutting-edge studies on how humans form social groups from early life.
She leads the Development of Social Cognition Lab at the University of Chicago, which focuses on empirical studies of children and adults to understand the psychological mechanisms underlying social group formation, language-based attitudes, and moral judgments. The lab fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and public engagement through media outreach and open science practices.
