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PI: Tamar Kushnir
We are interested in the inherently active, playful, and socially-guided ways young children learn about the world around them. We are also interested in the various beliefs that children form about the world — their intuitive “theories” — and the ways that these beliefs are shaped by children’s engagement with their social and cultural environments. Early Childhood Cognition researchers design toys, games, and stories to find out how children learn. We play these games one-on-one, in our lab, and the Museum of Life and Science (Durham, NC).
PI: Michael Tomasello
We conduct research on children’s cooperation and communication in evolutionary perspective. Recent topics include: collaboration, commitment, fairness, helping, pointing and iconic gestures, social cognition, joint decision-making, the sense of obligation, and social norms.
PI: Makeba Wilbourn
We study how children learn language and how different modes of input, such as gestures, may influence early language and cognitive development. In addition, we are interested in how different cultural backgrounds and linguistic experiences influence children’s language learning.
PI: Sarah Gaither
We investigate social development with a focus on different social identities, as well as how these social identities shape perceptions and behaviors. Specifically, we are interested in children’s understanding of group membership, their perceptions of their own and others’ social identities, and how these understandings and perceptions come together to shape cross-group behavior.
PI: Dorsa Amir
The Mind & Culture (MAC) Lab investigates how culture shapes the developing mind. We work with families all around the globe, bringing together tools from developmental psychology and anthropology to better understand cognitive diversity across cultures.
