What We Study
Here at CALF Lab, we are interested in learning about children's mathematical thinking and their use of gestures. We cover topics such as the role of math anxiety in children's learning, the development of phonemic awareness and its relation to our development of gesture use, the impact of gestures on children's spatial working memory, and children's understanding of measurements as they grow older.
Through these studies we hope to gain an understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in children's language and math learning, and the way in which gestures and other processes may aid in this learning, ultimately giving parents and teachers the ability to use such knowledge to aid and support children's academic development.
Current Projects
Learning to Measure with Gesture
In this project, we will look at how two different kinds of gestures help first grade children learn all about units. This project is primarily being run in person in schools in our area, but ff you are interested in having your 6 to 7 year old child participate, please email us directly at [email protected] and ask for Dan!
Spatial Working Memory
This project is for 5-12 year old children and takes place in person. It is one, 30-minute session where your child will play some memory games while we test whether (and how) gestures can help to improve spatial memory, which is memory for the location of objects in space. If you are interested, please email [email protected] and ask for Dani!
Mechanisms of Math Anxiety
The C.A.L.F. Lab wants to know how math anxiety impairs math performance in adults. More specifically, we want to know how rumination on negative emotions and visual attentional biases might contribute to this association. To investigate this question and others, this study will use an eye-tracker. Email [email protected] if interested in participating and ask for Isabel!
Gesture, Action, Speech Production (GASP)
We are currently recruiting children ages 5-12 years to participate in this fun, short online study! We are interested in how children synchronize their actions with their speech when they are talking, and how this synchrony might change across development. Email [email protected] or our collaborators at Loyola University Chicago at [email protected] if interested in participating! Mention that you are interested in the "GASP" project or ask for Myla!