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The Voices Within

On the voices in our heads

Depression
The psychology of Lego Star Wars III

Charles Fernyhough Ph.D. on August 3, 2010

Children must develop a sense of free will, but how does this relate to their experience of their own actions, and how is it affected by their understanding of the collaborations in which they participate?

Children must develop a sense of free will, but how does this relate to their experience of their own actions, and how is it affected by their understanding of the collaborations in which they participate?

Child Development
Do It Again

Charles Fernyhough Ph.D. on July 23, 2010

Stereotyped behaviors can be a sign of developmental disorder, but new research shows that they are also common in typically developing children.

Stereotyped behaviors can be a sign of developmental disorder, but new research shows that they are also common in typically developing children.

Parenting
Reading the baby's mind

Charles Fernyhough Ph.D. on May 3, 2010

The kind of mind-reading I'm interested in is not the telepathy sort beloved of sci-fi writers. It's the sort that involves treating an infant as an individual with a mind, and trying to work out what is going on for him or her. People differ in their willingness (or ability) to put themselves in children's shoes in this way, and these individual differences might have some important developmental consequences.

The kind of mind-reading I'm interested in is not the telepathy sort beloved of sci-fi writers. It's the sort that involves treating an infant as an individual with a mind, and trying to work out what is going on for him or her. People differ in their willingness (or ability) to put themselves in children's shoes in this way, and these individual differences might have some important developmental consequences.

Parenting
Anti-parenting for beginners

Charles Fernyhough Ph.D. on February 6, 2010

It's time to throw out those parenting books and find a more informed and respectful way of engaging with small children. 

It's time to throw out those parenting books and find a more informed and respectful way of engaging with small children. 

Child Development
The psychology of Lego Star Wars II

Charles Fernyhough Ph.D. on November 21, 2009

Babies need to acquire knowledge about the limits of their own agency, and they do this by acting on the world. In this post, I suggest that this is a version of the problem that we all face when trying to establish our identity in a new context, such as a video game.

Babies need to acquire knowledge about the limits of their own agency, and they do this by acting on the world. In this post, I suggest that this is a version of the problem that we all face when trying to establish our identity in a new context, such as a video game.

Child Development
The Psychology of Lego Star Wars I

Charles Fernyhough Ph.D. on October 27, 2009

Children become effective collaborators when they can represent the goals of their social partners and keep track of how those goals change. Humans are possibly unique in their willingness to share goals with others, and this motivation to collaborate appears early in childhood. New research shows early understanding of joint commitments to collaborate with others.

Children become effective collaborators when they can represent the goals of their social partners and keep track of how those goals change. Humans are possibly unique in their willingness to share goals with others, and this motivation to collaborate appears early in childhood. New research shows early understanding of joint commitments to collaborate with others.

Child Development
May I have your attention, please?

Charles Fernyhough Ph.D. on July 24, 2009

A clearing of the throat will usually do it. In the old days, they would prefix a comment with something like 'I say,...' (these days, it is more likely to be a slackerishly inflected 'Hey,...'). A basic rule of conversation is that you don't start imparting your wisdom until you know you have got the attention of the intended recipient. Unless you've prepared the ground in this way, your words are likely to fall on deaf ears. When do children learn about this essential convention?

A clearing of the throat will usually do it. In the old days, they would prefix a comment with something like 'I say,...' (these days, it is more likely to be a slackerishly inflected 'Hey,...'). A basic rule of conversation is that you don't start imparting your wisdom until you know you have got the attention of the intended recipient. Unless you've prepared the ground in this way, your words are likely to fall on deaf ears. When do children learn about this essential convention?

Child Development
Where did all the toddlers go?

Charles Fernyhough Ph.D. on April 13, 2009

When I was trying to imagine my daughter's psychological development from the inside, I struggled to find any convincing fictional portrayals of young children's consciousness. In this post, I ask why writers apparently fail to take toddlers seriously, and what their absence from fiction tells us about the way our culture treats small people.

When I was trying to imagine my daughter's psychological development from the inside, I struggled to find any convincing fictional portrayals of young children's consciousness. In this post, I ask why writers apparently fail to take toddlers seriously, and what their absence from fiction tells us about the way our culture treats small people.

Child Development
The wonder begins at home

Charles Fernyhough Ph.D. on April 6, 2009

Developmental psychologists have always found rich material in their own children, but what do the child participants make of this attention? When I was writing about my daughter's psychological development, I really just wanted to see whether the wonder of parenthood gained anything in intensity when it was understood in the context of scientific research on the topic.

Developmental psychologists have always found rich material in their own children, but what do the child participants make of this attention? When I was writing about my daughter's psychological development, I really just wanted to see whether the wonder of parenthood gained anything in intensity when it was understood in the context of scientific research on the topic.