Stanford Psychology Podcast 155 - Julian Jara Ettinger: How we understand other minds
Jun 20, 2025
Julian Jara Ettinger, Associate Professor of Psychology and Computer Science at Yale, leads the Computational Social Cognition Lab. He discusses his paper on the intricate link between language and social reasoning, revealing how our brains employ real-time social micro-processes during communication. Julian shares insights from his research on how we comprehend others' minds, highlighting the balance between complex and simplified cognitive strategies. He also reflects on his interdisciplinary journey in cognitive science and its implications for understanding human interaction.
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Humans Build Internal Social Models
- Humans excel at social intelligence and build internal models to interpret others' behavior.
- Understanding these representations helps explain how we predict, help, and influence people.
From Pure Math To Cognitive Science
- Julian recounts his path from math in Mexico to cognitive science by chance and quantitative entry.
- He applied to labs that used math and fell in love with developmental and computational approaches.
Language And Social Reasoning Intertwined
- Language and social cognition may be deeply intertwined rather than separate systems.
- Communication likely triggers continuous social inferences rather than only secondary post-processing.