This project seeks to understand how individual differences in visual attention to outcomes of learning events is associated with the development of prosocial emotions (e.g. empathy, consideration of others).

Having shown that greater attention to outcomes of basic associative-learning events is associated with more prosocial emotions in adults this project will test the developmental trend of this relationship in child and adolescent samples.

Cultural knowledge has been passed down through stories for thousands of years. We have current research into how we can best leverage storytelling to teach children complex new concepts. We have found that new science concepts are often better learned when embedded in stories than in other forms of instruction, and we are now examining ways to expand children’s moral thinking around contemporary social issues through storytelling.

We are examining the development of thinking skills starting in the pre-school years and into university.

One line of this research examines how to promote “systems thinking” early in schooling. By default, people of all ages tend to focus on individual people, objects, and actions to understand the natural and social world. However, understanding the interrelations and dynamics among the elements a system comprises is essential to explain, predict, and change the world for the better. This may sound too complex for young children, and typically these ideas are not taught before university, but encouraging new evidence suggests the opposite¾ young children are quite capable of systems thinking.

Another line of this research examines the development of metacognition, the ability to think about our own thinking, which is critical to both academic achievement and our mental health.

A third line of this research examines the impact of technology, for both the good and bad. In the right settings, technology can offer new modes of thinking impossible without. However, we are also examining how excessive mobile-phone use can hinder high school students’ thinking skills in this critical development period.