Shannon E
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at Duke University
Expertise
child development, developmental psychology, child language development, parent-child interactions
Bio
Hi, my name is Shannon! I am a postdoctoral researcher at Duke. I received my PhD in developmental psychology from Duke University in 2022. In my research, I investigate early parent-child interactions and early child development. Specifically, I'm interested in figuring out how babies and young children learn language from their caregivers and the world around them. My current research investigates child development in the context of poverty. In addition to child development and language, I'm also interested in mindfulness, literacy development, and education. I am originally from rural north-central Pennsylvania, and I currently live in North Carolina. My hobbies include cooking, playing music, and watching baseball. I also love hanging out with my huskies, Shuri and Korra!Project ideas
Why do some parents talk to their babies more than others?
Around the world, some babies hear lots of speech, while others hear relatively little. In some cultures, like Tseltal Mayan, parents rarely talk directly to babies. But in other cultures, like in the United States, parents often value talking with their baby. Even within communities, some parents may be more talkative, while others may not have much time to spend one-on-one with their baby. Let’s think about the ways that parents speak to babies across cultures and communities!
Why do girls have better language skills than boys?
Research shows that on average, baby girls say their first words earlier than baby boys. They also have bigger vocabularies throughout childhood! What drives this gender difference? Are girls “trained” to talk more by their parents (even unintentionally), is it innate, or something else?
