Children's Representational
Development Lab
MEET THE LAB
DEEPTHI KAMAWAR
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR, Ph.D.
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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.
TELEAH PETTER
Teleah is a Post-Baccalaureate student in Cognitive Science. She completed her BA Honours in Psychology at Carleton University in 2024. New to the lab this year, she is driven by an interest in various aspects of child cognitive development, particularly in areas such as moral cognition and future-oriented actions in young children. She is hoping to explore some of these topics in more depth with her colleagues this year!
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.
KHALED AL MOHAMMAD
I'm Khaled Al Mohammad, I'm a fourth-year Cognitive Science student at Carleton University, with a concentration in Cognition & Psychology. My research interests include learning how children think about the future and making decisions. Through my experience, I hope to deepen my understanding of the general research process, and explore more about children's cognitive development.