Carina Kane

I am a second year PhD student in the Department of Psychology at Princeton University, supervised by Molly Crockett and Tom Griffiths.

I research how culture and technology shape the mental schemas we use to make sense of the world. Currently, I use computational cognitive models and evolutionary models to understand the mechanisms by which these schemas are formed, socially learned, and transmitted within groups. Ultimately, I seek to better understand how culture and technology guide collective thought and how they both constrain and facilitate different kinds of knowledge. Prior to joining Princeton, I received a B.A. in philosophy and a B.S. in data science from the University of Chicago.

carinakane [at] princeton.edu

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Carina Kane

Research Interests

Narrative Transmission

Narratives play a large part in shaping the collective imagination and organizing the large quantity of information we are exposed to daily. Narratives are in play everywhere——from news and social media to gossip and lore. I am currently building computational models of narrative transmission to empirically study the mechanisms by which narratives can shape collective knowledge, and also when they fail to.

The Amplification of Frames on Social Media

Information on social media often becomes compressed so that it can be read and shared easily. Frames are a useful tool for directing our attention and synthesizing the nonstop stream of information at our fingertips. My collaborators and I study how these frames both emerge and replicate on social media, and what happens to the way we think when we are exposed to these frames.

Science in the Age of AI

AI has created new possibilities for extending human productive capacity. However, the overuse and reliance on AI can create illusions of understanding in scientific research (Messeri & Crockett, 2024). How can AI help us think differently in ways that enhance end deepen inquiry and creativity? What epistemic risks must we be most careful about when we as individuals, but also collectives use these tools to help us think?