Research

Current Studies

Our lab is interested in better understanding how children and college students learn about the world. Check out the descriptions below to learn about our ongoing projects!

Temperament as a Predictor of Early Numeracy

The development of early numeracy skills in children is vital for later academic success. However, the literature thus far has not related temperament to numeracy skills in early childhood. We measured temperament and numeracy skills in 24 children aged 2.5 to 5 years old to understand their relationship.

Do parents’ personalities turn the pages of shared storybook reading?

Shared storybook reading predicts developmental outcomes. Yet it is unknown if parent personality impacts reading practices. Twenty-four caregivers will complete a personality questionnaire and be observed reading before testing children’s story comprehension. This opens the door for further investigation on the role of parent personality in child development.

Recent Presentations

Vasich, S., & Lorenz, M. G. (March 2024). Calling all caregivers: Examining technoference in children's museum exhibits. Poster presented at the 13th biennial meeting of the Cognitive Development Society, Pasadena, CA, & annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL. Reprint

Freitag, N.G., Notestein, K.A., Witecha, G.L., Lorenz, M.G., & Kucker, S.C. (April 2022). What does it neem? The role of social contingency in word learning through digital media. Poster presented at the 12th biennial meeting of the Cognitive Development Society, Madison, WI. Reprint

Hall, S.L., Dillon, K.E., & Lorenz, M.G. (April 2022). Training "close" and "far" during shared book reading. Poster presented at the 12th biennial meeting of the Cognitive Development Society, Madison, WI. Reprint

Dillon, K.E., Ferruzza, S., Flinchem, J.A., Gustafson, M., Niederer, B. (April 2021). Spatial language learning via storybooks. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, online. Reprint

Flinchem, J.A., Lorenz, M.G., & Kucker, S.C. (April 2021). Influential factors on generalization and retention in a novel noun generalization task. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, online. Reprint

Publications

Bakopoulou, M., Lorenz, M. G., Forbes, S. H., Tremlin, R., Bates, J., & Samuelson, L. K. (2023). Vocabulary and automatic attention: The relation between novel words and gaze dynamics in noun generalization. Developmental Science, 26(6), e13399. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13399

Lorenz, M.G., & Plumert, J.M. (2019). Mother-child communication about relative proximity to a landmark: What role does prototypicality play? Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 178, 41-59. doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2018.09.011

Kucker, S.C., Samuelson, L.K., Perry, L.K., Yoshida, H., Colunga, E., Lorenz, M.G., & Smith, L.B. (2019). Reproducibility and a unifying explanation: Lessons from the shape bias. Infant Behavior and Development, 54, 156-165. doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2018.09.004

Perone, S., Plebanek, D., Lorenz, M.G., Spencer, J.P., & Samuelson, L.S. (2019). Empirical tests of a brain-based model of executive function development. Child Development, 90, 210-226. doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12885

Samuelon L.K., & Galligan, M. (2014). Dynamic systems theory and language development. In P.J. Brooks and V. Kempe (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Language Development. Sage Publications.

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