Emily Foster-Hanson

I am currently completing my PhD in Psychology at New York University, where I work with Dr. Marjorie Rhodes in the

Conceptual Development and Social Cognition Lab.

My research lies at the intersection of developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, linguistics, and philosophy. I study how normative category representations develop across childhood,

and how they are shaped by culture, especially linguistic input.

Normativity in Conceptual Representations

Most previous research on categories and concepts has focused on their descriptive power--how categories convey what their members are like. In this line of research, I have found that many important categories also carry prescriptive weight--information about how category members should be--and these category norms are especially important for young children's concepts.

RESEARCH

Cultural Input and Conceptual Development

This line of research focuses on how cultural input, specifically linguistic experience, shapes conceptual development. For example, generic language (e.g., "ducks lay eggs," "girls hate math") shapes beliefs about category structure. I study the mechanisms through which generics have these effects.

Research

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