Research in developmental psychology

Psychology Test for Children - Toddler Doing Logic Test with Numbers

A pioneer in the study of human development, Clark’s program focuses on the development of psychological processes in societal and cultural contexts. With faculty expertise across the lifespan, faculty unite in studying the links between intra-individual and inter-individual change over time. How do interactions between individuals, ecological contexts, and cultural patterning result in new ways of being in the world? Currently, faculty examine areas such as bilingualism, pretend play, racial experiences, narrative, and malleable factors influencing learning and subsequent academic achievement in schooling and college populations.

Research in child development across context

Our research examines the influence of risk and protective factors on child development across diverse ecological contexts with particular emphases on culture and adversity. Our first line of research examines children’s pretend play, creativity, and emotional expressiveness as related to their socioemotional and academic adjustment in different contexts (e.g., school, peers, home). Our second line of research focuses on children’s experiences related to their ethnicity, race, and culture. We are interested in examining ethnic-racial identity in early childhood and its influence on children’s encounters with bias and discrimination and if and how these experiences may vary across different contexts. We use different methods, such as behavior observation, quantitative measures, and qualitative interviews, and examine across different informants, such as teachers, caregivers, and children.

—Ana Marcelo

Higher education research group

Our research group examines learning and development in both formal and informal learning contexts, with a focus on ways engagement in communities of practice contributes to the gradual construction of meaning systems. Prior work of the group studied the role of language in the construction of culturally relevant meaning systems as well as how different cultural meaning systems impacted successful entry into school. More recently, focus has shifted to examining ways that higher education also can make better use of socio-cultural approaches to learning and development. We study college student and faculty perspectives on designing environments to foster better learning and well-being, and the implementation of curricula that aim to prepare students to successfully transition into college, as well as successfully transition into the world of work and civic life. We also create tools to evaluate and improve learning and development on college campuses.

—Nancy Budwig

Learning, language, and cognition lab

Our research group examines cognitive development, particularly in school-aged children in school contexts. We examine the malleable factors influencing learning and subsequent academic achievement, especially for minority race and language students as well as those growing up in poverty. A context of focus is bilingual education. Within these contexts, we examine how children organize semantic knowledge and build a knowledge base both within and across lessons with the long-term goal of informing educational policy and practice. This investigation entails examining the encoding and manipulation of semantic memory as well as conceptual representation across languages. The work is inherently interdisciplinary and we work with others in the departments of education and language and culture. We use a variety of methods, including experimental behavioral studies, observation, and eye-tracking. Our work takes place in the laboratory, in the community, and in collaborating classrooms.

—Alena Esposito

Narrative practices in identity research

Our research group focuses on theoretical issues central to identity research such as agency, difference, and change. We approach them from a qualitative (narrative) perspective, and we apply them to empirical phenomena such as adolescent and post-adolescent identity formation, close friendship, transition into work (for college students and refugees), fatherhood (including incarcerated fathers), and elderly women’s encore careers. Our investigations explore how these phenomena are understood from the perspective of those who experience and live through them. Current projects include a Handbook on Identity, as well as volumes in Bamberg’s book series, Studies in Narrative. Students are invited to join the editing process to gain professional experience.

—Michael Bamberg

Department of Psychology

Research in developmental psychology

Currently active research groups, labs, and forums

Frances L. Hiatt School of Psychology

Frances L. Hiatt School of Psychology

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