I am an assistant professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and the founder of the Becoming Social Research Center. My research interests revolve around child social and emotional development and the role parents play in this process. For example, I investigate infants’ and young children’s development of socio-cognitive capacities such as a sense of self, perspective-taking, empathy, prosociality alongside examining when and how they begin to experience complex emotions essential for navigating the social world such as embarrassment, shyness, pride, shame, guilt, and awe.
I believe that children develop through their interactions with significant others, as Lev Vygotsky proclaimed almost a century ago,: “Through others, we become ourselves”. Therefore, I am keen on understanding how the interaction with parents supports child social development. I am particularly interested in how parental mentalization (talking about mental states, such as emotions, thoughts, wishes, intentions), and parental responsiveness (being sensitive and warm) promote child social development.
In addition to my research, I teach and organize a course on Developmental and Parenting Problems. I also supervise bachelor and master students in writing their theses on the topic of child social development and the role of parents therein. Outside of work, I enojy spending time with my family – my partner and our two little girls.
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