Research Focus

Play is a fundamental aspect of childhood development, serving as a critical platform for children to develop cognitive, social, and emotional skills.

Our research examines how different types of play—from object manipulation to pretend play—contribute to the development of executive functions, problem-solving abilities, and creative thinking in children aged 6-36 months.

The quality and nature of parent-child interactions during play have profound effects on children's cognitive development and learning outcomes.

Our research focuses on how parental scaffolding, language input, and responsive behaviors during play activities create learning opportunities and support the development of children's mental models about the world.

Play provides a natural context for children to develop and practice critical socio-cognitive skills, including theory of mind, empathy, and perspective-taking.

Our research examines how symbolic play, social pretense, and collaborative play contribute to children's understanding of others' mental states and social cognition development across different cultural contexts.

Spatial reasoning is a critical cognitive skill that underpins success in STEM fields and develops rapidly during early childhood.

Our research investigates how play with spatial toys and materials, combined with rich spatial language input from caregivers, supports the development of mental rotation abilities, spatial visualization, and early mathematical thinking.