The Causality and Mind Lab (Principal Investigator: Dave Sobel) is a Developmental Psychology Research lab in the Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences Brown University. Our research examines children’s cognitive development. We study how children learn about the everyday world, and how that learning relates to their understanding and engagement with science, both in and outside the classroom. We also study children’s social cognition – how they understand others’ mental states and concepts like fairness and truth.

Our research examines how children represent and learn causal relations, make causal inferences, and how they understand their own and others’ mental states. We use both behavioral and computational approaches to study how children learn.

Interested in participating?

When kids participate in research with the Causality and Mind Lab, they will play games with us that are designed both to be a lot of fun, and help further scientific research! We are currently running our studies with 3-8 year olds in person and remotely through Zoom. We also work at various locations in the Providence area. If your family is interested in participating in our research, please click the button below to sign up.
Click here to sign up!
Funding

The lab has been funded by the NIH, the NSF, and grants from Brown University.

Currently, the lab is funded by NSF Grant, Fostering STEM Engagement from Parent-Child Interactions (NSF 2300459

Lab Location

We are currently located in Room 123 of the Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences building – Metcalf Hall – on Brown University’s Campus.
190 Thayer St. Providence, RI 02912