KiDLAB

@danacmccoy.bsky.social, @lucampesando.bsky.social, Samuel Urlacher, David Yeager, Jason Yip & @katiemcauliffe.bsky.social (4/4)

With support from CIFAR and the @jacobsfoundation.bsky.social, we set up an amazing interdisciplinary team to write this comment: Eddie Brummelman, Richard Ahl, @bettaaurino.bsky.social, @sahbabesh.bsky.social, Benjamin Domingue, @catherinealebel.bsky.social, @julia-a-leonard.bsky.social + (3/4)

🤩 In this new @commspsychol.nature.com paper, we call for interdisciplinary research to understand how inequality gets into children’s heads and under their skins, and to inform policies that center their lived experiences. (2/4)

💰Economic inequality is on the rise, and children will bear its burden. Yet children’s perspectives are rarely considered. We urgently need research to understand economic inequality from children's perspectives. (1/4)

rdcu.be/e3Qlb

🤩We conducted this research with the amazing @aashnap.bsky.social, Lena-Emilia Schenker, and @andreicimpian.bsky.social. (5/5)

Labels matter. Even seemingly positive ones can reinforce unequal expectations about who’s a “natural” and who’s a “striver.” Our paper is now in press at Developmental Psychology:
kidlab.nl/wp-content/u...
(4/5)

These stereotypes showed up in children as young as 8, as well as in adults. Children’s stereotypes were related to their parents’ stereotypes, and they were strongest among children whose parents:
💠had higher socioeconomic status
💠held stronger essentialist beliefs about socioeconomic status (3/5)

We find that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are seen as more hardworking than intelligent. Their successes are attributed more to effort than to ability (“You worked so hard!”). Their failures are attributed more to a lack of ability than effort (“Maybe you don’t have what it takes”). (2/5)

Have you noticed how we often describe people from disadvantaged backgrounds as “strivers” or “go-getters” (💪🏼) rather than naturally gifted (🧠)? This may sound benign, but our new KiDLAB research shows that it reveals a harmful, early-emerging stereotype. (1/5)

During this preparatory phase, people actively protect their focal goal from distractions. As a result, they won't interpret praise as a "job done," but as an encouragement, which fuels subsequent performance.

Our research shows that this performance drop can be avoided by delaying the praise until individuals have begun preparing for their next performance.

Praise is often used to boost performance. But when given immediately after success, it can backfire. People may interpret the praise as a signal that they've already made sufficient progress toward their goal, leading them to coast and, ultimately, perform worse.

👏Want to motivate someone? Try delaying your praise.

This is what we found in a new series of experiments with Nils Jostmann: psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...

Hulp maakt kinderen minder gemotiveerd Je zou denken dat een kind wanneer iets niet lukt, graag hulp wil. Onderzoek toont echter aan dat dit vaak averechts werkt: het demotiveert, neemt uitdaging weg en kinderen voelen zich incompetent.

"Mama, ik kan het zelf!"
Interview 👇met NEMO-kennislink over ons onderzoek (met Eddie Brummelman @kidlab.bsky.social )waarin we zagen dat hulp er toe kan leiden dat kinderen zich minder competent voelen en minder gemotiveerd raken.
www.nemokennislink.nl/publicaties/...

BOLD explores… Children's self-esteem – BOLD What is self-esteem? Why do some children have higher self-esteem and others have low self-esteem? How does self-esteem impact children?

Why is self-esteem important for children? And how can parents and teachers cultivate it? An interview with Annie Brookman-Byrne for BOLD (@boldinsights.bsky.social & @jacobsfoundation.bsky.social) about our KiDLAB research: boldscience.org/bold-explore...

The shortcut to close bonds? Asking meaningful questions The right questions can help us connect with strangers – and create closer bonds between parents and children.

BBC article on our work showing that having deep conversations with their parents can make children feel more loved. "Rather than just talking about leisure and work, the parents and kids spoke about topics that really matter."

www.bbc.com/future/artic...

😍KiDLAB at #ECDP2025 (eadp.bsky.social)! Hannah presented her work on entitlement. Eddie presented an overview of the lab’s ongoing work on how inequality becomes ingrained in children’s self-views. We met with many friends (on bsky: @lauraktaylorphd.bsky.social & @jelliesierksma.bsky.social).

Vacature — Student-Assistent (Lab Manager) KiDLAB: Onderzoek naar Zelfbeeld en Ongelijkheid Wil je assisteren in onderzoek naar zelfbeeld en kansenongelijkheid bij kinderen? Dan zoeken wij jou als student-assistent (lab manager) bij KiDLAB (https://kidlab.nl/).

KiDLAB (kidlab.nl) is looking for a new lab manager! Are you a bachelor’s or master’s student in the NL and would you like to work with us? Please apply! You’ll help coordinate and carry out in-person research with children, parents, and teachers in the NL.

werkenbij.uva.nl/vacatures/st...

🚀Have you booked your travel?
💼Are you already packing your bags?

Only two more months until ECDP! Our keynotes🔽

August 26th
⏰Livio Provenzi & Michael Pluess

August 27th
⏰Rasa Barkauskienė & Geertjan Overbeek

August 28th
⏰Eddie Brummelman & Lukas Blinka

Program: www.ecdp2025vilnius.eu

#ECDP

How parents can make their children feel more loved Simply asking and answering personal questions can help

“Self-disclosure characterises loving, warm relationships, and those are, of course, critical for child development.”
Melissa Hogenboom hears from Eddie Brummelman how asking and answering personal questions can help children feel more loved. boldscience.org/how-parents-...

Illustrator Edwin Stoop captured children's dreams in real time. Things got existential:
🕳️ “I want to study a black hole… but what if I never come back?”
🍦 “Is a non-melting ice cream even possible?”
🌌 “Why do we live, and are we really alone?”

lilscientist.nl

With Daudi van Veen (@daudivanveen.nl), Lena-Emilia Schenker, and Lynn Weisscher, children drew what they think a scientist looks like — sometimes resembling Harry Potter 🧙🏽‍♀️ — and explored how to break stereotypes. Their message was clear: They want the university to be a place for everyone.

👽 “Everyone is welcome — yes, even aliens”
🦺 “No more dull, dusty white lab coats!”
🍕 “Beanbags everywhere, and pizza in the cafeteria”
What does the university of the future look like? On behalf of KiDLAB and Lil’Scientist, we asked children this question at the lustrum of The Young Academy.

New publication!

Children get help all the time – but how it affects them is unclear. Eddie Brummelman @kidlab.bsky.social and I show that help can lead to negative self-views and reduced motivation in children (even the type of help that we often assume leads to mastery)
👇
doi.org/10.1111/cdev...

Why does narcissism stick? You’d think life’s challenges would deflate inflated self-views—but narcissists often stay narcissistic. Focusing on the key age of adolescence, our paper suggests one reason: they frequently think about how they’re better than others.

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Inequality in education Practical takeaways and personal insights from authors of articles in a collection on understanding and addressing inequality in education in the journal npj Science of Learning.

🥳Our BOLD interview series is complete! In the final piece, we share tips to address inequality in the classroom: recognize structural barriers, give empowering feedback, and foster a growth mindset. boldscience.org/tag/inequali... (with @jelliesierksma.bsky.social) @jacobsfoundation.bsky.social

Why Narcissists Emerge as Leaders Even in Childhood Many children choose to follow peers with more narcissistic tendencies—and self-esteem may be part of the complex power dynamics involved

👑 Even children are drawn to narcissistic leaders. Here we show how this starts early—and why it matters.

🙏 Leadership is not fixed. Kids can learn to lead democratically, with purpose, and for the common good. Let's take leadership development seriously.

www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...

The growing science of educational inequality Bringing together perspectives from different fields could help reduce inequality in education

🟣 This is the fifteenth interview in the BOLD series on our special collection. Louise Elffers highlights why questioning how we define and measure inequality is key to impactful inter- and transdisciplinary research on educational inequality.
boldscience.org/the-growing-....

😍KiDLAB at #SRCD2025! Our symposium explored how teachers can unintentionally reinforce classroom inequality—and why. Chaired by Lena-Emilia Schenker, with talks from Kelly Ziemer, Marianna Zhang (@mariannazhang.bsky.social), and Elise Kaufman, joined by Julia Leonard (@julia-a-leonard.bsky.social).

Hidden bias in standardized tests Low-SES students tend to score lower than expected on math items that refer to money, food, and social interactions

🟣 This is the fourteenth interview in the BOLD series on our special collection. Marjolein Muskens emphasizes that education should promote empowerment and equality. Yet too often, the talents of students from disadvantaged backgrounds are overlooked:
boldscience.org/hidden-bias-....