Current Studies
At the ECCL, we conduct research with adults, infants and preschoolers.
Studies of Infants' Visual Attention
Studies of Problem Solving in Infancy
Studies of Preschoolers' Memory for Action
ERP Studies with Adults
Infant Studies
Previous work has established that 10-month-old infants are transitional in terms of their ability to identify another person's goal when shown an action sequence. For instance, after seeing someone pull a cloth to obtain an out-of-reach toy that is supported by the cloth, some 10-month-old infants appear to understand that the person pulled the cloth to attain the toy, whereas other 10-month-old infants appear to think that the person acted on the cloth to obtain the cloth itself. In one current study (Goal Context), we are investigating factors that might contribute to infants' ability to identify another person's goal. In this study, we provide 10-month-old infants with prior information about an actor's goal, and then use a visual habituation paradigm to assess infants' interpretations of that person's behavior in another context. The main question in this study is whether infants can use this prior goal information to interpret behavior that they might otherwise find ambiguous.
We are interested in infants' ability to solve simple problems that are presented to them and the strategies that they use to solve these problems. In one study (Means End), we are examining infants' ability to solve a range of problems that require an initial step to attain a goal. Ten-, 11- and 12-month-old infants are given the opportunity to pull a cloth to obtain a toy, pull a string to obtain a toy, open a box to obtain a toy, pull a cane to obtain a toy, pull a hoop to obtain a toy, and reach around a barrier in order to obtain a toy. In addition, infants in this study perform a variety of tasks that investigate their ability to inhibit or overcome a salient response, to produce a more effective response. For instance, in one task, after having pulled the cloth to obtain a toy, infants are introduced to a new apparatus in which they must push the cloth away from themselves to get the toy. We are interested in identifying the characteristics of simple problems that make them easier or more difficult for infants to solve and the types of strategies that infants use to solve these tasks. In addition, we are interested in exploring the potential relation in performance across the various tasks.
Preschool Studies
We are interested in children's memory for their own and others' actions in collaborative and non-collaborative contexts. In one study, (Source Memory), children build a series of novel toys either with or alongside an adult experimenter. Children are then asked to report who performed each of the steps of the toy-building activities, and given the opportunity to rebuild the toys on their own. We are interested in the accuracy of children's memory for who did what and what happened in the context of the toy-building activities, and whether children's memory for both of these sources of information differs according to whether they worked in collaboration with, or alongside the experimenter.
Interested in participating in a study? Click here for contact information!
Click here for a list of lab publications.
