Research in the Imagination and Cognition Lab focuses on children’s conceptual development, including topics such as their perceptions of reality and possibility, the role of testimony in children’s beliefs, and the development of scientific and supernatural reasoning. In our research on children’s reality status judgments, we focus on characteristics of the stimuli (e.g., the properties or traits of an entity), characteristics of the child (e.g., fantasy orientation), and environmental factors (e.g., societal and cultural encouragement to believe). Our studies are conducted at the Children’s Research Center.
Dr. Woolley is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology in 1990 from the University of Michigan.