On Tuesday, April 15, 2025, the Research Institute of the University of Bucharest invites you to the conference Imagining alternative worlds: Counterfactual thinking in development, delivered by. Dr. Patricia Ganea, from the University of Toronto.
The event will take place between 14:00-16:00 (EET), at the Rectorate of the University of Bucharest, in the Administrative Council Room (90 Panduri Street, Bucharest, 1st floor).
About the event
The ability to contemplate changes to reality is a fundamental aspect of human cognition involved in learning and decision-making. Counterfactual reasoning is the ability to think alternative representations to what we know to be true about the world, by imagining what would have happened if a situation would have been different. The talk will present a process-based account of counterfactual reasoning by highlighting the mechanisms it shares with other hypothetical abilities and by characterizing the factors that influence its development. It will also discuss how counterfactual reasoning is related to causal reasoning and language development, and will present work illustrating the role of counterfactuals in learning and cognition.
Dr. Patricia Ganea is a renowned professor in the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, where she teaches courses on cognitive development and applications. At the moment, she is visiting professor at the Social Sciences Section within the Research institute of the University of Bucharest. Prof. Ganea’s primary research area is early cognitive development.
In present, her work is primarily centred at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study, Ontario Institute of Studies in Education. She is serving as the Director of the Dr. R.G.N. Laidlaw Research Centre. More details about Dr. Patricia Ganea are available here.
The event is organized in partnership with the SciResCareer project – Regional Center for Guidance and Counseling in Researcher Careers – Bucharest-Ilfov – from pre-university education to advanced research, funded by Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Plan.