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Cognitive representations of social relationships: Innate structures or cultural shaping?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2026

Rosa Angela Fabio Open the ORCID record for Rosa Angela Fabio [Opens in a new window] ,
Giulia Picciotto  and
Rossella Suriano Open the ORCID record for Rossella Suriano [Opens in a new window]
Rosa Angela Fabio*
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy rafabio@unime.it
Giulia Picciotto
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy giulia.picciotto@hotmail.com
Rossella Suriano
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Science, University of Messina, Messina, Italy suriano.rossellaz@gmail.com
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

We concur with the author’s hypothesis regarding innate knowledge of social relationships, but we suggest that (a) cultural learning and the social context are determining factors, as evidenced by cross-cultural variations in the perception of authority and reciprocity, and (b) infants’ expectations may also reflect learning processes based on early statistical associations.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e30
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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