Papers by Kathleen Corriveau
Early Education and Development
We explored the role of parental testimony in children’s developing beliefs about the ontological... more We explored the role of parental testimony in children’s developing beliefs about the ontological status of typically unobservable phenomena. US parents and their 5- to 7-year-old children (N = 25 dyads) separately rated their confidence in the existence of scientific and religious unobservable entities (e.g., germs, angels), and were invited to engage in an unmoderated dyadic conversation about the entities. Both parents and children were more confident in the existence of the scientific entities compared to the religious entities. Parental religiosity predicted the strength of their belief in the religious entities, and these beliefs were positively associated with their children’s judgements in the domain of religion. We coded parental testimony produced during the unmoderated conversation for a number of subtle linguistic cues that convey their confidence and prevailing beliefs in an entity’s existence. The results revealed consistent cross-domain differences: parents expressed ...
Current Opinion in Psychology
Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology
International Journal of Psychology
In this study, we extended research on children’s imitation by examining the impact of normativit... more In this study, we extended research on children’s imitation by examining the impact of normativity on children’s decision about whether to imitate inefficient actions in the context of tool use. In particular, this study explored how conventional language (highlighting norms) versus instrumental language (highlighting a desired end-goal) influenced children’s imitation and transmission of the use of an inefficient tool to achieve a particular end-goal. Rather than examining children’s imitation of unnecessary actions that do not impede goal-completion, we examined children’s conformity with a modeled behavior that may result in sacrificing goal completion. Thus, the stakes of conforming with the stated norm were higher than when children are asked to imitate a series of unnecessary actions that may not impede achieving a designated goal. Children (N = 96 4- to 6-year-olds) were presented with either a conventional or instrumental description of a model’s actions before watching the ...
Journal of Cognition and Development
Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Early learning experiences shape the development of the behavioral constellation of deprivation (... more Early learning experiences shape the development of the behavioral constellation of deprivation (BCD) proposed by Pepper & Nettle (P&N). There is considerable variability in early learning experiences across diverse socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds, particularly when it comes to language. Here, we discuss how early learning experiences are beyond the control of the individual and subsequently contribute to behaviors in P&N's constellation.
The Behavioral and brain sciences, 2017
We propose that early in ontogeny, children's core cognitive abilities are shaped by cultural... more We propose that early in ontogeny, children's core cognitive abilities are shaped by culturally dependent "software updates." The role of sociocultural inputs in the development of children's learning is largely missing from Lake et al.'s discussion of the development of human-like artificial intelligence, but its inclusion would help move research even closer to machines that can learn and think like humans.
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2016
Anales De Psicologia, 2011
The Behavioral and brain sciences, 2016
Norenzayan et al. argue that prosocial religion develops through cultural evolution. Surprisingly... more Norenzayan et al. argue that prosocial religion develops through cultural evolution. Surprisingly, they give little attention to developmental accounts of prosocial religious beliefs. A consideration of the developmental literature supports some, but not all, of the authors' conclusions.
Journal of Cognition and Development, 2016
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2015
Kline argues for an expanded taxonomy of teaching focusing on the adaptive behaviors needed to so... more Kline argues for an expanded taxonomy of teaching focusing on the adaptive behaviors needed to solve learning problems. Absent from her analysis is an explicit definition of learning, or a discussion of the iterative nature of the relationship between teaching and learning. Including the learner in the discussion may help to distinguish among the adaptive values of different teaching behaviors.
Science education currently focuses on developing science-based content knowledge, emphasizing th... more Science education currently focuses on developing science-based content knowledge, emphasizing the teaching of science vocabulary words (e.g., photosynthesis). Nevertheless, current curriculum lacks a focus on general academic language vocabulary (e.g., process, analyze). Such vocabulary is critical for understanding texts both in and outside of the science classroom. Here, we detail a small-scale study examining the impact of a new approach to science curriculum that addresses these particular literacy needs. The Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP), in collaboration with Harvard University, Stanford University and local public schools developed six weeks science curriculum to be used in sixth grade. Each weekly unit incorporates reading of texts, a hands-on experiment, classroom discussion and writing. The primary goal of the materials is improving academic vocabulary as well as scientific reasoning skills. To design a curriculum that would be flexible across multiple d...
Interpersonal Trust During Childhood and Adolescence, 2010
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Papers by Kathleen Corriveau