Mia Radovanovic
Mixed messages are prevalent in children's lives and come in a variety of forms. On the one hand, we tell children to always try hard, but on the other hand, as children invest effort in activities their own experiences show them that they simply cannot invest effort in everything. Sometimes adults teach children solutions that are incorrect or inconsistent with children's experiences when they apply these solutions. Likewise, children are often told to be independent and innovative, but then face criticism when they are not obedient. Given how often children encounter mixed messages, it is important to understand how children cope with these messages. Specifically, my program of research asks: What impact do mixed messages have on children's learning?
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My work emphasizes children's active interactions with the world and captures children's engagement with mixed messages. To date, I have established novel information regarding children's reactions to mixed messages: 1) mixed messages are detrimental to children, 2) children can detect mixed messages and apply strategies to ensure mixed messages do not obscure their learning, and 3) individual differences in children's marginalized identities and social power shape reactions to mixed messages.
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In this research, I flexibly employ a variety of methods to capture both children's implicit and explicit reasoning about mixed messages from infancy to early adolescence, including behavioural coding, eye gaze experiments, semi-naturalistic studies, and integration of machine learning technology (e.g., DeepLabCut). Most recently, I am learning to employ qualitative interviews alongisde quantiative data to better integrate experimental findings with children's personal narratives and identify avenues for future interventions.
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In addition to my research, I'm also passionate about teaching, undergraduate mentorship, and initatives to increase equity, diversity, and inclusion in science! I co-coordinate and founded the Psychology Undergraduate Research Club. In our weekly meetings, undergraduates learn about research, share their own work, and gain applicable skills. In our writing workshops, we help undergraduates prepare materials both for graduate school applications and for Research Opportunity Program applications. Meanwhile, on the departmental level, I work with a team to assess campus climate for undergraduates and develop suggestions for best practices.