CDL

Welcome to the Cognitive Development Lab (CDL)

At the CDL, our research team, led by Dr. Simone Nguyen, investigates how children and adults develop concepts and use cognitive processes such as categorization, language, and reasoning to understand the world around them. We study these abilities across development and within complex, real-world domains like food, people, and objects. Using a combination of experimental and naturalistic methods, we collect both quantitative and qualitative data to build a deeper understanding of cognitive development and its broader impacts.

Thank you for visiting our site. We appreciate your interest in our research!

A Sampling of Our Current Studies

Concepts of Food and Gratitude

We study how children categorize food and develop gratitude for food-related concepts, including origins and environmental sustainability. We examine how children learn about food gratitude through storybook read-alouds and investigate how incorporating gratitude into environmental messages can encourage food waste reduction.

Concepts of the Future

We investigate how children imagine their best possible future in areas such as school and health. We examine how these future-oriented thoughts relate to children’s motivation and well-being, deepening understanding of how children conceptualize the future in meaningful areas of their lives.

Concepts of People and Health

We investigate how category labels, such as “healthy” and “unhealthy,” shape how children and adults form concepts about people. Our research explores how these labels affect person perception, focusing on whether health status influences how individuals are cross-classified into many roles.

Concepts Across Domains

We study how language affects the way children and adults categorize people within and across domains such as science, arts, and sports. By focusing on cross-classification, we aim to better understand how language supports flexible and adaptive views of abilities and interests.

Applications and Interventions

We explore how concepts like gratitude can be applied in translational research, including a project examining gratitude-based approaches to promote positive relationships with food. This work bridges our basic research on conceptual development with practical applications that support well-being.

Interested in Contributing to these Studies and More?

Discover how you can join our research efforts by visiting our Get Involved page.

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