Research

Methods

For several years, I have been working on building infrastructure and best practices for conducting developmental psychology research online. The current best place to look is ChildrenHelpingScience.com, which is the result of multiple previous platforms merging together.

Many studies are a good fit for online data collection with children, and moving these studies online can produce large advantages for the field of developmental psychology. For an overview and some ideas about the future, a good place to start is: Sheskin et al. (2020). Online Developmental Science to Foster Innovation, Access, and Impact. Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

Approaches

My previous research has included a diverse range of populations, including adults, children, and capuchin monkeys. For any feature of psychology, it will often be useful to pursue complementary understandings of its mechanism, development, evolutionary history, and adaptive value (see the foundational work on this “Four Questions” framework by Tinbergen, 1963). An example paper tying together several of these is: Sheskin et al. (2014). Life-history theory explains childhood moral development. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 18(2), 613-615.

Over time, I have narrowed in on most of my research being about development, as reflected in the “Methods” description above, but I maintain a strong interest in pursuing the other three approaches, especially when they relate to the “Topics” description below.

Topics

As I have focused in narrowly on developing methods for online data collection with children, I have broadened the topics I am involved with investigating. However, I maintain a strong interest in two topics that have formed the core of much of my work: moral psychology, and educational psychology. Please see my Publications page for various papers on both of these topics.