‘Decoding Perception: Power, Status & How We See Others'
Have you ever considered how we truly understand the people we interact with every day? What subtle signals do we rely on to interpret their thoughts and feelings, and how much does our understanding of them depend on the world around us? Emma Otterski works on social cognition – how to explain our (mis)understanding of others.
One area she focuses on is how we attribute different mental states to others, such as their beliefs, desires, moods, and emotions. For instance, we perceive the man at the restaurant not as scrunching his fists, emitting loud noises, and undergoing facial contortions; instead, we see him as angry. This ability to interpret emotions is essential for knowing how to act and interact with others, but how do we do it?
In this talk, Emma will discuss how our understanding of others is influenced by the society we live in. Drawing upon insights from social and cross-cultural psychology, as well as philosophical insights, she will explore how our perceptions of power and status can shape our cognitive processes. Additionally, she will discuss the possible social and political consequences of these dynamics.
Date | Thursday, 21st March 2024
Time | 7.30pm - 9.00pm
Location | The Synge Theatre, The Arts Building, Trinity College Dublin
Dr. Emma Otterski
Emma is a Research Fellow in Philosophy at Trinity College Dublin. She completed her PhD at the University of Edinburgh. She is interested in how we should integrate results and arguments from different disciplines, and the problems that sometimes arise when this is done uncritically. At the moment she is thinking about the role sense modalities other than vision play in social cognition, particularly in non-human animals. She also has interests in feminist and social philosophy.