Duke CHILD Studies

Join us on Saturday, June 20th at the NC Juneteenth Celebration! Come learn more about us while enjoying free goodies, local food, performances, and more! 😋🧩

Welcome Ellie! 🥳🥳🥳

Meet our new lab manager, Eliana Brown, who is starting in August officially!

Name: Eliana or Eli (pronounced Ellie)

Home: San Francisco, CA

Coming from: Haverford College (20 minutes from Philly)

Excited about: I am super excited to manage the lab while being able to do research and for the free food since that's most peoples' top lab activity 🙂

Fun Fact: I've been playing volleyball since I was in third grade.

Happy Children's Day! Children's Day reminds us to nurture love, kindness, and imagination, helping every child grow into a confident and happy person 🎉

Join us on Friday, June 12th at the Durham Foodie Fare! Come learn more about us while enjoying free goodies, local food, and more! 😋🧩

Did you know that children’s experiences with race and ethnicity are shaped by more than one identity at a time? ✨

In a new review, researchers explain that racial-ethnic socialization, the messages children receive about race, culture, can look different depending on factors like gender, immigration context, skin tone, and socioeconomic status. Rather than treating race as a single “label,” this work highlights how identities overlap and shift across settings, helping explain why children’s race-related experiences can vary so widely.

If you are interested in getting involved in our research, check out the LinkTree in our bio or email [email protected] for more information! 🧩

Read more about this review here:

Muñoz, C. M., & Gaither, S. E. (2025). Considering Multiplicity in Racial Ethnic Socialization. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 7. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-devpsych-111323-115125

Did you know that preschoolers may understand fairness earlier than we thought? ✨

In one study, researchers found that children as young as 3 shared rewards fairly when they had worked together with another person to earn them. While young children are often thought to divide resources selfishly, these findings suggest that collaboration may help children recognize when rewards should be shared fairly.

If you are interested in getting involved in our research, check out the LinkTree in our bio or email [email protected] for more information! 🧩

Read more about this study from Dr. Tomasello here:

Warneken, F., Lohse, K., Melis, A. P., & Tomasello, M. (2011). Young children share the spoils after collaboration. Psychological Science, 22(2), 267–273. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610395392

Join us on Saturday, May 23rd at the Taste of Soul food festival! Come learn more about us while enjoying free goodies, local food, and performances! 😋🧩

Join Duke CHILD Studies at our upcoming recruitment events! Come learn more about our labs and grab some goodies! See you there🧩

Did you know that when toddlers point, they may be asking to learn? ✨

In one study of 18 month olds, researchers found that toddlers often pointed to objects to seek information, especially labels. When adults responded by naming and explaining the object the child pointed to, toddlers learned more than when adults talked about a different object.

If you are interested in getting involved in our research, check out the LinkTree in our bio or email [email protected] for more information! 🧩

Read more about this study from Dr. Wilbourn here:

Lucca, K., & Wilbourn, M. P. (2019). The what and the how: Information-seeking pointing gestures facilitate learning labels and functions. Journal of experimental child psychology, 178, 417–436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2018.08.003

Join Duke CHILD Studies on Saturday, May 2nd for the Strawberry Festival at Old North Durham Park! We’ll be tabling from 11 am - 3 pm with hands-on activities and prizes for our young scientists! We can’t wait to see you there! 🍓

If you are interested in getting involved in our research, check out the LinkTree in our bio, or email us at [email protected] for more information! 🧩