Theory of mind in children and adults

Career overview

Professor Ian Apperly is an experimental psychologist and a Professor of Cognition and Development at the School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, where he also serves as the Director of the Centre for Developmental Science. He attended Ivybridge Community College in Devon and studied Natural Sciences at St John''s College, Cambridge. In 1995, he began his PhD studies at the University of Birmingham under the supervision of Liz Robinson. Professor Apperly''s research focuses on social understanding, its cognitive and neural basis, and the variability in these abilities among individuals. His work has led to significant insights into neurodiversity and how people comprehend one another''s thoughts and feelings. He has authored over 100 journal articles and published the book ''Mindreaders: The cognitive basis of theory of mind'' in 2010. Professor Apperly has received early career prizes from the British Psychological Society and the Experimental Psychological Society, and he is actively involved in editorial roles for academic journals, including Cognition and Neurodiversity. He has collaborated with experts across various fields, including philosophy, neuroscience, economics, biology, linguistics, and computer science, to explore fundamental questions in cognitive science.

Research interests

Professor Apperly''s research focuses on social understanding, its cognitive and neural basis, how it develops, and the variability of these abilities among individuals. His interests include neurodiversity and the factors that influence how people comprehend one another. He explores fundamental questions in cognitive science related to innate versus acquired abilities, automatic versus controlled processing, and individual versus collective cognition. Through collaborations with experts in various fields such as philosophy, neuroscience, economics, biology, linguistics, and computer science, he addresses a wide range of empirical and conceptual questions regarding the nature, origins, and significance of social understanding.