The CEU Department of Cognitive Science cordially invites you to the following talk by:
Samuel Ronfard (University of Toronto)
Date:
on
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Time: 4
pm (to 5:30 pm) CET
Venue: D001
(QS Vienna) and Zoom:
https://ceu-edu.zoom.us/j/91754034738?pwd=Y4IHvNx7PjIndJ4TKsE6niDpOCis1A.1
Meeting ID: 917 5403 4738
Passcode: 437807
Chair: Azzurra
Ruggeri
Title:
Knowing vs. Doing: Why Children and Adults Avoid Learning from Disagreement
Abstract:
While disagreement can promote critical thinking and reduce overconfidence, both children and adults tend to avoid conflicting views, preferring likeminded
peers and confirming information. This talk presents a series of studies examining how children and adults reason about disagreement and
whether interventions can close the gap between recognizing its value and actually engaging with it. Our research reveals a clear developmental
pattern. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that while 4- to 8-year-olds and adults recognize some benefits of learning from disagreement, this recognition
varies as a function of whether the question has a determinate answer — both children and adults see greater epistemic value in disagreement on
open-ended questions than on those with clear right answers. Moreover, the ability to articulate why disagreement is valuable emerges around age 7.
Yet recognition does not translate into action. Study 3 shows that both children and adults are more willing to recommend that others seek out
disagreement than to do so themselves — consistent with the view that perceived social costs outweigh recognized epistemic benefits. To test
whether this gap can be closed, Studies 4–6 examined interventions including explicit instruction and self-distancing prompts. These increased
willingness to engage with opposing views in older children (ages 10–11) and adults, though younger children remained resistant. Study 7 further
shows that perspective-taking ability predicted both understanding disagreement's value and willingness to engage with opposing views. Together,
these findings shed light on the cognitive and social factors that shape intellectual humility, with implications for how open-mindedness might be
fostered in educational settings.
*Anyone not affiliated with CEU wishing to attend in-person in Vienna
must reply here to get access to the lecture hall.
Let
Azzurra know, please, if you would like to schedule a meeting with the speaker.
Best,
Reka
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Györgyné Finta (Réka) Department of Cognitive Science CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY
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