Children's Cognitive Research Lab

The CCRL is part of the Center for Cognition, Action & Perception (CAP) and directed by Dr. Heidi Kloos (CV), Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Cincinnati.

Our research team (pictures) is interested in the basics of knowledge development, especially of knowledge that is not taught explicitly. We are interested in determining how children understand basic concepts of science and how they use these concepts in their reasoning about the world.  

The Children's Cognitive Research Lab investigates issues such as: where do children's beliefs about the world come from (Children's Learning)? 
How do they coordinate pieces of information (Coordination Dynamics)?  How do normally developed children differ from children with autism in how they coordinate information (Thinking in Autism)?

We study this by looking at children’s problem solving and reasoning skills. Findings from these studies help early childhood researchers at the University of Cincinnati make positive contributions to the fields of education, child development, and psychology. UC professors and students in psychology present their findings at national conferences (events) and submit research papers to various journals for publication (articles). Findings also help design displays for the local Children’s Museum to encourage science learning in young children.