CIRC Research
As a unit of Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology, CIRC investigates a range of topics related to children and provides extension and outreach services to teachers and others who work with children. To learn more about our specific programs, click on the accordion links below.
Our commissioned studies investigate such topics as the validity of child custody evaluations, the effect of neurotoxicants on children’s development, assessments of Universal Pre-Kindergarten initiatives, and the risky decision-making of adolescents.
The Thinking Like a Scientist program provides materials on thinking and reasoning in the scientific method for teachers to incorporate into their district’s regular science curriculum. The program targets youth, mainly from underrepresented groups such as girls and students of color, to encourage them to pursue a secondary education and increase their representation in science careers.
CIRC documents its research findings in a range of publications intended for fellow academics and policy makers. Where copyright allows, we provide abstracts for download within this section.
To learn more, see our articles, chapters and books and policy briefs.
Our future directions include a summer workshop series and the Telluride Longitudinal Study, currently under development. This page will also contain more information about our works in progress.
Articles, Chapters and Books
Articles, Chapters and Books
Papierno, P.B., Ceci, S.J., Makel, M.C., & Williams, W.M. (in press). The ontogeny of exceptional abilities: A bioecological perspective. To appear in Journal for the Education of the Gifted.
Emery, R., Otto, R., & O'Donohue, W. (2005). The validity of child custody fitness evaluations: psychological, legal, and policy implications. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 6(1), 1-29.
Papierno, P.B. & Ceci, S.J. (2005). Promoting equity or inducing disparity: The costs and benefits of widening achievement gaps through universalized interventions. Georgetown Public Policy Review 10(2), 1-15.
Ceci, S.J. & Papierno, P.B. (2005). The rhetoric and reality of gap closing: When the "have-nots" gain but the "haves" gain even more. American Psychologist, 60, 149-160.
Williams, W.M., Papierno, P.B., Makel, M.C., & Ceci, S.J. (2004). Thinking like a scientist about real-world problems: The Cornell Institute for Research on Children science education program Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 25(1), 107-126.
Williams, W.M., Papierno, P.B., & Makel, M.C. & Ceci, S.J. (2004). Teaching children real-world thinking and reasoning. In Fischer, C.B. & Lerner, R.M. (Eds.) Applied developmental science: An encyclopedia of research, policies, and programs (pp. 1092-1095). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Ceci, S.J. & Williams, W.M. (2003). The Cornell Institute for Research on Children: A vision of integrated developmental science. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 24(6), 681-696.
Ceci, S.J., Paperino, P.B., & Mueller-Johnson, K.U. (2002). The twisted relationship between school spending and academic outputs: In search of a new metaphor Journal of School Psychology, 40, 477-484.
Policy Briefs
Policy Briefs
The policy aspect of CIRC serves to inform public policy makers of current developmental research related to children and their families with the hope that better informed policy makers will make decisions that are supported by this research. Click on the links below to download some of these policy briefs or click on the names to learn more about the authors of our briefs.
On stereotype threat and how to combat it
David M. Biek
Cornell University
False Confessions: Some Developmental and Forensic Considerations
Steven A. Drizin
Northwestern University School of Law
How does parental use of flextime impact child well-being?
Rebecca L. Fraser-Thill
Cornell University
Stranger Danger: An assessment of the effectiveness of child abduction education
Sarah Kulkofsky
Cornell University
Behavioral Factors Emerge in Crib Death
Lewis P. Lipsitt
Professor Emeritus of Psychology & Medical Science
Brown University
Increasing Diversity in Gifted Programs
Matthew Makel
Cornell University
Restricting or Universalizing Targeted Interventions: National Policy Ramifications
Paul B. Papierno
Cornell University
Religion's Role in the Development of Youth
Geoffrey L. Ream
Commissioned Studies
Commissioned Studies
Team Members:
Matthew C. Makel, Cornell University
Paul B. Papierno, Cornell University
Wendy M. Williams, Cornell University
Stephen J. Ceci, Cornell University
Team Members:
William O'Donohue, University of Nevada
Robert Emery, University of Virginia
Randy Otto, University of South Florida
Team Members:
Laura Hubbs, Oklahoma State University
David Bellinger, Harvard University Medical School
Jack Nation, Texas A&M University
Nancy Krebs, University of Colorado
Team Members:
Matthew Scullin, West Virginia University
Wendy M. Williams, Cornell University
Stephen J. Ceci, Cornell University
Team Members:
Maggie Bruck, Johns Hopkins University
Mark Howe, Lockhead University
Jodi Quas, University of California-Irvine
Michael Lamb, National Institutes of Health
Lucy McGough, Louisiana State University
Team Members:
David A. Dunning, Cornell University
Chip Heath, Stanford University
Jerry Suls, University of Iowa
Team Members:
Valerie Reyna, University of Texas
Baruch Fischoff, Carnegie Mellon University
Team Members:
James Heckman, University of Chicago
Stephen J. Ceci, Cornell University
Team Members:
Morton Ann Gernsbacher, University of Wisconsin
David Miklowitz, University of Colorado