Focussing on the mechanisms by which nature and nurture combine in human learning and development, including ageing We examine how different developmental factors interact across the lifespan, from before birth into adolescence and old age. We are a diverse but well-integrated set of researchers, with expertise in cognitive, linguistic and social development, differential psychology and genetics, and computational modelling. Our research projects have implications for a wide range of developmental issues, from philosophical questions about the nature of learning and the mind, to more practical issues such as predicting and improving educational attainment, and understanding neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and specific language impairment. Facilities Our work is supported by excellent research facilities. Testing rooms in our newly-built "Wee Science" Developmental Lab include multiple eye trackers for use with both infants and older children. The department's EEG/ERP facilities and its motion-tracking device are both suitable for use with infants and children of all ages. Our differential work uses massive twin study datasets, and computational modelling is facilitated by Edinburgh's superb computing cluster. Labs and facilities at the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences Wee Science Lab HTML PeopleStaff working in this area include: Image Research interestsBonnie AuyeungEarly child development (social and cognitive development), developmental disorders, Autism, ADHD , epilepsy, neural development, sex differences, early deprivation, prenatal development, adolescent development.Timothy BatesGenetics, cognitive epidemiology, cognitive potential, personality, group behaviour, dyslexia, language impairment.Neil BramleyCausal cognition, active learning, hypothesis generation, control, judgment and decision making, resource rationality, game theory, optimal teaching, iterated learning, rational analysis, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science.Holly BraniganLanguage production, dialogue, language development, bilingualism.Nicolas ChevalierExecutive function development, cognitive development, developmental cognitive neuroscience.Martin CorleyProduction and comprehension of natural language, speech production.Leonidas DoumasAnalogy, relational reasoning, mental representation, cognitive development, computational modelling, neural networks.Wendy JohnsonIndividual differences, intelligence and personality, lifespan development of intelligence and personality, health and ageing, genetic and environmental influences on behaviour, intelligence, and personality.Aja MurrayDevelopmental aspects of mental health phenotypes and their comorbidity: in particular, ADHD, autism, and conduct problems; quantitative methodology.Rene MottusPersonality development in childhood and later life, computational modelling of person-environment transactions, within-individual variability of personality and its associations with situational circumstances and specific behaviours, and psychometrics.Hugh RabagliatiLanguage development and processing, with a focus on meaning, cognitive development, psycholinguistics in neurodevelopmental disorders.Hilary RichardsonTheory of mind; cognitive development; development of functionally specialized brain regions; role of experience in cognitive & brain developmentAnne TempletonMy over-arching research interest is applying the social identity approach to intra and intergroup processes. My research primarily focusses on crowd psychology and using principles of group identity to improve crowd safety in emergencies and at mass events.Matti WilksMoral psychology & moral development including moral circle expansion, unusually altruistic groups, effective altruism, naturalness bias, and attitudes towards food technology (cultured meat). Postgraduate study PhD and MSc by Research programmes Meetings and events If you are interested in language development, you may want to look at the developmental linguistics seminars. Developmental linguistics seminars This article was published on 2024-10-14
HTML PeopleStaff working in this area include: Image Research interestsBonnie AuyeungEarly child development (social and cognitive development), developmental disorders, Autism, ADHD , epilepsy, neural development, sex differences, early deprivation, prenatal development, adolescent development.Timothy BatesGenetics, cognitive epidemiology, cognitive potential, personality, group behaviour, dyslexia, language impairment.Neil BramleyCausal cognition, active learning, hypothesis generation, control, judgment and decision making, resource rationality, game theory, optimal teaching, iterated learning, rational analysis, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science.Holly BraniganLanguage production, dialogue, language development, bilingualism.Nicolas ChevalierExecutive function development, cognitive development, developmental cognitive neuroscience.Martin CorleyProduction and comprehension of natural language, speech production.Leonidas DoumasAnalogy, relational reasoning, mental representation, cognitive development, computational modelling, neural networks.Wendy JohnsonIndividual differences, intelligence and personality, lifespan development of intelligence and personality, health and ageing, genetic and environmental influences on behaviour, intelligence, and personality.Aja MurrayDevelopmental aspects of mental health phenotypes and their comorbidity: in particular, ADHD, autism, and conduct problems; quantitative methodology.Rene MottusPersonality development in childhood and later life, computational modelling of person-environment transactions, within-individual variability of personality and its associations with situational circumstances and specific behaviours, and psychometrics.Hugh RabagliatiLanguage development and processing, with a focus on meaning, cognitive development, psycholinguistics in neurodevelopmental disorders.Hilary RichardsonTheory of mind; cognitive development; development of functionally specialized brain regions; role of experience in cognitive & brain developmentAnne TempletonMy over-arching research interest is applying the social identity approach to intra and intergroup processes. My research primarily focusses on crowd psychology and using principles of group identity to improve crowd safety in emergencies and at mass events.Matti WilksMoral psychology & moral development including moral circle expansion, unusually altruistic groups, effective altruism, naturalness bias, and attitudes towards food technology (cultured meat).
