Dr. Chiara Bulgarelli (Birkbeck), Prof. Bonamy Oliver (IOE), Prof. Emily Jones (Birkbeck)

The Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development (CBCD, Birkbeck) in collaboration with the Institute of Education (IoE, UCL) is looking for a 3-year PhD candidate interested in investigating mechanisms behind empathy development in preschoolers and the scaffolding role of carers and teachers in promoting social development. An additional core objective of this research is to validate naturalistic observations of parent-child and teacher-child dyads to uncover the mechanisms behind empathy development. There will be the opportunity to pilot interventions to improve dialogue around others’ emotions and feelings to investigate whether this has an impact on children empathic skills. The possibility of assessing the efficacy of these interventions also at the neural level using wearable functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) will be possible, depending on the interest of the PhD student. 

This project will provide empirical evidence regarding the scaffolding role of parents and teachers in empathy development in toddlers. Moreover, it will contribute methodologically to the use of naturalistic observations for the investigation of social skills development in early childhood.  

This project will lead to an intriguing combination of perspectives on children’s social development, enriching the professional experience of the PhD student involved, and introducing innovative methodology to understand social development.  

The project will be supervised by Dr. Chiara Bulgarelli (CBCD) and co-supervised by Prof. Bonamy Oliver (IoE) and Prof. Emily Jones (CBCD). The CBCD is at the forefront of the study of brain and psychological development in typically and atypically developing babies and toddlers using behavioural testing and brain imaging methods. The IoE at UCL uniquely integrates developmental psychology with education and other real-world settings. The PhD student involved in the project will work and receive training in two of the UK’s most vibrant and productive academic environments, with the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and academic connections, attend seminars and social activities. 

Closing date for applications is: 2^nd February 2024

Further details about the project may be obtained from: Dr. Chiara Bulgarelli, c.bulgarelli@bbk.ac.uk

Further information about PhDs at Birkbeck is available from https://www.bbk.ac.uk/courses/phd/psychology

How to Apply: https://www.bbk.ac.uk/student-services/financial-support

Key References

1. Bulgarelli, C. & Jones, E. J. H. The typical and atypical development of empathy: How big is the gap from lab to field? JCPP Adv. 1–15 (2023) 

2. Oliver, B. R., & Pike, A. (2021). Introducing a novel online observation of parenting behaviour: reliability and validation. Parenting, 21(2), 168-183. 

3. Garner, P. W., & Dunsmore, J. C. (2011). Temperament and maternal discourse about internal states as predictors of toddler empathy-and aggression-related behaviour. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 9(1), 81-99. 

4. Tong, L., Shinohara, R., Sugisawa, Y., Tanaka, E., Yato, Y., Yamakawa, N., Anme, T., & Group, J. C. S. (2012). Early development of empathy in toddlers: Effects of daily parent–child interaction and home‐rearing environment. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 42(10), 2457–2478.