Catherine Tamis-LeMonda, Ph.D.
Professor of Applied Psychology
New York University Steinhardt

“Embodied and Embedded Learning: Moving Beyond Theoretical, Methodological, and Cultural Divides in Developmental Science”

Abstract: Infancy is a remarkable time. Each emerging skill generates perceptual and social feedback vital to learning. And although researchers of infancy each zero in on a specific domain of development, our work is grounded in core principles of learning. In this talk, Tamis-LaMonda spotlights fundamental tenets of developmental science and the need for researchers to surmount soundbites, theoretical divides, methodological assumptions, and the narrow approaches to culture that persist in the field. Tamis-LeMonda illustrates with examples of infant-parent everyday home activities in samples from different socioeconomic status households, language communities, and global sites. She shows that infant learning is the product of immense amounts of time-distributed, varied practice; that cognition is grounded in action; and that venturing beyond the lab and expanding inquiry to diverse cultural communities offers unique insights into learning processes.

Light reception to follow.