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My research investigates how young children understand and plan for multiple mutually exclusive possibilities. I focus on how 3- and 4-year-olds represent, prepare, and act on these possibilities, exploring their cognitive development in both present and future contexts.
My dissertation investigates how children represent and act upon multiple, mutually exclusive possibilities across identity, location, and time. More information will be avaliable soon.
I explore whether infants have an early understanding of plants as categorically distinct from non-living objects. This work aims to reveal the foundational principles of conceptual categorization and contribute to our knowledge of how early conceptual frameworks develop in infancy.
Do children adopt a moral hierarchy when reasoning about living and non-living natural entities?
In collaboration with Dr. Deb Kelemen, I explore how young children perceive the moral value of living versus non-living entities. Specifically, I investigate whether children develop a moral hierarchy where plants are considered more valuable than other natural non-living objects like rocks. I also examine how children's understanding of biological life impacts their moral judgments. This research helps clarify at what age children begin attributing moral significance to humans, animals, and plants, contributing to larger discussions on environmental morality and conceptual development.
Other Research Interests:
Epistemic vs. predictive uncertainty
Temporal cognition and planning
Early representations of possibility
Cognitive development in infants and preschoolers