Presenter: Yashvi Patel
Faculty Sponsor: Lauren S. Aulet
School: UMass Amherst
Research Area: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
ABSTRACT
Intuitive physics, the ability to make predictions about physical events like object stability and motion, is a foundational cognitive skill, yet little is known about what factors predict individual differences in the performance of children. One potential contributor is the home learning environment (HLE), particularly children’s engagement in spatial activities (e.g., building with blocks, playing with puzzles). Understanding how the HLE influences intuitive physics skills could provide insight into early cognitive development and inform strategies for supporting learning at home. The present study investigates the relationship between intuitive physics skills and spatial HLE in 4- to 8- year-old children. Participants complete a battery of three intuitive physics tasks (block tower collapse prediction, weight judgment, and ramp collision prediction; adapted from Mitko et al., 2024) and a mental rotation control task (adapted from Frick and Newcombe). Parents will complete a questionnaire assessing children’s spatial activities usage type and frequency at home. By examining the specific types of activities that are most strongly associated with physical reasoning, this study aims to identify actionable ways parents and educators can foster these skills. We will examine whether HLE predicts intuitive physics performance and whether this relationship holds after controlling for mental rotation ability. This work will shed light on environmental factors that may support the development of physical reasoning in early childhood and contribute to the understanding of how cognitive skills emerge.
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