Culture and Development

The Center's programmatic research focussing on culture and development examines the processes families and schools employ to enculturate, educate, and prepare their children for participation in their societies. 

The specific objectives of this research program are: 

• To delineate and understand cultural variations in children's language, cognitive, and academic development; 
• To develop and improve research designs and methodology employed in studies of cognitive, language, and academic phenomena in different cultures; 
• To develop collaborations for conducting research on culture and development; and
• To understand the implications for variations and commonalities in cognitive development in terms of brain processes and brain development for children and youth in different cultures.

Twila Tardif, program director, came to CHGD in January 2002 from her prior position at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is internationally known for her research on language acquisition in Chinese children, and has numerous collaborative ties with developmentalists in Asia.

CHGD faculty members are currently conducting over 20 research projects related to this research program. Research projects fall into four overlapping clusters: language and literacy development among children in the U.S., China, and Japan; early "foundational" cognitive developments that set the stage for later achievements and cultural learning; psychological and physiological aspects of emotion regulation and executive functioning abilities across cultures; and the transition to schooling in different countries.

For more information, visit the Culture and Development program website.