The Child Development Lab is run by Dr. Sarah Berger, who holds a Ph.D. in cognitive development from New York University.
Dr. Berger and her research team study the development of infants’ problem-solving skills in the context of locomotion. For example, we study how infants learn to navigate around obstacles that stand between them and a goal. We use infants’ motor behaviors to gain insight into underlying cognitive processes.
In our studies, babies play with toys or crawl and walk over special playground equipment, such as slopes or stairs.
A second research interest is the impact of social and contextual factors on infants’ locomotor development. These include the influence of older siblings on younger siblings’ development, strategies that parents use to teach locomotor methods, and the opportunities for learning that constrain infant development