Professor Arkadiusz Gut

Associate Professor Arkadiusz Gut
Head of Department
Associate Professor

Research Areas

His research spans a variety of fascinating areas, beginning with cross-cultural studies that focus on children’s Theory of Mind (ToM) and social knowledge. He investigates how children across different cultures understand others and navigate social interactions. Delving into mental lay ontologies, he explores mental concepts in both adults and children, aiming to deepen our understanding of how we perceive and interpret the thoughts and feelings of others. His work also addresses the realms of creativity and emotions, examining how these aspects influence cognitive development and how individuals think about non-natural minds. In addition, he is deeply engaged in cultural learning, exploring how culture shapes thinking, moral decision-making, and self-concept. His recent studies have turned to the impact of COVID-19, focusing on its effects on children and older individuals, providing valuable insights into the challenges faced during this time. Moreover, he is particularly interested in the Artificial Mind, investigating the implications of artificial intelligence and how it affects social cognition and our understanding of mental concepts. Through his research, he aims to illuminate the connections between culture, cognition, and the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.

Key Publications

  1. Gut, A., Wilczewski, M., Cheung, H., & Kołodziej, B. (2025). Disciplinary practices and perceptions of disciplinary situations among Chinese mothers. Journal of Family Issues, 46, Article 2. doi: 10.1177/0192513×241263786
  2. Łukasik, A., & Gut, A. (2025). From robots to chatbots: unveiling the dynamics of human-AI interaction. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1–16. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1569277
  3. Białecka, M., Gut, A., Stępień‐Nycz, M., Macheta, K., & Janczura, J. (2024). Beyond the false belief task: how children develop their knowledge about the mind. Infant and Child Development, 33, Article 5. doi: 10.1002/icd.2528
  4. Gut, A., Lambert, A., Gorbaniuk, O., & Mirski, R. (2021). Folk beliefs about soul and mind: cross-cultural comparison of folk intuitions about the ontology of the person. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 21, Article 3–4. doi: 10.1163/15685373-12340116

Full list of publications on: ORCID

Projects and Grants

  • Head of the research group, “Culture and Social Cognition”, Emerging Field Grant, Nicolaus Copernicus University (2020–2023)
  • Principal participant in the project “Reading comprehension in 2 very different writing systems (Polish vs. Chinese)” in cooperation with The Education University of Hong Kong (2022–2024)
  • Head of the research group, “Cultural Differences and Cognitive Development”, Emerging Field Grant, Nicolaus Copernicus University (2020–2023)
  • Researcher in Cultural Learning Grant, “Spirituality in Expatriate Experience: Central European missionary stories from South American countries”, project 028/RID/2018/19 (2019–2022)
  • Principal Investigator in HARMONIA 6 NCN, project “The involvement of language, culture-specific factors, and folk intuitions in mind-reading activity and social cognition” (2015–2018)
  • Researcher in the project “Alternative dominance and intention salience as factors for some meta-representational tasks for children” with Chinese University of Hong Kong (2014–2015)
  • Principal Investigator in the project “Evolutionary Uniqueness of Human Nature”, NCN OPUS-1 (2011–2014)

Academic Activities

  • MA Program Scholarship, Karl-Franzens Universität, Graz, Austria (1995)
  • PhD Scholarship, Stefan Batory Foundation, University of Sheffield, Great Britain (2000)
  • Fulbright Advanced Research Grant, University of Wisconsin, USA (2001–2002)
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (2005)
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Polish Academy of Science, sponsored by the Foundation for Polish Science (2006)
  • Research visit, School of European Languages and Cultures, Beijing Foreign Studies University, China (2013)
  • Guest Scholar, Scientific Talents in China program, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China (2018–2019)
  • Scholarship, Bekker Program (NAWA) & Visiting Scholar, City University of New York, USA (2019)
  • Visiting Scholar, Harvard University, Graduate School of Education, USA (2024)
  • Award for Researchers founded by the Foundation for Polish Science (1999)
  • Fulbright Advanced Research Grant (2001–2002)
  • Medal of the National Education Commission (2013)
  • Nomination for the “Anoda” Award of the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising (video) (2016)
  • Best Paper Award, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark (2017)
  • Recipient of Bekker’s Scholarship, NAWA (2018)
  • President of the Polish Society for Cognitive Science
  • Member of The Jean Piaget Society, Human Development
  • Member of Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy
  • Member of Society for Cross-Cultural Research

Contact

Email: arkadiusz.gut[@]umk.pl
Office: Room 210, Institute of Psychology Nicolaus Copernicus University, ul. Gagarina 39, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
Personal webpage: www.ArekGut.com