The Brain and Math Education lab

The Brain and Math Education Lab studies how children and adults learn and understand mathematics. We focus on the cognitive foundations of mathematical thinking, including number, zero, magnitude, geometry, and the executive functions that support mathematical learning.

Our research asks how early mathematical ideas develop, how children connect intuitive experiences with formal symbols and concepts, and how this knowledge can improve mathematics education. We study questions such as how children come to understand zero as a number, how working memory and inhibition support geometry problem solving, and how research in mathematical cognition can inform early childhood mathematics curricula.

The lab brings together cognitive psychology, developmental research, and mathematics education, with the goal of understanding how the mind learns mathematics and how this knowledge can support better teaching and learning.