Jennifer Jipson
Associate Professor
Office: 47-21B
Phone: (805) 756-2611
Email: jjipson@calpoly.edu
Education
Ph.D., M.S., Developmental Psychology, University of California at Santa Cruz
B.A., Psychology, B.A. Government, Smith College, Northampton, MA
Courses Taught
CD 308 Infant and Toddler Development
CD 350 Development Issues in Education
CD 413 Children, Adolescent, and Technology
Research Interests
Children at the preschool age are naturally motivated to understand the world around them. For example, they often seek information about complex phenomena, such as how machines work, where babies come from, and why the moon seems to change shape. In my research program, I explore young children’s developing understandings within the domains of science, health, and technology. In addition to examining what children of different ages know about specific topics, I investigate how everyday interactions in informal settings (e.g., museums, zoos, virtual environments, preschools, parent-child conversations) contribute to children’s learning.
Finally, I am interested in exploring the extent to which these early experiences impact later engagement with, and proficiency in, scientific, technological and health-related activities.
Selected Publications/Professional Activities
- Jipson, J.L. & Gelman, S.A. (2007). Robots and rodents: Children’s inferences about living and non-living kinds. Child Development, 78, 1675-1688.
- Jipson, J.L. & Gelman, S.A. (2007). Of mice and machines: How mothers’ testimony influences children’s inferences about living and non-living kinds. Paper presented at the 2007 biennial meeting of the Society for Research on Child Development. Boston, MA.
- Jipson, J. L., & Callanan, M. (2003). Mother-child conversation and children's understanding of biological and non-biological changes in size. Child Development, 74, 629-644.
- Callanan, M.A., Jipson, J.L., & Soennichsen, M.S. (2002). Maps, globes, and videos: Parent-child conversations about representational objects. In S. Paris (Ed.). Perspectives on children's object-centered learning in museums. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
- Callanan, M.A., & Jipson, J.L. (2001). Explanatory conversations and young children's developing scientific literacy. In Crowley, K., Schunn, C.D., & Okada, T. (Eds). Designing for science: Implications from professional, instructional, and everyday science. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.