Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Zane Levine

Developing Causal Relations

For my project this summer, I am researching how children, specifically ages 4-6, form causal relations. I am trying to understand what leads a child to gather information through interaction with their environment, and how they learn to use the information that they gather to inform future decisions that they make. In order to do this, I am using virtual blicket detector, which is a machine which requires the presence of certain objects placed on top, which act as keys allowing the machine to turn on. Children, through interaction, investigation and play with the machine, are then asked which objects are used to turn the machine on, and whether the machine resembles one of two possible previously shown machines, which helps us understand their thought process while they play with the machine and gives us insight as to how their interaction with the machine informs their decision.

Message To Sponsor

Thank you so much for sponsoring my research this summer. Developmental psychology has been an interest of mine since high school, and I've been working at this lab studying this topic for a little over a year now. Your donation allows me to continue my research, which is very important to me, in a lab that has all the facilities that I need to conduct my research effectively.