Charles Fernyhough Ph.D.

The psychology of Lego Star Wars III

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?

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

Reading the baby's mind

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.

Anti-parenting for beginners

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. 

The psychology of Lego Star Wars II

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.

Making the news this week have been some findings that newborn babies imitate aspects of the 'accents' of their parents' language.

The Psychology of Lego Star Wars I

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.

May I have your attention, please?

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?