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 was the recipient of the Great Teacher and the Eberman Research Awards. 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 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 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 has a strong interest in bridging the gap between research and application. To that end, she served as an investigator on the NICHD Study of Early Child Care, is on the Advisory Board of the Alliance for Childhood, worked on the language and literacy team for the development of the California Preschool Curriculum, serves on the Advisory Board for CIVITAS and their Born Learning Series and is on the Research Council for America’s Promise, an organization started by Colin Powell. She has been a spokesperson on early development for national magazines and newspapers (The NY Times, People, US News & World Report, Newsweek, Parent’s Magazine, Parenting etc.) radio and television (The View, The Today Show. Good Morning America, 20/20, NPR, ABC News, CBS Morning Show), and is an advisor for Sesame Workshop, Fisher Price Toys, Highlights, K’NEX, The Cartoon Network, and a host of Children’s Museums across North America. She is also the co-founder of An Ethical Start, a curricular program in moral development for children ages 3 through 5. This program, created for the Jewish Community Centers of North America was funded by Stephen Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation.

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