Dr. Valerie Kuhlmeier

Dr. Valerie Kuhlmeier studies cognition from a developmental and evolutionary perspective. She examines the origins of our cognitive capacities in a comparative manner, studying infants, young children, and non-human primates.  Specifically, Dr. Kuhlmeier’s research program focuses on the development of social cognition, including the recognition of others’ goals and needs (e.g., intention reading, theory of mind), the imitative and empathetic responses to those goals and needs, and the subsequent generation of prosocial behaviour.

Dr. Kuhlmeier joined Queen’s University in 2004 as the Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Development.