News & Events
January 2024
The Center for Applied Cognitive Science steps into the world of film, debuting a documentary on miniature painting in Rajasthan, India! This film weaves interviews with renowned Rajasthani artists and stunning footage of the artists in action, breathing life into the key findings from The Process of Spiritualization through Artistic Activity and Training project. Watch the video here→
June 2023
Dr. Alejandro Erut and Jesse Peregrino will attend the Science and Religion: Identity and Belief Formation “Report the Results” conference at UC San Diego.
The CACS was awarded the NSF’s Accel-Net-Implementation grant to continue research for the '“Harnessing Global Science Networks to Accelerate Cultures of Learning” project. This grant will fund an interdisciplinary global network-of-networks focusing on aspects of learning, development, and culture as they relate to global education needs. Read more about this ongoing project here→
May 2023
Dr. Alejandro Erut, Faiz Hashmi, and Zach Taylor attend Templeton Religion Trust’s Art Seeking Understanding Meeting at The University of Notre Dame to present interim findings from TRT-funded fieldwork in Jaipur, India.
The Culture of Schooling Project officially welcomes six new fieldsites: Tanna, Vanuatu (Joan Niras); São Paulo, Brazil (AVANÇAR); Windhoek, Namibia (Poonam Dhaka, PhD); Seoul, South Korea (Joonghwan Jeon, PhD); Ecuador — Waorani Territory (Ciara Wirth, PhD); and Uttar Pradesh, India (Project Concern International—India).
Graduate student Faiz Hashmi completed his masters thesis titled: “Quantifying the impact of Community Health Workers' perinatal behavior on their clients’ decision-making”!
April 2023
Dr. Alejandro Erut awarded the Cultural Evolution Society’s “Transformation Fund-Seedcorn Grant” to continue his fieldwork in Ecuador.
March 2023
The CACS welcomes Prof. Alexander Etz to the team! Dr. Etz is an Assistant Professor of Instruction at UT Austin and will serve as the Senior Data Analyst for the lab.
February 2023
Cristine Legare co-director of new project funded by Templeton World Charity Foundation. Does big culture require big brains? Collective intelligence in roaches and rats. Directed by Sarah Brosnan at Georgia State University, the team will test whether roaches and rats can use capacities that are hallmarks of cumulative culture, coordination and cultural transmission to optimize their outcomes. Learn More→
JANUARY 2023
Cristine Legare invited speaker at The University of Texas at Austin. The Science Storytelling Studio. January 26, 2023. Austin, Texas.
Cristine Legare invited panelist with Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System and Population Foundation of India. Public Webinar Series: Improving the value derived by patients from out-of-pocket expenditures on health. January 24, 2023. Watch the webinar→
December 2022
☞ Recruiting Undergraduate Research Assistants
CACS is looking for part-time undergraduate research assistants for the Spring and Fall 2023 semesters! If you are interested in joining our lab, please fill out the application linked here. Send your completed application and resume or CV to EvoLearnLab@austin.utexas.edu. Interviews will take place early in the Spring semester.
Faiz Hashmi and Cristine Legare published an op-ed in India Development Review. December 16, 2022. Read the article→
Cristine Legare featured scientist on LabX presented by the National Academy of Sciences. Wrong Answers Only: Rituals Edition. December 8, 2022. Watch the episode→
OCTOBER 2022
Cristine Legare invited speaker at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Department of Psychology. The development and diversity of cumulative cultural learning. October 27, 2022. Jerusalem, Israel.
Cristine Legare invited speaker at Israel Ed Tech Week. Culture in mind. October 23-26, 2022. Tel Aviv, Israel. Learn More→
Cristine Legare invited speaker at University of Pittsburgh, Department of Philosophy, Geography of Philosophy Project, The development and diversity of cumulative cultural learning. October 13-15, 2022. Pittsburgh, PA. Learn More→
MAY 2022
Templeton Religious Trust has published an exciting video on the Culture of Schooling project. See the video →
Thinkery Connect: A Museum-University-Community Partnership participated in the 2022 NSF Stem For All Video Showcase.
The College of Liberal Arts (UT Austin) publishes a press release covering the CACS’s new paper on using ritual to improve community health worker efficacy and public health outcomes in Bihar, India.
April 2022
The cumulative quality of culture explains human uniqueness
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the symposium on “Just how special are humans really? Insights from science, philosophy, and theology on the mystery of human uniqueness”. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Boston, MA. April 7-9, 2022.
A collaboration 15 years in the making: Thinkery Connect (A University-Museum-Community Partnership)
Thinkery Connect Grand Unveiling. April 5, 2022. Austin, TX. Invited speaker.
Learn More →
March 2022
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the Cognitive Science of Religion Workshop, Rutgers University, Department of Philosophy, New Brunswick, NJ. March 25-26, 2022.
The development and diversity of cumulative cultural learning
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the Brown Social Cognitive Seminar. Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University. March 18, 2022.
February 2022
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the symposium on Understanding Children’s Executive Functions Across Diverse Cultural Settings webinar series, Creating connections in child development: Linking education and executive functions for 21st century skills in the Global South. Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development & Learning (PEDAL), Department of Education, Cambridge University. February, 4, 2022.
Learn More →
Watch the Video →
January 2022
Cristine Legare invited panelist at the Precision Convergence webinar series, Adaptive constructive processes in memory, imagination, and creativity presented by Daniel Schacter. The McGill Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics (MCCHE) at McGill University and The Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, a joint computational research center between Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. January 19, 2022.
November 2021
The cumulative quality of culture explains human uniqueness
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the Symposium on “Just how special are humans really? Insights from science, philosophy, and theology on the mystery of human uniqueness,” Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Boston, MA. November 4, 2021.
September 2021
A new project, The Culture of Schooling, in partnership with Issachar Fund and with grant funding from Templeton Religion Trust, has launched.
The development and diversity of cumulative cultural learning
Cristine Legare invited keynote speaker at the 7th Annal International Conference: Humans in Evolutionary Perspective of the Polish Society for Human and Evolution Studies. Bialystok, Poland. September 16, 2021.
Learn more →
August 2021
Ritual for a Reason: New Habits in the Time of COVID-19
Cristine Legare invited speaker at an online event presented by The Science & Entertainment Exchange: A program of the National Academy of Sciences. August 11, 2021.
Watch the Video →
Learn about The Center for Applied Cognitive Science’s new NSF AccelNet grant that will harness global science networks to accelerate cultures of learning.
June 2021
Cristine Legare invited speaker at “Connecting The Dots: Behavioural Science and Social Norms,” a webinar presented by the South Asia Social Norms Learning Collaborative
Learn more →
May 2021
Excited to share the launch of Thinkery Connect: A Museum-University-Community Partnership. Our goals are to increase public understanding of how children learn and use research-based practices that enhance learning about science.
March 2021
Teaching and cumulative culture
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the virtual roundtable organized by the Human Evolution and Behavior Society
February 2021
Perinatal risk and the cultural ecology of health in Bihar, India
Cristine Legare invited lecture in Behavioral Science & Development Course, Centre for Social and Behavioural Change, Ashoka University, Delhi, India
The development and diversity of cumulative cultural learning
Cristine Legare invited lecture in Classics and Cognitive Theory Course, Department of Classics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
December 2020
A new project, “Young wives: an exploratory study of married women below twenty and the socio-cultural determinants of their contraceptive behavior in low resource settings in India,” has received grant funding from the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) program.
October 2020
Ritual in the era of COVID
Cristine Legare webinar panelist and invited speaker. Swasth Digital Health Foundation. Webinar on Understanding Human Behavior: Why It Matters for Doctors. Bangalore, India. October 13, 2020
July 2020
Cristine Legare invited lecturer at the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute (DISI), University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland
Folkbiology of illness and death
Cristine Legare invited talk. Northwestern University. School of Education & Social Policy. Consultant for Open Science Education and Learning in Places. Evanston, IL. July 6, 2020.
May 2020
Digital divide
Cristine Legare invited course lecture. University of Michigan, Department of Psychology. Ann Arbor, MI. May 25, 2020.
March 2020
Shaping intelligence: How development, culture, and technology transform human cognitive capacities
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the Symposium: Just How Special Are Humans Really? Insights From Science, Philosophy, and Theology on the Mystery of Human Uniqueness Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
Boston, MA
February 2020
Shaping intelligence: How development, culture, and technology transform human cognitive capacities
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis, Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
Learn more →
Increasing diversity in developmental science: A roadmap for best practice in cross-cultural research
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the Harvard Lab for Developmental Studies, Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Boston, MA
University-Museum collaborations informing practice: How families explain and explore
Cristine Legare invited speaker. Thinkery. Launch of Thinkery Connect partnership. Austin, TX. February 8, 2020.
Learn More →
November 2019
Shaping intelligence: How development, culture, and technology transform human cognitive capacities
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the Workshop on Evolutionary Theories of Culture, University of São Paulo, Institute of Advanced Studies, São Paulo, Brazil
Learn more →
Watch a video of the talk →
September 2019
Shaping intelligence: How development, culture, and technology transform human cognitive capacities
Cristine Legare invited speaker at Nanjing Normal University, Department of Psychology, Nanjing, China
August 2019
Shaping intelligence: How development, culture, and technology transform human cognitive capacities
Departmental talk at The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology, Austin, TX
July 2019
The evolution and ontogeny of ritual
Cristine Legare invited keynote speaker at the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Learn more →
Watch a video of the talk →
Evolution, ethics, and human origins: A deep-time perspective on human morality
Cristine Legare invited speaker at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
Cristine Legare invited keynote speaker at the Conference of the International Research Network for the Social Study of Science and Religion, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, U.K.
June 2019
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the Workshop on Curiosity, Explanation, and Exploration, Princeton University, Department of Psychology, Princeton, NJ
May 2019
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the Penn Symposium on Cultural Evolution and Global Social Dynamics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cristine Legare workshop participant at Spiritual curiosity and the experience of God. Stanford University, Department of Anthropology. Palo Alto, CA. May 4-5, 2019.
April 2019
Shaping intelligence: How development, culture, and technology shape human cognitive capacities
Cristine Legare invited to give 2019 Charles N. Dowd Lecture, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY
Shaping intelligence: How development, culture, and technology shape human cognitive capacities
Cristine Legare keynote speaker, Diversity Day Address at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the Mind-Brain Institute, George Washington University, Washington D.C.
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the Current Works in Cognitive Development Talk Series, Yale University, Department of Psychology, New Haven, CT
March 2019
The coexistence of natural and supernatural explanations across cultures and development
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the Christian Association of Psychological Studies Conference, Dallas, TX
February 2019
The evolution and ontogeny of ritual
Cristine Legare invited speaker at The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Integrative Biology, Brain, Behavior, and Evolution Seminar, Austin, TX
Cristine Legare advisory board member for Population Council. Provider Behavior Change Programming Technical Advisory Network Convening. Washington DC. February 14, 2019.
November 2018
The development of scientific reasoning: Evidence from children’s explanations and exploration
Cristine Legare invited speaker at The University of Texas at Austin, College of Education, STEM Center, Austin, TX
View the flyer (PDF) →
October 2018
The evolution and ontogeny of ritual
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the University of Connecticut, Department of Anthropology, Storrs, CT
The evolution and ontogeny of ritual
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the Austin Film Festival Screenwriters Workshop, National Academy of Sciences: The Science and Entertainment Exchange, Austin, TX
Witchcraft Woes
Cristine Legare invited speaker at Thinkery 21: Face Your Fears, Austin, TX
September 2018
Cristine Legare invited speaker at Columbia University, Department of Psychology, New York City, NY
August 2018
The evolution, function, and ontogeny of ritual
Cristine Legare invited speaker at BBC Media Action, Delhi, India
July 2018
Shaping human intelligences: How development, culture, and technology shape human capacities
Cristine Legare invited to teach courses at the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute (DISI), University of St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland
Learn more →
View the flyer (PDF) →
June 2018
Cristine Legare invited speaker at the Developmental Origins of Economic Preferences Workshop, The Institute for Advanced Study at Toulouse (IAST), France
Cristine Legare workshop participant in Working Group on “Limits of Human Performance: The Role of Collective Effects in Individual and Team Performance,” Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM
View the flyer (PDF) →
May 2018
Cristine Legare invited keynote speaker at the Fifth International Meeting on Experimental and Behavioral Social Sciences (IMEBESS), Florence, Italy
Cristine Legare invited speaker at Future Directions on the Evolution of Rituals, Beliefs and Religious Minds, Erice, Sicily
View the flyer (PDF) →
april 2018
Cristine Legare workshop participant at Spiritual curiosity and the experience of God. Stanford University, Department of Anthropology. April 19-21, 2018.
March 2018
The evolution and ontogeny of cultural learning
Cristine Legare invited to give a departmental talk at the GW Mind-Brain Institute, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
The evolution and ontogeny of cultural learning
Cristine Legare invited to give a departmental talk at the Cognitive Science Colloquium, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Cristine Legare workshop participant at JTF Possibilities Forum, Antigua, Guatemala. March 12-15, 2018.
Social Scientific Study of Science and Religion Planning Workshop. Issachar Foundation. Nassau, Bahamas. March 5-7, 2018.
February 2018
The evolution and ontogeny of cultural learning
Cristine Legare invited to give a departmental talk at the University of Michigan, Department of Psychology, Ann Arbor, MI
The evolution and ontogeny of cultural learning
Cristine Legare invited to give a departmental talk at Arizona State University, Department of Psychology, Tempe, AZ
The evolution and ontogeny of cultural learning
Cristine Legare invited to give a departmental talk at The University of Texas at El Paso, Department of Psychology, El Paso, TX
The evolution and ontogeny of cultural learning
Cristine Legare invited speaker at Free Speech and Intellectual Diversity in Higher Education and American Society: Intellectual Diversity, Arizona State University, School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, Tempe, AZ