EDUCATION
2011 Ed.D. Harvard Graduate School of Education
Advisor: Paul L. Harris
2005 Ed.M. Harvard Graduate School of Education
Advisor: Terrence Tivnan
1998 B.S. in Psychology, University “Sts. Kiril and Metodij” Skopje, Macedonia
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
2019 – 2020 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology, Rutgers University
2017 – 2019 Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Reed College
2016 – 2017 Mind Brain and Behavior Research Associate, Department of Psychology, Harvard University
2014 – 2016 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology, Harvard University
2013 – 2014 Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Clark
University
2011 - 2013 Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Lycoming
College
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Learning
Science Education
Conceptual Development
Explanatory Understanding
Executive Functions
Thought Experiments
Social Cognition
Cultural Transmission
GRANTS
Mind Brain and Behavior Grant, Harvard University: The Role of Thought Experiments in Scientific Reasoning (2016-2017) ($50,000)
TEACHING AWARDS
2017 George W. Goethals Award recognizing excellence in teaching in the
psychology sophomore tutorial program
2015 George W. Goethals Award recognizing excellence in teaching in the
psychology sophomore tutorial program
FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS
Stillman Drake Award, Reed College, 2017, 2018
Travel Award to attend the SRCD Biennial Meeting in Montreal, Canada, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2011
Edmund J. Curley Fund Scholarship Harvard University, 2009, 2010
Travel Award to attend the Cognitive Development Society Conference, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2009
Dean’s Summer Fellowship, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2008
Larsen Fellowship, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2005
Ministry of Education, Macedonia -- Scholarship for Talented Students, 1993
PUBLICATIONS
- Tardiff, N., Bascandziev, I., Carey, S., & Zaitchik, D. (revise and resubmit). The learning
mechanisms underlying knowledge enrichment and conceptual construction: Evidence from the child’s acquisition of vitalist biology. Cognition
1. Bascandziev, I., Tardiff, N., Zaitchik, D., & Carey, S. (2018). The role of domain-general
cognitive resources in children’s construction of a vitalist theory of biology. Cognitive Psychology, 104, 1-28.
2. Bascandziev, I., & Harris, P.L. (2018). Can children benefit from thought experiments? In P.
Godfrey - Smith & A. Levy (Eds.). The Scientific Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press.
3. Tardiff, N., Bascandziev, I., Sandor, K., Carey, S., & Zaitchik, D. (2017). Some consequences of
normal aging for generating conceptual explanations: A case study of vitalist biology. Cognitive Psychology, 95, 145-163.
4. Bascandziev, I., & Harris, P. L. (2016). The beautiful and the accurate: are children’s selective
trust decisions biased? Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 152, 92-105.
5. Bascandziev, I., Powell, L. J., Harris, P. L., & Carey, S. (2016). A role for executive functions in
explanatory understanding of the physical world. Cognitive Development, 39, 71-85
6. Zaitchik, D., Solomon, G. E. A., Tardiff, N., & Bascandziev, I. (2016). Conceptual change: Where
domain-specific mechanisms meet domain-general cognitive resources. In D. Barner & A. Baron (Eds.), Conceptual Change and Core Knowledge. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
7. Carey, S., Zaitchik, D., & Bascandziev, I. (2015). Theories of Development: In Dialog
with Jean Piaget. Developmental Review, 38, 36-54.
*Note: One of the most downloaded Developmental Review articles
8. Bascandziev, I., & Harris, P. L. (2014). In Beauty We Trust: Children prefer information
from more attractive informants, British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 32, 94-99.
9. Bascandziev, I., & Harris, P. L. (2011). Gravity is not the only ruler for falling events:
Young children stop making the gravity error after receiving additional
perceptual information about the tubes mechanism, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 109, 468-477.
10. Bascandziev, I., & Harris, P. L. (2010). The role of testimony in young children’s
solution of a gravity-driven invisible displacement task, Cognitive Development, 25, 233-246.
UNDER REVIEW
1. Bascandziev, I, Zaitchik, D., & Carey, S. (in prep). The construction of a vitalist theory of biology:
a training study
IN PREPARATION
Bascandziev, I., Smith, C., & Carey, S. (in prep). Can children learn about matter from thought
experiments?
Bascandziev, I. & Carey, S. (in prep). The effect of thought experiments on reasoning about forces
and motion
Bascandziev, I. & Carey, S. (in prep). Children’s developing understanding of matter and its
relationship to executive functions
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Undergraduate Students *
Bascandziev, I. & Carey, S. (2019, March). Reasoning About Forces and Motion Through Thought
Experiments. Poster accepted for presentation at the 2019 SRCD Biennial Meeting, Baltimore, MD.
Bascandziev, I., Starr, E*., Khalatbari, D*., Maron, G*., Zaitchik, D. & Carey, S. (2017, October).
The Last Straw: Can Thought Experiments Advance Children’s Understanding of Weight. Poster Presentation at the 2017 CDS Meeting, Portland, OR.
Bascandziev, I. (2017, August). The role of domain-general cognitive resources in children’s
construction of a vitalist theory of biology. Paper presented at CSAIL, Hood River, OR.
Bascandziev, I. & Carey, S. (2017, May). The role of thought experiments in science learning.
Poster presented at the 29th APS Annual Convention, Boston, MA.
Zaitchik, D., Bascandziev, I., Tardiff, N., & Carey, S. (2017, April). When facts are not enough:
Executive Function and the construction of Vitalist biology. Paper presented
at the 2017 SRCD Biennial Meeting, Austin, TX.
Bascandziev, I., Maron, G.*, Zaitchik, D., & Carey, S. (2016, August). Can thought experiments
advance young children’s understanding of matter? Paper presented at the 2016 International Conference on Thinking, Brown University, Providence, RI
Bascandziev, I., Zaitchik, D., & Carey, S. (2015, March). Exploring the relationship
between executive functions and the construction of a vitalist theory of biology in
young children. Paper presented at the 2015 SRCD Biennial Meeting, Philadelphia, PA
Bascandziev, I. & Harris, P. L. (2015, March). The Beauty and the Accurate: How Biased are
Children’s Selective Trust Decisions? Poster presented at the 2015 SRCD Biennial Meeting, Philadelphia, PA
Bascandziev, I., Harris, P. L. (2013, October). Do children rely on a non-epistemic
mechanism to enrich their epistemic status? Poster presented at the meeting of the
Cognitive Development Society, Memphis, TN.
Bascandziev, I., Powell, L. J., Harris, P. L., & Carey, S. (2013, April). The role of executive
functions in the disappearance of the gravity error: A training study. Poster presented at the SRCD Meeting, Seattle, WA.
Bascandziev, I., Harris, P. L. (2011, October). Pedagogical Signals and Improved Causal
Reasoning: Related or Not? Poster presented at the meeting of the Cognitive Development Society, Philadelphia, PA.
Bascandziev, I., Harris, P. L. (2011, April). Gravity is not the Only Ruler for Falling Events:
Understanding the Tubes Mechanism and the Gravity Error. Poster presented at the 2011 SRCD Biennial Meeting, Montreal, Canada.
Bascandziev, I. & Harris, P. L. (2009, October). The role of testimony in solving a gravity-driven invisible displacement task. Poster presented at the meeting of the Cognitive Development Society, San Antonio, TX.
MEDIA COVERAGE
CBS, The Daily Mail (print and online), The Daily Telegraph (print and online), Science Daily, Nature World News, Red Orbit, Science World Report, Science Way, Psychologie Magazine (Dutch monthly magazine comparable to Psychology Today), Radio Interview on #1 Afternoon Radio News Show with John Mercure (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), and other news outlets, internet blogs, and social media.
TEACHING
2018-2019
Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Reed College (2 and 2 teaching load + 2 Thesis Students)
- Cognitive Processes
- Cognition in STEM Education
- Introductory Psychology
- Cognitive Development
2017-2018
Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Reed College (2 and 2 teaching load + 4 Thesis Students)
- Cognition in STEM Education
- Developmental Psychology
- Introductory Psychology
- Cognitive Development
2016-2017
- Contemporary Issues in Psychology: Intensive Cross-level Analyses for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, Instructor: Igor Bascandziev
- Teaching Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Developmental Psychology, Instructor: Paul Harris
2015 – 2016
- Head Teaching Fellow, Harvard College, Developmental Psychology: Origins of Knowledge, Instructors: Susan Carey and Elizabeth Spelke
- Sophomore Tutorial: Contemporary Issues in Psychology, Harvard College, Instructor: Igor Bascandziev
2014 – 2015
- Head Teaching Fellow, Harvard College, Developmental Psychology: Origins of Knowledge, 2015, Instructor: Susan Carey
2013 – 2014
Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Clark University (2 and 3 teaching load)
Courses:
- Introduction to Cognition
- Research in Cognitive Development
- What Children Know
2011 – 2013
Visiting Assistant Professor of Developmental Psychology, Department of Psychology, Lycoming College (3 and 3 teaching load)
Courses:
- Infancy-Middle Childhood Development
- Introductory Psychology
- Lifespan Development
- Adolescent Development
2005 – 2011
Teaching Fellow and Head Teaching Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard College, and Harvard Extension School
Courses:
1. Introduction to Educational Research, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, Instructor: Terrence Tivnan
2. Intermediate Statistics: Applied Regression Data Analysis, 2006, Instructor: Judith Singer
3. Empirical Methods: Introduction to Statistics for Research, 2006, 2007 Instructor: Terrence Tivnan
4. Developmental Psychology: Psychology of Early Childhood, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, Instructor: Paul L. Harris
5. The Human Mind: An Introduction to Mind, Brain, and Behavior, 2008, 2009, Instructor: Steven Pinker
6. Cognitive Psychology, 2008, 2010, Instructor: Jesse Snedeker
7. Educational Outcomes in Cross-National and Cross-Cultural Perspectives, 2011, Instructor: Paul L. Harris
Mentorship and Advising
2018 Two thesis students (Nikhil Wadhwa and Rane Wilson)
2017 Four thesis students (Cody Biesanz; Clarise Sky-Johnson; Karina Aragon; Xiyao Ge)
2016 Jenny Fielder (University of Bath visiting thesis student)
2016 Emma Starr (summer intern)
2016 Garett Maron (Harvard University thesis student)
2015 Dalia Khalatbari (University of Bath visiting thesis student)
2015 Kara Emery (summer intern)
2014 Emma Papaioannou (University of Bath visiting thesis student)
2014 Garrett Maron (summer intern)
2013 Serina Fuglestad Sikveland (summer intern)
2011 Maria Renken (summer intern)
2010 Michelle Bang (summer intern)
SERVICE AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Grant Reviewing
- NSF Panel Review (2015 Spring; 2015 Fall; 2019 Spring)
- NSF Ad Hoc Review
Ad Hoc Journal Reviewing
- Child Development; Developmental Psychology; Journal of Experimental Child Psychology; Cognitive Development; British Journal of Developmental Psychology; Journal of Cognition and Development; Cognitive Science; Frontiers in Psychology; International Journal of Behavioral Development; Psychological Reviews: Perceptual and Motor Skills; International Journal of Psychology; Science & Education; Infant and Child Development; Educational Psychology: An International Journal of Experimental Educational Psychology
Other professional service
- Member of the Graduate Education Committee – Clark University. Year: 2013/14
- Member of the Teaching Effectiveness Committee – Lycoming College Year: 2012/13
- Presidential Information Technology Fellow – Created an online tutorial for writing psychology experiment proposals. In collaboration with Eva Chen and Paul L. Harris. Year: 2011.
URL: http://gseacademic.harvard.edu/~instruct/articulate/h250/psychology_paper_tutorial/player.html
- Member of the Doctoral Students Advisory Group to the Cognitive Development and Learning Search Committee for an open rank position at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Year: 2011.
- Presidential Information Technology Fellow – Worked on creating multimedia course content for H-250 (Developmental Psychology: Psychology of Early Childhood). Years: 2009 and 2010
- International Peer Advisor – Volunteer position. Description: Assisted incoming international students during their transition to the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Years: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
- Student Orientation – Helped in organizing the student orientation for all incoming students at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Year: 2005
- Programming committee – Helped in creating the program for the Student Research Conference – Harvard Graduate School of Education. Year: 2006
REFERENCES
Susan E. Carey
Henry A. Morss Jr. and Elizabeth W. Morss Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychology
Harvard University
Paul L. Harris
Victor S. Thomas Professor of Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Daniel Reisberg
Patricia & Clifford Lunneborg Professor of Psychology
Reed College
