Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek, Ph.D.

Email:  khirshpa@temple.edu
Phone: (215) 204-5243

Interests: Cognitive and social approaches to early language development for children zero to three with particular emphases on early grammatical learning, word acquisition and language comprehension. Research exploring the bridge between developmental theory and social/ educational policy with particular emphasis on infant cognition, preschool learning and child care.

Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek is the Stanley and Debra Lefkowitz Professor in the Department of Psychology at Temple University, where she serves as Director of the Infant Language Laboratory and Co-Founder of CiRCLE (The Center for Re-Imagining Children’s Learning and Education).  Kathy received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and her Ph.D. at University of Pennsylvania. Her research in the areas of early language development, literacy and infant cognition has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health and Human Development resulting in 11 books and over 100 publications. She is a recipient of APA Award for Distinguished Service, Temple University’s Great Teacher Award and the Paul Eberman Research Award, is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society, served as the Associate Editor of Child Development and is treasurer of the International Association for Infant Studies. Her book, Einstein Never used Flashcards: How children really learn and why they need to play more and memorize less,  (Rodale Books) won the prestigious Books for  Better Life Award as the best psychology book in 2003.  Kathy is deeply invested in bridging the gap between research and practice. To that end, she was a researcher on the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, co-developed the language and literacy preschool curricula for the State of California and has consulted with toy companies and media programs like Sesame Workshop.

For more information visit Dr. Hirsh-Pasek's personal website at http://astro.temple.edu/~khirshpa/.