Drivers of social cognitive development in human and non-human primate infants

Abstract

From prosocial behavior to cultural learning and belief understanding, social cognitive skills are important for engagement in social interactions and learning from others. In this chapter, we review some probable foundational skills of social cognitive development in human and non-human primate (NHP) infants. We selectively discuss capacities that are early-emerging and shared across species, with the goal of illustrating the value of a comparative developmental approach in advancing our understanding of early social cognitive development. In particular, this chapter focuses on exploring the role that a comparative developmental approach may play in identifying foundational social cognitive abilities and the drivers of these early-emerging skills in human infants