Developmental Psychologist & Cognitive Science Expert; Professor at University of California, Berkeley; Author of "The Scientist in the Crib"; APS Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Alison Gopnik Biography
Alison Gopnik is a professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. Gopnik is recognized for her research in cognitive and language development, including the effect of language on thought, the development of theory of mind, and causal learning. She was among the founders of the field of theory of mind—the study of how individuals come to understand the minds of others—and was one of the first to formulate the theory theory, which posits that cognitive development is analogous to theory change in science. This framework has become a leading theoretical account in developmental psychology.
In collaboration with computer scientists, Gopnik's research group has used the Bayes Net formalism to explain how children learn causal structure from data patterns, demonstrating that young children possess powerful causal learning mechanisms. She and her colleagues established the Center for Developmental Cognitive Science to model artificial intelligence on principles derived from children's rapid learning, exploration, and reasoning abilities. Gopnik also investigates the relationship between artificial intelligence and developmental psychology, framing large language models as cultural transmission technologies that reflect human social learning mechanisms.
Gopnik is the author of more than 160 journal articles and several books, including the popular works "The Scientist in the Crib," "The Philosophical Baby," and "The Gardener and the Carpenter." Both "The Philosophical Baby" and "The Gardener and the Carpenter" received the Cognitive Development Society Best Book Prize. She has contributed to Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Economist, and Atlantic, writing about cognitive science and psychology.
Gopnik has received the APS Lifetime Achievement Cattell and William James Awards, the SRCD Lifetime Achievement Award, the APA Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award, the Bradford Washburn and Carl Sagan Awards for science communication, and the Rumelhart Prize for Theoretical Foundations of Cognitive Science. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a fellow of the Cognitive Science Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Guggenheim Fellow. Gopnik has held visiting scholar positions at Caltech, Oxford, and Cambridge, and served as president of the Association for Psychological Science.
Gopnik is known for her work at the intersection of developmental psychology, philosophy, and artificial intelligence, and was the first to argue that children's minds can inform philosophical inquiry. She has appeared on television and radio, including on "The Charlie Rose Show" and "The Colbert Report." Gopnik is recognized for translating complex scientific concepts for both academic and general audiences.
Alison Gopnik Speaking Topics
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The Science of Imagination and Imagination as Science
Children spend many of their waking hours off in the crazy world of pretend play. What function does the wild imagination of childhood serve? Alison Gopnik shows how the imagination of children’s play underpins adult science, culture and technology.
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What AI Can Learn From 4-Year-Olds
Despite the recent advances in AI, even the best systems aren’t nearly as smart or as good at learning as 4 year olds. What can children do that AI can’t? How can this help us understand children and design more intelligent artificial systems?
Alison Gopnik Videos
Season 1 Ep.11 Alison Gopnik on the different (and similar) ways robots and children learn
In episode eleven of The Robot Brains Podcast we are joined by Alison Gopnik, professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and author of the "Mind and...
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Speaking fees for Alison Gopnik, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Alison Gopnik are $10,000 - $20,000 for live events and $10,000 - $20,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Alison Gopnik, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent. -
What topics does Alison Gopnik speak about?
Alison Gopnik is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Artificial Intelligence, Author, Bestselling Authors, Disruptive Thinking, Education, Educational Motivational, Family & Parenting, Mental Health, Neuroscience, Nutrition, Personal Growth, Philosophy, Political, Psychology, Research & Exploration, Science, Social Sciences, Technology, TED, Thought Leadership, Women in Tech -
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Alison Gopnik generally travels from Berkeley, CA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent. -
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Alison Gopnik is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as The Science of Imagination and Imagination as Science, What AI Can Learn From 4-Year-Olds, The Nature of Caregiving, The Scientist in the Crib: Why Children are the Best Learners in the Universe, What It’s Like To Be a Baby and Baby Love: What the Experience of Parenting Tells Us About Morality, Identity and the Meaning of Life. The estimated speaking fee range to book Alison Gopnik for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. Alison Gopnik generally travels from Berkeley, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Jon Bergmann, Aliza Pressman, Shauna Shapiro Ph.D., Stella Collins and Dr. Becky Kennedy. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Alison Gopnik for an upcoming live or virtual event.
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