Cara DiYanni

Contact Info

Email: cdiyanni [at] rider.edu

Phone Number: 609-896-7761

Office Location: Mike and Patti Hennessy Science and Technology Center

About Dr. DiYanni

  • Dr. DiYanni has a Ph.D. in early childhood cognitive development.
  • She graduated from Boston University’s doctoral program in 2006.
  • She has worked at Rider University since 2008.
  • Each semester, she recruits motivated undergraduate students who are interested in child development and in gaining research experience to work in her lab.
  • Her research projects examine children’s imitation, social learning, play, and imagination.
  • ALL projects have involved student helpers!

Research Goals

  • Dr. DiYanni is interested in imitation and how far children are willing to go to copy a model.
  • She is also interested in social learning in general, and what factors influence children’s decisions to learn (or not to learn) from others, and to pass on (or not to pass on) what they have learned.
  • She also has a passion for the importance of play and imagination in early childhood development.

Current Research Projects

  1. The Benefits of Outdoor Play for Education - coming soon!
  2. In a COVID-19 World, Play in Schools is More Important than Ever Before:
    • Teachers, parents, and children in Pre-K through 3rd grade teachers were all asked about the amount of play that should be (vs. currently is) part of their (children's/ students') daily school life.
    • Play in Schools Presentation (PDF)
    • Blog posts on Psychology Today representing more detailed findings from this study
  3. How did COVID-19 affect the play of children?
    • Parents of children ages 3-10 were surveyed about how their children's outdoor play, engagement in structured vs. unstructured play, and screen time was affected by the emergence of the pandemic, quarantine, and a return to in-person learning.
    • COVID-19 Impact on Play (PDF)
    • Manuscript on Open Science Framework representing more detailed findings from this study
  4. How do children's perceptions of an informants' prior imitation decisions affect their trust in those informants?
    • We show children ages 4-6 a few videos over Zoom and get their feedback on a few questions. 
      • Total testing time = 10 minutes or less!
      • Zoom meetings scheduled at the family’s convenience!
    • First, participants watch a model choosing a tool that is inefficient for a task (e.g., “crushing” a cookie with a tool made of fuzzy pom-poms) rather than a tool that would work effectively for the task (e.g., with a solid handle and solid bottom).
      Two tools used in an experiment
      Oreo cookie on a paper plate
    • Then, two other “informants” will make decisions about whether or not to copy the model’s choice. 
      • When they are presented with a cookie to crush, one informant will use the same pom-pom tool as the model and one informant will choose a more effective alternative.
      • After that, the child will be shown a series of objects, and each informant will suggest different ways to use those objects
        Wooden block
        Melon baller
        Wooden block shaped like a person
    • Children are asked who they believe. The question is whether they endorse the ideas of the informant who copied the original model, or the informant who went her own direction (but chose the more effective tool). 

Sign Up for our Study!

  1. Please fill out the Consent Form for the Current Study 
  2. Contact Dr. Cara DiYanni for more information about how to schedule a session with your child for the current study: [email protected]

Contact Us

For more information about the current study, the research program in general, or previous studies, contact Dr. Cara DiYanni: [email protected]

Past Projects

The basic task involves a model’s deliberate choice of an inefficient tool rather than an efficient tool to complete the task, and then children are offered the choice to complete the task. For example, the model may choose a tool made of fuzzy pom-poms - rather than a tool with a sturdy handle and solid bottom - to crush a cookie.

Two tools used in an experiment
Oreo cookie on a paper plate
  • When given the opportunity to complete the task themselves, do children copy the model’s inefficient choice, and risk sacrificing goal completion?
  • Or do they choose instead to go against the model, but use the tool that would work much better for the task at hand?
  • What factors influence children’s decisions when a model deliberately chooses an inefficient tool for a task? To date, some factors we have examined include:
    • Intention of the model (‘Oops’ vs. ‘There’)
    • Model’s statements about the design of the tool (‘This one was made for…’)
    • Number of models (1 vs. 3)
    • Age of the model (child vs. adult)
    • Language of the model (‘I am going to…’ vs. ‘We always do it this way.’) 
    • Familiarity of the model (parent vs. stranger)
    • Presence of the model (the one from the video is in the room with the child vs. absent from the room when the child makes their choice)
    • Gender of the model (same vs. different from the child) 
    • Cultural background of the child (Chinese-American vs. Caucasian)
    • Personality of the child (strong desire to please others vs. less concern with pleasing others)
    • Timing of the task (need to complete it under a time crunch vs. no time constraint)

Publications 

Below is a list of Dr. DiYanni’s publications. For pdf’s of any of the articles, contact [email protected].

  • DiYanni, C.J, Clegg, J.M., & Corriveau, K.H. (2022). If I told you everyone picked that (non-affordant tool), would you? Children attend to conventional language when imitating and transmitting tool use. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 214, 105293.
  • Corriveau, K.H., DiYanni, C.J., Clegg, J.M., Min, G., Chin, J., & Nasrini, J. (2017). Cultural differences in the imitation and transmission of inefficient actions. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 161, 1-18.
  • DiYanni, C., Corriveau, K.H., Kurkul, K., Nasrini, J., Nini, D., & (2015). The role of consensus and culture in the imitation of inefficient actions. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 137, 99-110.
  • DiYanni, C., Nini, D., Rheel, W., & Livelli, A. (2012). “I won’t trust you if I think you’re trying to deceive me”: Relations between selective trust, theory of mind, and imitation in early childhood. Journal of Cognition and Development, 13, 354-371.
  • DiYanni, C., Nini, D., & Rheel, W. (2011). Looking good versus doing good: Which factors take precedence when children learn about new tools? Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 110, 575-591.
  • DiYanni, C., & Kelemen, D. (2008). Using a bad tool with good intention: Young children’s imitation of adults’ questionable choices. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 101, 241-261.
  • DiYanni, C., & Kelemen, D. (2005). Time to get a new mountain? The role of function in children’s conceptions of natural kinds.  Cognition, 97, 327-335.
  • Kelemen, D., & DiYanni, C. (2005). Intuitions about origins: Purpose and intelligent design in children's reasoning about nature. Journal of Cognition and Development, 6, 3-31.
  • Howard, D. V., Howard, J. H., Jr., Japikse, K. C., DiYanni, C., Thompson, A., & Somberg, R. (2004).  Implicit sequence learning: Effects of level of structure, adult age, and extended practice. Psychology and Aging.