Plenary Session:
Invited Address by Andrew N. Meltzoff, PhD—

Social–Emotional Baby Steps: Building Blocks for a ‘Theory of Mind’ (3331)

Saturday, Aug. 8, 3:00–3:50 p.m., Room 717B

Andrew N. Meltzoff, PhD, is a developmental psychologist at the University of Washington, where he also holds the Tamaki Endowed Chair and is the codirector of the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences. Dr. Meltzoff is one of the pioneers of infancy research, and his interests include imitative learning, perception-action coupling, the development of intersubjectivity, and children’s learning from television. More recently, he and his collaborators have used neuroscience techniques to address basic mechanisms in empathy and social cognition in children and adults. Dr. Meltzoff holds a PhD in psychology from Oxford University and a BA from Harvard University. He is the coauthor of two books about early learning and the brain: The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind (translated into 20 languages) and Words, Thoughts and Theories. He is coeditor of The Imitative Mind: Development, Evolution and Brain Bases, a multidisciplinary book combining child development, brain science, and evolutionary theory. Dr. Meltzoff received an award from the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics for outstanding research (2005) and the Kenneth Craik Award in Psychology. He is a fellow of APA, APS, AAAS, and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. In April 2008, he appeared with the Dalai Lama in a dialogue about the science of early learning and its implications for the development of compassion. Dr. Meltzoff has advised governors, science museum personnel, and media leaders on discoveries in developmental psychology and early learning and the implications for educational theory and practice.

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