Our Lab’s Values
Some say research is me-search, and for our group, this statement rings true. We care a lot about creating a social environment that enables all of us to be the best version of ourselves. To this end, we try to implement our own research ideas in how we operate. We role model hard work, high-expectation setting, collaborative practices, and supportive feedback. We strive to create independence and autonomy in our students by not taking over. We also understand that individuals differ and thus work with each student to create an environment that uniquely cultivates their learning and motivation.
In the Leonard Learning Lab, we value…
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging.
Historically, psychology research has not been representative of the broad range of backgrounds and perspectives in the United States and the world more broadly. It is our goal to conduct research that reflects the perspectives of people from all backgrounds, in an inclusive environment that recognizes and values diversity, including in race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, gender, religion, national origin, ability, and socioeconomic background.
Open Science.
We strive to make our research rigorous and accessible, and our process transparent. To this end, we use the Open Science Framework and Github to share our preregistrations, material, data, and code. We also work with community partners, including The CT Science Center and the Please Touch Museum, to make science participation more accessible to the general public.
Learning, Compassion, & Humor.
We deeply value creating a safe and joyful environment where people feel valued, excited to learn, and not afraid to make mistakes. Inspired by the children we study, we aim to bring a child-like level of curiosity, optimism, and humor to our workplace.
This lab values statement was inspired by the Social Learning Lab at Stanford, the CAND Lab at Yale, and the Early Childhood Cognition Lab at MIT. We publicly share this document as a form of accountability to each other, to the broader academic community, and to the children and families who participate in our research. Our lab commits itself to the collective development of norms and practices that help us live up to these values.