Tatiana Schaefer Email & Phone Number

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Much of developmental psychology is dedicated to understanding learning as a bottom-up process, from observed data to theories about the world. However, learning often occurs in the absence of newly observed data. Both children and scientists learn from thinking, and in the case of science, there are many documented cases of scientific advances driven by thought experiments. Despite the importance if learning from thought experiments in scientific contexts, there is very little research about whether and how children and scientifically naïve adults learn from thought experiments. We are currently working to prepare and implement a research study that employs a specialized science curriculum to understand whether young children (K-3rd grade) can revise their existing ideas about matter through thought experimentation alone (without physical manipulatives). Children’s understanding of matter is an important domain because it undergoes significant changes in the early elementary years.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Greater Boston Area

Boston, Ma

Master'S Degree, Human Development And Education

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Communications