Current Research

The "Kind/Color" study:

In this study, we're looking at the information babies use to categorize objects. In particular, we're trying to find out whether babies categorize objects by color. The study involves presenting infants with a specially selected series of toys, and measuring the ways in which they examine and manipulate these objects. In doing so, we aim to learn more about the mental categories children form.

The "More and Less" and "Toddler Number" studies:

Here we are investigating the ways in which children learn about number. Specifically, we are interested in how children learn about numerical relationships, such as "more than" and "less than." We are currently studying numerical representations in children as young as 7 months, and as old as 4 years.

"Box Reaching" studies:

How do infants determine how many objects are hidden inside a closed container? In this study, we are investigating the process by which children solve this problem—how they use physical and spatiotemporal cues to figure out how many toys are hidden inside a box. This study takes the form of a hide-and-seek game in which babies are encouraged to search for and retrieve toys as parents cheer them on.

"Language Processing" studies:

How children learn a first language is a process that is fascinating to parents and developmental scientists alike. Here, we are exploring the ways in which infants recognize patterns of spoken syllables. Infants' looking times are measured as they watch a series of colored lights and listen to speech sounds over a loudspeaker. We aim to learn about the ways that babies process familiar versus unfamiliar verbal patterns.

The "Dax" study:

Do infants use "rules of thumb" to figure out the meanings of new words? In this study, we are interested in how children learn which object a new label refers to. Babies watch a pair of computer screens on which we present both familiar and unfamiliar objects, with familiar labels such as "car," and unfamiliar labels such as "dax." By measuring patterns of looking, we can learn more about whether babies pair the unfamiliar labels with the unfamiliar objects—and more generally, about how new words are learned.

Motor Development studies:

Researchers at the NYU Development Center are also studying motor development: how children learn to crawl, cruise, walk, and make decisions that affect their locomotion. In these studies, babies crawl or walk over special playground equipment such as slopes or stairs. Babies of many stages of motor development are eligible to participate.

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