Concordia Social Cognitive Development Lab

03/11/2026

The Concordia Social Cognitive Development lab invites parents with 4 to 7 year old children to participate in a new online study on children’s helping, sharing, and caring behaviour. Participation involves completing a 25-minute questionnaire. Enter your responses for a chance to win one of three $50 Amazon gift cards!

Participate using the following link: https://concordia.yul1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a2z5Hg7hwghg2Dc

For any additional information, contact us at [email protected]

We are child development researchers from the Concordia University Social Cognitive Development Lab in Montreal and we're interested in how children help others and empathize with others.

01/28/2025

Online Helpfulness Survey!

The Concordia University Social Cognitive Development Lab has a new study exploring children’s helpfulness in the home.
We are looking for Canadian parents of kids aged 3 to 12 to fill out our survey about children’s helping in the home. Participation consists of completing a single online questionnaire, which takes about 10 minutes.

Participate at the following link: https://concordia.yul1.qualtrics.com/.../SV_3xze0aqVUL6ribY
If you want to participate in our other studies, sign up here: https://www.cscdlab.com/participate.html
Or contact us at [email protected]

This is a survey by the Concordia Social Cognitive Development Lab exploring children's natural helping and help-seeking behavior in the home.

11/25/2024

Online Helpfulness Survey!

The Concordia University Social Cognitive Development Lab has a new study exploring children’s helpfulness in the home.

We are looking for Canadian parents of kids aged 7 to 12 to fill out our survey about children’s helping in the home. Participation consists of completing a single online questionnaire, which takes about 10 minutes.

Participate at the following link:

This is a survey by the Concordia Social Cognitive Development Lab exploring children's natural helping and help-seeking behavior in the home.

10/02/2024

Online Helpfulness Survey!

The Concordia University Social Cognitive Development Lab has a new study exploring children’s helpfulness in the home.

We are looking for Canadian parents of kids aged 3 to 12 to fill out our survey about children’s helping in the home. Participation consists of completing a single online questionnaire, which takes about 10 minutes.

Participate at the following link:

This is a survey by the Concordia Social Cognitive Development Lab exploring children's natural helping and help-seeking behavior in the home.

09/17/2024

Online Helpfulness Survey!

The Concordia University Social Cognitive Development Lab has a new study exploring children’s helpfulness in the home.

We are looking for Canadian parents of kids aged 3 to 12 to fill out our survey about children’s helping in the home. Participation consists of completing a single online questionnaire, which takes about 10 minutes.

Participate at the following link: https://concordia.yul1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3xze0aqVUL6ribY

If you want to participate in our other studies, sign up here: http://infantresearch.ca/participate
Or contact us at [email protected]

This is a survey by the Concordia Social Cognitive Development Lab exploring children's natural helping and help-seeking behavior in the home.

04/01/2024

Studies on sharing show a funny behaviour in young children: though children say that they should share fairly, they often don't!

For her undergraduate honours thesis, Stefanie Netto is looking at how the development of executive function may close the gap between children's sharing knowledge and behavior. She created this illustration encapsulating the complex topic, hoping to encourage others to learn about it as well.

03/28/2024

Our lab, the Concordia Social Cognitive Development Lab, attended their first international conference, the Cognitive Development Society (CDS) conference. The CDS conference serves as a premier gathering for scholars, practitioners, and enthusiasts interested in exploring the complexities of cognitive development. These graduates, Radu Urian, Seleste Beaulieu, Cole Dougherty, and Maxine Iannuccilli, have presented their groundbreaking research at this prestigious event.

Radu Urian's study on the "Knowledge-Behavior Gap: Does Prosocial Norm Understanding Predict Actual Prosocial" sheds light on the gap between understanding prosocial norms and exhibiting prosocial behavior.
Seleste Beaulieu's research delves into "Exploring the Relations Between Helping, Sharing, and Comforting in Childhood," offering insights into the mechanism of these prosocial behaviors.
Cole Dougherty's work on "Harm & Authority: Considerations for Moral Evaluations of Stealing" explores the moral evaluations associated with stealing in relation to harm and authority.
Maxine Iannuccilli investigates the impact of parental feedback on "If at First You Don't Succeed: Parental Feedback and the Transmission of Gender Stereotypes About Intellectual Ability," examining how parental influence shapes gender stereotypes about intellectual ability.
We are proud to support their academic and professional journey and eagerly look forward to their continued success.

11/17/2023

Over the weekend, our CSCD lab attended the annual Exposcience in the West Island, and it was a blast! Interacting with the kids was a highlight, watching their faces light up as they explored various experiments, including our own. Our exhibit had a simple yet fun activity – asking them to "Draw yourself as a scientist."

The kids' creativity was truly impressive, and their excitement for learning about science was contagious. It's always a great time for us when we see young minds so eager to delve into the world of science. It reminded us of the significance of nurturing an interest in science from a young age.

The atmosphere at Exposcience was lively, and the event reaffirmed our belief in the importance of making science engaging and accessible for kids.

10/25/2023

Meet Cassandra Didical is a dedicated third-year undergrad student majoring in Honours Psychology. She's currently delving into a challenging Property study alongside her mentor, Cole.

This study is all about pushing the boundaries of traditional thought when it comes to morality and moral violations. Cassandra's particular area of interest lies in understanding how children and adults differ in their perspectives on property rights. She's excited to explore this aspect and become well-versed in the ethical considerations and research methodologies involved in childhood research.

Outside of her academic pursuits, Cassandra has a few interesting aspects to her personality. She's been a committed vegan for the past six years, embracing a compassionate lifestyle. In her leisure time, you'll often find her engrossed in horror movies, as she's a true enthusiast for spine-tingling thrills.

Cassandra describes herself as easygoing and profoundly curious! She's looking forward to being part of a great team, where she can share her passion for research, ethics, and psychology while continuing to learn and grow in her field.

10/11/2023

Wishing Radu Urian – our very own lab coordinator – an immense congratulations on his presentation at the Human Development and Child Learning Symposium held at Concordia University.

Entitled “Prosocial responses to diverse needs in urban Canadian and rural Tzotzil Maya children”, the talk highlighted critical research done at the CSCD lab with children from a rural indigenous Maya community in Zinacantán, Mexico. This research project explored the different cultural manifestations of prosocial behavior – it turns out that while the capacity for prosocial behavior develops universally across every culture, the way prosociality is expressed varies between cultures. For example, on average, Canadian children are encouraged to help around the house even when they’re unhelpful, while Tzotzil Maya children are only expected to help when they can meaningfully contribute to their household. We are very proud of our lab coordinator for getting out of his comfort zone and taking on the important task of communicating our research with the broader scientific community!

Interested in participating? Great!
Fill out the form in the link below to be contacted for this study https://www.cscdlab.com/participate.html

09/28/2023

This is no optical illusion! The CSCD lab embarks on a field trip to the Museums of Illusions in Montreal. It's essential for us to come together as a group, take a break from our research, and share some laughs. Swipe to see more fun photos!