An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Study of Individuals in Context
The Department of Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago is an interdisciplinary program in the social sciences that links theory and methodology from fields such as cultural psychology, comparative behavioral biology, sociology, and anthropology.
The Department offers programs of research leading to BA and PhD, as well as graduate and undergraduate study in life course development, mental health, personality, and emotions, cross cultural studies (including psychological anthropology and cultural psychology), and comparative behavioral biology. The research interests of the faculty represent various disciplines within the social sciences. Emphasis is upon the interrelations of biological, psychological, and sociocultural forces at different points in the life cycle. The primary objectives of the Department are to provide education for innovative careers in research and teaching, and to contribute to the interdisciplinary understanding of human behavior. Students in the Department pursue careers in human development, psychology, anthropology, biology, sociology, and education.
Faculty Spotlight
Professor Richland has recently joined the Department
Lindsey Richland is a developmental psychologist who joined the Department of Comparative Human Development in 2011. Dr. Richland investigates cognition, memory, and the development of higher order thinking from preschool through young adulthood. She primarily explores the development of humans' powerful ability to draw relationships and generalize between phenomena, such as through metaphor and analogy. Dr. Richland conducts lab experiments and classroom-based studies of naturally occurring mathematics and science instruction. She conducts her research both in the United States and cross-nationally. In addition to theory building, she aims to develop practice-relevant tools for improving students' educational outcomes in mathematics and science.
Dr. Richland's work has been published in diverse journals including Science, Developmental Science, the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Educational Psychologist, Cognition and Instruction, and PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review. Her work was also covered in Scientific American. A CAREER award from the National Science Foundation as well as grants from the Office of Naval Research, the Spencer Foundation, and the Institute of Education Sciences have supported her research. In 2008, she was awarded a National Academy of Education and Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. She received her Ph.D in Developmental Psychology and Cognitive Science from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2003. At the University of Chicago, Dr. Richland directs the Learning Lab.
Upcoming Events
In The News
Professor David Orlinsky received an honorary degree from the University of Oslo.
Professor Orlinsky, an internationally recognized expert in the field of psychotherapy research, was the 5th honorary doctor conferred by the Department of Psychology since Henry A. Murray in 1969, and was in Oslo on September 1st and 2nd to receive the degree and present a public lecture at the Department of Psychology as part of the University of Oslo's 200th anniversary celebration.
Professor Jill Mateo's research featured by the UC News Office
Professor Mateo, an expert in kin recognition, teamed with a MAPSS student to study recognition in penguins at Brookfield Zoo. For the first time, they demonstrated that birds can use odors to discriminate among birds they know, and even recognize relatives they have never encountered before.
