Research Opportunities

Interested in Graduate Studies in Social and Cognitive  Development?

The Infant Cognition Center will not be accepting new graduate students for the Fall 2020 application cycle to start in Fall 2021.

Positions for intellectually committed graduate students interested in conducting research vary by year. All developmental psychology labs are equipped with state of the art computer equipment. Each graduate student has a desk in an office within/ near their lab. Students also have the opportunity to work closely with other developmental and cognitive labs in the psychology department, including:

The Social Cognitive Development Lab
directed by Dr. Yarrow Dunham
The Mind and Development Lab
directed by Dr. Paul Bloom
The Canine Cognition Center
directed by Dr. Laurie Santos
The Cognition and Development Lab
directed by Dr. Frank Keil
The Computation and Cognitive Development Lab
directed by Dr. Julian Jara-Ettinger

To work in the lab as a graduate student, you must be admitted to the Psychology Department. Students accepted into the PhD program in psychology are guaranteed 5 years’ full support with a very competitive stipend. See the Psychology Department Graduate Program website for more information about graduate study.

If you are interested in applying to the graduate program and working in the Infant Cognition Center, email Dr. Karen Wynn at karen.wynn@yale.edu.

For more information, visit Dr. Karen Wynn’s research page.

Interested in Our Summer Internship Program?

The Infant Cognition Center will not be accepting applications for Summer 2021. Check back next year to see if opportunities in the lab will be available.

Other Summer Opportunities at Yale: check out the other developmental labs at Yale University, linked down below. It is not uncommon for students to apply to multiple labs!

Internship Opportunity: Interns will work closely with lab researchers on new and ongoing studies, participating fully in all aspects of the research process. Interns will become familiar with experimental methods used in infant studies, and will immediately become involved in recruiting and testing participants, designing and setting up studies, and coding and analyzing results. They will also attend a weekly lab meeting where we discuss the theoretical motivation for our studies, experimental data, and relevant research findings from other labs. The internship runs full-time (40 hours per week) from the first week in June to early August.

In addition, interns will have the chance to learn about and interact with other developmental psychology labs at Yale, and attend sessions organized by professors and graduate students on topics such as applying to graduate school. Interns are encouraged to join graduate students and other researchers from across the department in fun activities such as barbecues, bowling, trivia karaoke nights.

Who can apply? Undergraduate students at all stages and from all universities, around the world, are welcome to apply- including recent graduates. Masters students cannot apply. The internship is best suited for students interested in pursuing graduate studies in developmental, social, or cognitive psychology.

Application Materials: completed online application form, applicant resume/ CV, & one letter of recommendation

For any questions regarding this application, please email the lab manager, Alexa Sacchi, at  yalebaby.manager@yale.edu.

Please note: It is highly encouraged to apply for outside funding from one’s own university, and we are happy to support these applications. Additionally, there may be some funding available through the lab if funding cannot be achieved through one’s own university.  

Interested in Being an Undergraduate Research Assistant?

Yale undergraduate students can gain valuable research experience in the Infant Cognition Center as volunteers or for course credit. Undergraduates working in the lab are involved in all aspects of our research. Following a brief training in the methods and procedures we use to train our infant subjects, students immediately become involved in the actual testing of infants, as well as in the planning of experiments, the creation of experimental stimuli, and the day-to-day running of the lab. Students also attend weekly lab meetings in which we discuss the theoretical motivation for current experiments, results of recently completed experiments, possible next directions, and relevant research findings from other labs, among other things. As an undergraduate in the lab, you will acquire both a practical understanding of experimental techniques and principles that can be obtained only through hands-on research experience, and an appreciation of the theoretical issues addressed by our research.

The Infant Cognition Center will not be hiring new research assistants for the Fall 2020 – Spring 2021 semester. Check back next year to see if opportunities in the lab will be available.

If you would like to learn more about the opportunities currently available, please email the lab manager at alexa.sacchi@yale.edu