Welcome!
Welcome to the Child Learning and Development Lab! We are a developmental psychology lab affiliated with the Department of Psychology at Amherst College. We study how children learn about the world around them, with a particular emphasis on how children learn from social interactions with others.
Most of our studies involve children between 0 and 10 years of age, and we’re always looking to involve interested families in our research. Studies take place at Amherst College, and typically involve a one-time visit lasting about 30 minutes.
We invite you to explore our website to learn more about our research and to discover how your family can get involved.
Parents, learn more about our current studies and consider registering your family to participate. Any questions you have might be answered in the FAQ.
Students, learn more about our research and publications.
Learn more about the CLAD Lab researchers.
Latest News in the CLAD Lab
Fall 2023:
Our Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) students presented their research at the Amherst College Summer Research poster session! Top: Vaughn Armour ('25); Middle: Lauren Yuen ('25); Bottom: Ada Chen ('25) and Justin Ruiz ('24).
Summer 2023:
Our summer researchers are excited to begin work their summers here on campus! Back row: Prof. Palmquist, Mary Gum ('24), Eren Levine ('24), and Justin Ruiz ('24). Front row: Lauren Yuen ('25), Ada Chen ('25), Yareli Calderon Romero ('25), and Vaughn Armour ('25).
Spring 2023:
Two of the thesis students in our lab, Megan Taketa (left) and Cayla Weiss (right), presented their research at the Society for Research in Child Development biennial meeting in Salt Lake City, UT in March!
We're excited to kick off a new semester with our returning research assistants (on the left): Madison Green ('24) and Jackie Fernandes ('24) and three new research assistants (on the right): Yareli Calderon Romero ('25), Mary Gum ('24), and Giulia Miotto Leal ('24)!
