Dr. Bradley Franks

Biography

Professor Bradley Franks is a Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). His research delves into the interdependence of mind and culture, focusing on an approach that acknowledges evolutionary influences while embracing the nuances of cultural variation. Professor Franks' interdisciplinary and collaborative work integrates insights from cognitive science, philosophy, communication, anthropology, and social psychology under the umbrella of evolutionary theory. He earned his degree in Social Psychology from LSE and completed his MSc and PhD in Cognitive Science at the University of Edinburgh, where his doctoral research focused on how people represent knowledge and the connections between knowledge use and language. A core idea in his work is that concepts hold limited content appropriate for pragmatic processing mechanisms, resulting in highly flexible, context-dependent representations of meaning. Recent developments in his research reflect a growing interest in evolutionary explanations of mind and social relations, suggesting that understanding context-dependence is likely to involve a situated and embodied approach to cognition and culture. His current research interests include understanding the cognitive and evolutionary origins of socio-cultural constructs and examining fundamental cognitive processes, such as categorization and the relationship between concepts and agency, shaped by evolved, culturally modulated affordances.

Research Interests