The Development of Social Cognition

One of the more promising recent developments in the study of social cognition has been the cross-pollination of ideas from the fields of developmental and social psychology. Many social psychologists have come to the conclusion that a complete account of social cognitive phenomena must include not (l!1ly detailed analyses of those processes in their adult form but also an understanding of their origins and development in children. Likewise, in the last ten years psychologists involved in social developmental research have shown an increasing interest in theories and research generated in the adult social cognition literature. Surely among the more important cognitive phenomena to be studied in social development are those that are related to psychological processes in later life. This approaching integration of adult and developmental social psychology is long overdue and promises benefits to research in both disciplines. The goal of this volume is to move the fields toward this synthesis. For this reason, we have put together a collection of original essays by authors who are among the more prominent new researchers in this movement. In selecting topics we have tried to cover areas of recent social cognition research that are of interest to both developmental and adult social psychologists. This volume is divided into three general sections: (1) Attribution and Social Judgment, (2) Moral Development and a Sense of Self, and (3) Social Influences on Cognitive Development.

The Development of Social Cognition presents a lively, up-to-date examination of both the classical issues and contemporary understanding of theory and research in social cognitive development. The initial chapters highlight one of the central, theoretical tensions in the field, which is whether the development of understanding people is fundamentally different from understanding things. Subsequent chapters are devoted to development across specific areas of social cognition from infancy through to adolescence. The text ends with a comprehensive examination of the development of moral aspects of social cognition.