Title: Professor 

Office: 113 Coffey Hall

Phone: 773-508-8226

Post-Doctorate Fellowship(s): Center for Developmental Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Doctorate: Ph.D., Emory University, Specialty: Cognition and Development in Psychology

Masters: M.A., Emory University, Specialty: Cognition and Development in Psychology 

Bachelors: B.S., Wake Forest University, Major: Psychology

Website:  Children's Memory and Learning

Researchgate: Catherine Haden

Google Scholar:  Catherine Haden Google Scholar 

PSYC 306 Research Methods

PSYC 318 Laboratory in Developmental Psychology

 

Catherine Haden is an expert in cognition and development who studies children's learning and remembering. A specific focus of the work is on how museum-based practices that encourage families' narratives and storytelling can promote children's science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning and advance diversity in STEM education. For the past 15+ years, Haden has partnered with Chicago Children's Museum, to study family interactions in museum exhibits with children ages 3 to 10 years of age; this work is contributing to understanding and improving young children's informal STEM education outside of school. Guiding this work is the notion that early exposure to fun, creative and meaningful engineering experiences may boost interest and the eventual pursuit of engineering and technology education paths by students. Haden's work with her students and colleagues recommends methods that parents and other educators can use with young children in STEM learning situations to foster early understanding of the scientific method, develop knowledge of STEM-related concepts, and potentially increase interest in future science education and career options. The focus on narrative and storytelling is further reflected in a recent project that considers the ways that Latinx/e families engage in talk about science when reading books and reminiscing about past experiences. Dr. Haden's research is funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

 

(^*Graduate student/Postdoc ^uUndergraduate student ^oOther trainee)

 

Marcus, M. ^*, Haden, C. A., & Uttal, D. H. (2017). STEM learning and transfer in a children’s museum and beyond. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 63(2), 155-180. https://doi.org/ 10.13110/merrpalmquar1982.63.2.0155

 

Tõugu, P.^o, Marcus, M. ^*, Haden, C. A., & Uttal, D. H. (2017). Connecting play experiences and engineering learning in a children’s museum. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 53, 10-19. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.appdev.2017.09.001 

 

Marcus, M. ^*, Haden, C. A., & Uttal, D. H. (2018). Promoting children’s learning and transfer across informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning experiences. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 175, 80-95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2018.06.003

 

Pagano, L. C. ^*, Haden, C. A., Uttal, D. H., & Cohen, T. (2019). Conversational reflections about tinkering experiences in a children's museum. Science Education. 103(6), 1493-1512. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21536

 

Pagano, L. C. ^*, Haden, C. A., & Uttal, D. H. (2020). Museum program design supports parent-child engineering talk during tinkering and reminiscing. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 200. [Advance online publication] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2020.104944

 

Booth, A. E., Shavlik, M.^o, & Haden, C. A. (2020). Parents’ causal talk: Links to children’s causal stance and emerging scientific literacy. Developmental Psychology 56(11), 2055–2064. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001108

 

Acosta, D. I. ^*, Polinsky, N. J.^o, Haden, C. A., & Uttal, D. H. (2021). Whether and how knowledge moderates linkages between parent-child conversations and children’s reflections about tinkering in a children’s museum. Journal of Cognition and Development, 22(2), 226-245. https://doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2020.1871350

 

Marcus, M. ^*, Acosta, D. I. ^*, Tõugu, P. ^*, Uttal, D. H., & Haden, C. A. (2021). Tinkering with testing: Understanding how museum program design advances engineering learning opportunities for children. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.689425

 

Marcus, M. ^*, Tõugu, P. ^*, Haden, C. A., & Uttal, D. H. (2021). Advancing opportunities for children’s informal STEM learning transfer through parent-child narrative reflection. Child Development, 92, e1075–e1084.  https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13641

 

Acosta, D. I. ^*, & Haden, C. A. (2022). Museum-based tinkering and engineering learning opportunities among Latine families with young children. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 80, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2022.101416