Author Archives: Allison M. Hermann, Ph.D.

About Allison M. Hermann, Ph.D.

Manages research and extension outreach for the Laboratory for Rational Decision Making (LRDM), Human Neuroscience Institute, and the Department of Human Development.

Marianella Casasola, professor in the Department of Human Development (HD), has provided research and outreach opportunities for many students and has observed how these interpersonal interactions have developed their professional skills. She will draw from her experiences in her new role as Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs. Through collaboration with professors and students, she seeks to enhance the undergraduate experience in the College of Human Ecology.

The effect of spatial language on preschool children's spatial skills

In a recent paper, Casasola presents groundbreaking research on the effect of spatial language, (i.e., using words to describe the spatial properties of an object in the environment), on spatial skills. Spatial skills are important to our everyday lives; for example, it makes it possible for us to locate our car keys and travel the route to work. Spatial skills are also linked to academic success in math and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Casasola designed experiments to test for a causal link between preschool children’s exposure to spatial language and advances in their spatial skills. She investigated whether preschool children repeatedly exposed to a wide array of spatial language in a natural setting, such as when playing over several weeks would transfer what they learned to spatial skills that were not part of the training. The results provided the first experimental evidence that children’s experience with spatial language during spatial play did benefit nontrained spatial skills. Casasola views this outcome as analogous to how parents and children use language in naturalistic settings and this learning transfers to preschool children’s spatial skills.

CCE Summer Internship Program

Casasola's research has shown that play is essential for early childhood learning and she has designed evidence-based outreach programs with interns from the CCE Summer Internship Program to disseminate recommendations. This past summer, her research team, investigated parents' beliefs about learning through play and how it might impact cognitive development and future academic performance. Will parental beliefs affect the types of play materials they provide their children and do they think about the educational value of the materials? Dr. Casasola's CCE summer intern, Radiah Khandokar, wrote a weekly blog about her experience working with CUCE-NYC on the development of an 8-week parent education curriculum about the role of play in early childhood learning.

Reference cited in this article:

Casasola, M., Wei, W. S., Suh, D. D., Donskoy, P., & Ransom, A. (2020). Children’s exposure to spatial language promotes their spatial thinking. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 149(6), 1116–1136. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000699

 

Wendy Williams

International Day of Women and Girls in Science is February 11th and examining the factors and policies that impact women's careers in STEM sciences has been an on-going focus of HD faculty. Dr. Wendy Williams, professor of human development and director of the Cornell Institute for Women in Science (CIWS), conducts research and disseminates information relevant to women's experiences in STEM careers. Her work was featured in an online article of the Yale Scientific Magazine. Williams has reported that women in math-intensive fields are particularly hindered by the impacts of parenting. Her studies revealed that relative to men, women face significantly more stress and career complications in their pursuit of academic tenure.  Women typically apply for tenure-track positions between the ages of 27 and 33. Raising a family is often incompatible with a career path that demands a singular focus on academic productivity. Williams points out that the tenure system has not evolved with the needs of women. One of Williams' policy recommendations for encouraging women to enter STEM careers is to permit women with newborns to work remotely from home and reduce the workload of parenting. The development and use of digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that it is possible to conduct research remotely and make it a viable option for tenure-tracked mothers. Read more about Dr. Williams' research and resources on the CIWS website.

Jane Mendle

In September 2020, the Association for Psychological Science (APS) published the first-ever gender parity review of psychological science: “The Future of Women in Psychological Science.” The consensus was that although gender gaps for women in psychological science are closing, there is more work to be done. Jane Mendle, professor of human development, was an author of the report. It was considered one of APS’s most highly cited publications from 2020. Click on the arrow below to listen to a discussion with Mendle and her co-authors for more context.

FEATURES

Reconciling a house divided

Karl PillemerLittle research has been conducted on understanding estrangement and reconciliation in families. Karl Pillemer's forthcoming book, Fault Lines:  Fractured Families and How to Mend Them, fills this void and is based on 10 years of his research from the Cornell Family Reconciliation Project.

Connecting Intelligence and Creativity to Improve Education

Robert Sternberg, professor of human development, discusses the intersection of his research on intelligence and creativity and its importance to education in an illuminating interview.

HD Honors the Academic Achievements of the 2020 Graduates

Although Commencement exercises for the Cornell Class of 2020 were canceled to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Department of Human Development honored the academic achievements of this year's outstanding students with its highest awards.

Zoom is a new tool in the researcher's toolkit

Deanna Kocher, a graduate student in Tamar Kushnir's Early Childhood Cognition Lab, explains in a Cornell Sun article how the lab has been using Zoom to study how children interact with virtual robots.

Aging Differences in Decision Making May Contribute to Health Vulnerabilities

Corinna Loeckenhoff's research on decision making and lifestyle in older adults point to additional factors that contribute to health disparities and economic vulnerabilities. She discusses these factors in an article that appeared in The New York Times.

Discover recently added resources, including podcasts of interviews with HD faculty from HD Today e-NEWS Listen Notes playlists

Karl Pillemer

Little research has been conducted on understanding estrangement and reconciliation in families. Karl Pillemer's forthcoming book, Fault Lines:  Fractured Families and How to Mend Them, fills this void and is based on 10 years of his research from the Cornell Family Reconciliation Project.

Recently, Dr. Pillemer, Hazel E. Reed Professor of Human Development, wrote an article, A Key to Harry and Meghan's Estrangement, for Psychology Today citing the topical case of the British royal family. Watch his interview on the University of the District of Columbia's program, Family Matters, for more context about estrangement in families and an overview of his book.

 

 

Robert Sternberg

Robert Sternberg, professor of human development, discusses the intersection of his research on intelligence and creativity and its importance to education in an illuminating interview with Izabela Lebuda. His reflections on his professional career and insights into how his theories develop is a fascinating process. Sternberg also offers evidence-based words of wisdom to future research of creativity. This interview is a preview of his forthcoming book, Adaptive Intelligence: Surviving and Thriving in Times of Uncertainty,

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Urie Bronfenbrenner

Although Commencement exercises for the Cornell Class of 2020 were canceled to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the department of Human Development honored the academic achievements of this year's outstanding students with its highest awards.

The Urie Bronfenbrenner Award is presented to a student who has demonstrated excellence in research. Professor Urie Bronfenbrenner taught at Cornell for over 50 years and was a highly influential developmental psychologist famous for "ecological systems theory" and his holistic approach to human development.

  • Karlee Patrick was awarded this year's Bronfenbrenner Award. Karlee has been a member of Professor Corinne Lockenhoff's Healthy Aging Lab and was the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research's 2019-20 Kendal Scholar. Read more about Karlee's accomplishments here.

Henry Ricciuti

The Henry Ricciuti Memorial Awards for Outstanding Seniors in Human Development are awarded to graduating seniors who have achieved "distinction in research, excellence in leadership, and/or have contributed to exceptional community and public service during their undergraduate career at Cornell University." Professor Ricciuti taught at Cornell for more than half a century and was an expert in the cognitive and emotional development of infants and children and mentored many students in human development.

  • Recipients of this year's Ricciuti Award are Nahisha Alabre, Sarita Emma Benesch, Nicholas Cicero, Alexandria Dominguez, Gabrielle Kubi, Mackenzie Morehouse, Karlee Patrick, and Lindsey Tarpinian.

Tamar Kushnir

Although the Department of Human Development labs on the Cornell Campus have been closed due to social distancing, it has not stopped on-going research. Web-conferencing for many people has become the new normal for face-to-face meetings, but it has also become a tool for research. Professor Tamar Kushnir's Cornell Early Childhood Cognition Lab (ECC lab) studies how children learn through their experiences. Researchers in the lab design toys, games, and stories to understand how children learn. In one of many lab projects, Dr. Kushnir has been studying child-robot interactions, including prosocial behaviors. In June, Kocher, Kushnir, and Keith Evan Green presented a paper at the IDC '20: Proceedings of the Interaction Design and Children Conference and reported developmental differences in how children interacted with a robot that does not appear human-like (non-humanoid). Their results inform how robot and interaction designers can improve designs for specific age groups. Deanna Kocher, a graduate student in the Kushnir lab, explains in a Cornell Sun article how the lab has been using Zoom to study how children interact with virtual robots. An added benefit of the move to online research is the ability to collaborate with other institutions and extend the reach of their research to include an international sample. Click here for more information about ECC lab projects.

 

Corinna Loeckenhoff

As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the U.S., it has brought national attention to the impact the disease has had on the health of older adults. Dr. Corinna Loeckenhoff, professor of human development and director of the Cornell Healthy Aging Lab, "examines the role of time horizons, stressful life events, and social relationships across the life span in order to gain a holistic view of everyday decision making and its implications for life-long health." Wealth inequalities and health disparities are evident from differences between affluent older adults and those living in poverty and their access to health providers and services. Dr. Loeckenhoff's research on decision making and lifestyle in older adults point to additional factors that contribute to health disparities and economic vulnerabilities. She discusses these factors in an article that appeared in The New York Times.

As Editor of Psychological Science in the Public Interest, Valerie Reyna commissioned Tom R. Tyler, Phillip Atiba Goff, and Robert J. MacCoun to write a report about the psychological science of policing in the U.S. Philip J. Cook was invited to write a commentary on the report.

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There are 5 playlists in the Human Development Video Library. Click the icon in the upper right corner of the video player to see the complete list of videos in each playlist.

Human Development Faculty

Behavioral Economics and Decision Research Center

Human Development Invited Speakers (23 videos)

Law and Human Development Invited Speakers

Cornell Human Development A.P. Psychology Partnership