MEET THE LAB

DEEPTHI KAMAWAR

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR, Ph.D.My research interests focus on a range of issues related to young children’s cognitive development. In my lab, we examine 4- to 6-year-olds’ developing ability to think about the future (future-oriented cognition), specifically focusing on their developing ability to save. We are also interested in their developing Executive Function skills (inhibition, cognitive flexibility) and how such skills contribute to other cognitive achievements. We also examine children’s ability to understand that people’s minds represent the world in particular ways (which may or may not be correct), and it is on the basis of these representations that we predict or explain behaviour (a broad area known as Theory of Mind). Other research has examined the developmental progression of a variety of representation types (e.g., symbols). Our research also examines children’s developing notion of ‘intention’ (purposeful behaviour), and how considerations of intention affect moral evaluations.

ELLEN DOUCET

Ellen is a PhD student and research assistant in the Children's Representational Development Lab. She has an MA in Psychology from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Science from Mount Allison University. Ellen is currently involved in all studies in the lab, but her main area of interest is children's saving performance. More specifically, she is interested in factors that

can improve saving performance, such as budgeting and experience, as well as ways that we can help young children save. Further, she is interested in the impact of cognitive skills for saving, such as numeracy skills, temporal cognition, planning, and inhibitory control.

TEJU OLADIPO

Teju Oladipo is a first-year MA psychology student and research assistant in the Children’s Representational Development Lab. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Cognitive Science from Carleton University where she completed her Honours Thesis under the supervision of Dr. Deepthi Kamawar and Dr. Rebecca Merkley, examining whether motivational factors affect young children’s saving performance. Her current research interests focus on whether social factors, such as personality, temperament, or children’s understanding of money influence how children save.

EDINA TORLAKOVIC

Edina is a returning PhD candidate in Cognitive Science at Carleton University, where she has resumed her studies to complete her dissertation. Her research interests include early reading development, executive functions, attention, working memory, inhibition, and self-regulation. She is particularly interested in how learners’ cognitive profiles influence reading development and how learning and assessment tasks can better account for individual differences.

LEXIA LE

Lexia is a 4th year student in Psychology, completing her Honours thesis in the lab.

THEODORA JOHN-OSENI

Theodora is a 4th year student in Psychology, with a concentration in Cognitive Psychology, completing her Honours thesis in the lab.

TAYLOR MOON

Taylor is a fourth-year honours student in Cognitive Science with a concentration in Psychology and Cognition. She will be completing her honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Deepthi Kamawar, examining children’s ability to save. She is interested in evaluating how different individual factors influence future-oriented cognition in younger children, and how these factors impact decision-making in the long term.