Consciousness and subjective experience in children:
How do children experience the world differently from adults? Our research explores the fundamental nature of consciousness and subjective experience in early childhood, with a particular focus on color qualia and the structure changes of conscious experience. Through carefully designed behavioral experiments, we investigate key questions about children's phenomenal experiences: How do young children experience colors? How does their subjective world differ from that of adults? What is the structure of their conscious experience? Our studies combine diverse methodological approaches to understand how children's reported experiences develop over time, offering insights into both the nature of consciousness and its developmental trajectory (Moriguchi et al., 2025). This research bridges developmental psychology with fundamental questions in consciousness studies, helping us understand how subjective experience emerges and transforms during early childhood.
Neural basis of cognitive control (executive function) in young children:
Extensive research has shown that children develop cognitive control (executive function) during preschool years. Now we are examining whether the functional development of the prefrontal areas is correlated with the significant changes of cognitive control in young children. Therefore, using neuroimaging method (e.g., NIRS), we examine whether inferior prefrontal activation is correlated with successful cognitive control in preschool children. We reported the first neuroimaging data in young children (Moriguchi & Hiraki, 2009, PNAS).
Young children's imaginary world:
It has been reported that children have some "imaginary" agents, such as imaginary companions. I am interested in how children perceive the imaginary agents, Recently, we have experimentally examined children's perception of an imaginary agent. In this paradigm, children were introduced an experimenter's imaginary companion, and asked about psychological and biological properties about the imaginary agent (Moriguchi & Shinohara, 2012. PloS One). The results revealed that children who have an imaginary companion were more likely to attribute psychological and biological properties to the agent than those without imaginary companion.