Ritualistic
action is a pervasive aspect of individual and collective human
behavior. A major question for psychological and anthropological
research concerns the mechanisms by which ritualistic behavior is learned
and transmitted. My doctoral supervisors Harvey Whitehouse (Oxford) and Cristine Legare (UT Austin) are currently investigating
the possible cues mediating the acquisition and transmission of
ritualistic behavior.
My unique contribution to this line of
developmental research incorporates methodologies and theory from cognitive
developmental psychology, social psychology, and evolutionary psychology to
examine (a) the kind of information children use to determine when an event
provides an opportunity for learning instrumental skills versus learning
cultural conventions and (b) the implications of learning instrumental skills
versus learning cultural conventions for social group behavior (Legare & Watson-Jones, 2015; Watson-Jones, Legare,
Whitehouse, & Clegg, 2014;
Watson-Jones, Legare, & Whitehouse, 2016).
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Science and religion are often seen
as antagonistic, competing frameworks used for explaining the world and human
experience. Many assume that the two are mutually exclusive categories. We
argue that this is a psychologically inaccurate view that has resulted in undue
antagonism. The human mind often incorporates both natural and supernatural
explanations for phenomena in an integrated and non-competing manner. In a cross-cultural developmental program, our
research aims to examine the idea that explanatory coexistence is a prevalent and
early-developing aspect of human cognition. This research will inform the
science-religion dialogue by paving the way for progress in understanding the
basis for and expression of human co-explanatory accounts (Busch, Watson-Jones, & Legare, resubmitted; Watson-Jones, Busch, & Legare, 2015; Watson-Jones, Busch, & Legare, under review).
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