You Are Not So Smart

285 - What Do You Mean? - Celeste Kidd (rebroadcast)

Apr 14, 2024

Psychologist Celeste Kidd discusses how semantic disagreements, like the hotdog sandwich debate, arise from conceptual misalignment. Exploring the complexities of human communication, understanding, and the impact of semantic variability on shared reality.

48:50

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Celeste Kidd

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Quick takeaways

People often underestimate the differences in their conceptual understanding, leading to semantic disagreements.

Recognizing and navigating semantic disagreements is crucial for effective communication and collaboration in social and political interactions.

Deep dives

Research on Conceptual Misalignment

Research by psychologist Celeste Kidd delves into the variability of human concepts and how individuals often underestimate the differences in their conceptual understanding. Kidd's work shows that even with shared language and experiences, people's mental representations of concepts like penguins or politicians can vary significantly, leading to misunderstandings and challenges in communication and discourse.

Introduction

2min

The Great Hot Dog Debate

11min

Exploring Social Battery and Therapy for Healthier Social Life

7min

Understanding Semantic Variability and Concept Alignment

23min

Exploring Variations in Conceptual Understanding

5min

Exploring Human Communication, Language Variability, and Curiosity

3min

Exploring the Varied Strengths of Human Knowledge and Concepts

4min

Is a hotdog a sandwich?

Well, that depends on your definition of a sandwich (and a hotdog), and according to the most recent research in cognitive science, the odds that your concept of a sandwich is the same as another person's concept are shockingly low.

In this episode we explore how understanding why that question became a world-spanning argument in the mid 2010s helps us understand some of the world-spanning arguments vexing us today.

Our guest is psychologist Celeste Kidd who studies how we acquire and conceptualize information, form beliefs around those concepts, and, in general, make sense of the torrent of information blasting our brains each and every second. Her most recent paper examines how conceptual misalignment can lead to semantic disagreements, which can lead us to talk past each other (and get into arguments about things like whether hotdogs are sandwiches).

Previous Episodes

Why can’t we settle the “is a hot dog a sandwich?” debate?

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