What We Do

The DUCK Lab is co-directed by psychologists Janet Boseovski, Stuart Marcovitch, and Jessica Caporaso. We conduct studies of social, emotional, and cognitive development in infants, children, and preadolescents at our campus center and in local preschools and schools. Our research helps us learn how children think about the world around them and our findings are relevant to educational policies and programs that are aimed at improving children's lives.

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News

For Parents and Schools

Interested in having your child or school participate in one of our studies?

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Recent Publications

Publications
"Why did she do that?": Chinese children's preference for trait-based explanations of behavior
Executive function as a mechanism for the emergence and expression of moral knowledge
Who Helps Best? Children's Evaluation of Knowledgeable versus Wealthy Individuals in Negative Event Contexts.
Scary Snakes and Cuddly Frogs: Exploring the Role of Storybooks in Children's Fear and Behavioral Avoidance of Animals

Conrad, M., Hassabelnaby, R., Marcovitch, S., & Boseovski, J. (2023). Scary snakes and cuddly frogs: Exploring the role of storybooks in children’s fear and behavioral avoidance of animals. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly

An Observational Investigation of How Exhibit Environment and Design Intersect to Influence Parent–Child Engagement

Caporaso, J.S., Ball, C.L. Marble, K.E., Boseovski, J.J., Marcovitch, S., Bettencourt, K.M., & Zarecky, L. (2022) An Observational Investigation of How Exhibit Environment and Design Intersect to Influence Parent–Child Engagement. Visitor Studies.

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For Students

We study a wide variety of areas in social and cognitive development, and offer several avenues for getting involved in our research.