Professor Thomas Suddendorf
Professor

Thomas Suddendorf

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 58341

Background

Thomas grew up in Germany and joined UQ in 1999 following postgraduate studies in New Zealand. He investigates the mental capacities in young children and in animals to answer fundamental questions about the nature and evolution of the human mind. His research has attracted several awards (incl. from the Australian Academy of Social Sciences, the Australian Psychological Society and the American Psychological Association) and his critically acclaimed book The Gap (e.g. see reviews in Nature, Science or the Wall Street Journal) is currently being translated into several languages.

Availability

Professor Thomas Suddendorf is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Cognitive and computational psychology Psychology

Qualifications

  • Masters (Coursework), University of Waikato
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Auckland

Research impacts

In the news

BBC Radio 4 - All in the Mind, Time travelling in the human mind

BBC Future about the intelligence gap

Reddit Ask Me Anything 2016

Zeitzeichen Article in German

Global Leadership Series Presentation

BBC Earth Many animals seem to kill themselves, but is it suicide?

Coverage of 2016 Current Biology paper on neonatal imitation covered by media such as Science Daily, NPR, ABC online, The Daily Mail, & The Conversation

Q & A with Thomas Suddendorf in Current Biology 2015

Radio and TV Featured frequently in media in the US, UK, Germany, and Australia, incl. radio (e.g., RN's Ockham's razor), TV (e.g., ABC what makes us human) and internet (e.g. TEDx talk)

Book reviews of THE GAP have appeared in e.g. Nature, The Wall Street Journal, Science, Scientific American Mind, The Times, Kirkus Reviews, Journal of the History of Biology, Australian Book Review, Times Higher Education & New Scientist.

Extracts: CNN, The Chronicles of Higher Education, HuffPo , Psychology Today, and Slate

Search Professor Thomas Suddendorf’s works on UQ eSpace

191 works between 1994 and 2025
All (191) Journal Article (144) Book Chapter (20) Conference Publication (11) Book (4) Other Outputs (12)

181 - 191 of 191 works

1999

Journal Article

Children’s understanding of the relation between delayed video representation and current reality: A test for self-awareness?

Suddendorf, Thomas (1999). Children’s understanding of the relation between delayed video representation and current reality: A test for self-awareness?. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 72 (3), 157-176. doi: 10.1006/jecp.1998.2485

Children’s understanding of the relation between delayed video representation and current reality: A test for self-awareness?

1999

Journal Article

Reconstructing the evolution of language: Early-bloomers versus late-bloomers theories

Suddendorf, Thomas (1999). Reconstructing the evolution of language: Early-bloomers versus late-bloomers theories. Psycoloquy, 10 (080), 1-5.

Reconstructing the evolution of language: Early-bloomers versus late-bloomers theories

1998

Journal Article

Simpler for evolution: Secondary representation in apes, children, and ancestors

Suddendorf, T (1998). Simpler for evolution: Secondary representation in apes, children, and ancestors. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 21 (1) S0140525X98410707, 131-+. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X98410707

Simpler for evolution: Secondary representation in apes, children, and ancestors

1998

Other Outputs

On the ontogeny and phylogeny of the representational mind

Thomas Suddendorf (1998). On the ontogeny and phylogeny of the representational mind. PhD Thesis, Department of Psychology, The University of Auckland.

On the ontogeny and phylogeny of the representational mind

1997

Journal Article

Mental time travel and the evolution of the human mind.

Suddendorf, Thomas and Corballis, Michael C. (1997). Mental time travel and the evolution of the human mind.. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 123 (2), 133-167.

Mental time travel and the evolution of the human mind.

1997

Journal Article

Mental time travel and the evolution of the human mind

Suddendorf, T and Corballis, M C (1997). Mental time travel and the evolution of the human mind. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 123 (2), 133-67.

Mental time travel and the evolution of the human mind

1997

Journal Article

Theory of mind and the origin of divergent thinking

Suddendorf, T and FletcherFlinn, CM (1997). Theory of mind and the origin of divergent thinking. Journal of Creative Behavior, 31 (3), 169-179. doi: 10.1002/j.2162-6057.1997.tb00789.x

Theory of mind and the origin of divergent thinking

1997

Journal Article

Computers and 'the mind': An intervention study

Fletcher-Flinn, CM and Suddendorf, T (1997). Computers and 'the mind': An intervention study. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 17 (2), 103-118. doi: 10.2190/4ENN-J234-R1YA-7L94

Computers and 'the mind': An intervention study

1996

Journal Article

Computer attitudes, gender and exploratory behavior: A developmental study

Fletcherflinn, CM and Suddendorf, T (1996). Computer attitudes, gender and exploratory behavior: A developmental study. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 15 (4), 369-392. doi: 10.2190/LK8M-TWU3-MWGF-9T1T

Computer attitudes, gender and exploratory behavior: A developmental study

1996

Journal Article

Do computers affect 'the mind'?

FletcherFlinn, CM and Suddendorf, T (1996). Do computers affect 'the mind'?. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 15 (2), 97-112. doi: 10.2190/WWK4-M6MB-MUJJ-WQP0

Do computers affect 'the mind'?

1994

Other Outputs

Discovery of the fourth dimension: mental time travel and human evolution

Suddendorf, Thomas (1994). Discovery of the fourth dimension: mental time travel and human evolution. Master's Thesis, Department of Psychology, The University of Waikato.

Discovery of the fourth dimension: mental time travel and human evolution

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2027
    Mapping children's foresight capacities
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2021 - 2024
    Gaining control of the future: The cognitive development of foresight
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2016
    Episodic foresight and ageing
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2012
    Enhancing Realism in Psychological Research.
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2013
    Charting the prevalence, time course and social-cognitive correlates of neonatal imitation.
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2007 - 2009
    Thinking about the future: The nature and development of mental time travel
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2005 - 2007
    Evolution of Mind: The representational capacities of gibbons (H. syndactylus) and the common ancestor of humans and apes.
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2005
    NHMRC_Equipment Grant = Refurbishment and equipment for Early Cognitive Development Unit and Video equipment for cognitive testing of children, adolescents and adults
    NHMRC Equipment Grant
    Open grant
  • 2002 - 2004
    The nature of self-recognition: novel approaches to vexing questions
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 1999
    The development of concepts of self and time - investigations with digitized feedback
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Thomas Suddendorf is:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Gaining control of the future: The Cognitive Development of Foresight

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jonathan Redshaw

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Investigating the understanding of possibility and probability in young children and primates

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jonathan Redshaw

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Investigating the understanding of probability and plausible deniability in young children and primates

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jonathan Redshaw

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Recognising the future utility of a solution: A foresight perspective on the development of innovation in children

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jonathan Redshaw

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Innovation: When do children recognise future utility?

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jonathan Redshaw

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Gaining control of the future: The Cognitive Development of Foresight

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jonathan Redshaw

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Mechanisms and functions of reasoning about possibilities

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Julie Henry, Dr Jonathan Redshaw

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Impact of Intergroup Violence on the Evolution of Human Psychology

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Brendan Zietsch

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Thomas Suddendorf directly for media enquiries about:

  • Brain and cognition
  • Brain development
  • Brain evolution
  • Children and cognition
  • Cognition
  • Cognition - developmental perspectives
  • Development and cognition
  • Evolution and brain cognition
  • Human development and cognition
  • Psychology - cognition

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