Head of Lab: Prof. Yair Ziv

The early education and development lab was established in 2015 with the aim of furthering an in-depth understanding of social and social-cognitive processes occurring in young children at home and in early education settings. Studies conducted in this lab are guided by the conviction that early childhood education and development research must combine applied and basic research and should have an immediate impact and exposure outside of the university, particularly in the early education field.  

The following four large-scale projects are currently conducted in the Lab:

 The associations between parents' social information processing, the quality of the parent-child relationships, and children's social information processing and social behavior in the preschool years (2016-2023) - follow-up into early adolescence

The study was funded by Israel Science Foundation (ISF) in order to examine a complex intergenerational set of links between caregivers' social information processing (SIP) patterns, their state of mind regarding their relationships with the child, the quality of the caregiver-child relationships, children's SIP patterns, and children's behavior in preschool. We collected data from 300 children and their parents and kindergarten teachers. A follow-up early adolescence study will conclude next year (2023). In the follow-up study, we are examining, among other purposes, the long-term effects of parenting on early adolescents' social and academic development.

Early education and development in the Bedouin society in Israel: intervention and evaluation (2019-2023) (with Prof. Miri Scarf and Prof. Salim Abu Rabia)

In this large-scale study funded by the Israeli Department of Education, we are aiming to explore different school readiness interventions with children in the Bedouin society in Israel, an impoverished society struggling economically and socially. We are conducting class- as well as home-based interventions and evaluate their efficacy by measuring children's social, social-cognitive, and cognitive outcomes before school entry and through 1st grade.

Characterizing Early Childhood Education in the Arab Societ in Israel (2021-2023) 

In another study funded by the Israeli Department of Education, we are aiming to define specific characteristics of the early childhood education system in the Arab society in Israel - from birth to age 6. The study includes a large-scale, representative sample of parents, early childhood educators, and policymakers. Multiple measures will be used to evaluate the quality of services, from infancy to school entry. 

Exploring the pathways from parents' social information processing (SIP) to children's SIP and social adjustment during the kindergarten to first-grade transition(2022-2026) (with Dr. Reout Arbel)

This study is funded by the ISF with the aim of expanding our understanding of the pathways by which intergenerational social cognition transference occurs. We will examine three different pathways: (1) parental sensitivity and attunement (2) modeling through demonstration, and (3) direct guidance. We expect to explain much of the variance currently not explained in intergenerational transference by including multiple mechanisms by which parental behaviors and perceptions influence children's behaviors and perceptions.

There are multiple other, smaller scales studies conducted in the lab focusing on young children's social and emotional functioning, attachment relationships, and relationships within the early childhood education settings.

 Selected completed projects:

• The Lourie Center program evaluation (2008-2020)

• Classroom quality in Israeli preschools and kindergartens (2013-2016) - funded by the Israeli Dept. of Education

• Social Information Processing and Exposure to Political Violence: Relations to Maladaptive Behavior in Preschool Children (2009-2014) - Funded by the European Union FP7