Geetha Ramani

Research Interests

Influence of social interactions on cognitive development, Learning through joint play and activities, Early mathematics and problem-solving skills, Development of peer cooperation

Bio

Geetha Ramani is an Associate Professor of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology. Before coming to the University of Maryland in 2008, Dr. Ramani received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Cognitive Development at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Ramani's research focuses on understanding how children's social interactions influence their cognitive development, mainly in the areas of mathematics and problem solving. Specifically, Dr. Ramani examines how children learn early math and problem-solving skills through play and informal learning activities, such as playing with games and blocks. She also investigates how parent-child interactions, parental beliefs, and the early home environment can contribute to children's development in these areas. Dr. Ramani is also interested in the development and correlates of peer cooperation in young children. Together, Dr. Ramani's work focuses on the benefits and unique processes of learning through cooperation and joint play with adults and peers, and their importance for educational practices with young children. Dr. Ramani runs the Early Childhood Interaction Laboratory at the University of Maryland: http://www.education.umd.edu/HDQM/labs/Ramani/

Publications

Book

Wentzel, K., & Ramani, G. B. (Eds.) (2016). Handbook of social influences in school contexts: Social-emotional, motivation, and cognitive outcomes. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis Publishers.

Select Chapters

Ramani, G. B. (2017). When world unite: Role of social interactions in children’s mathematical development. In P. Lemair (Ed.) Cognitive Development from a Strategy Perspective: A Festschrift For Robert Siegler (pp. 61-77). New York, NY: Routledge.

Ramani, G. B., Zippert, E., & Daubert, E. (2016). The influence of same- and cross-age peers on children’s literacy and mathematical development. In K. Wentzel & G. B. Ramani (Eds.), Handbook of social influences in school contexts: Social-emotional, motivation, and cognitive outcomes (pp. 96-112). New York, NY: Taylor & Francis Publishers.

Rowe, M., Ramani, G. B., & Pomerantz, E. (2016). Parental involvement and children’s achievement: A domain-specific perspective. In K. Wentzel & D. Miele (Eds.) Handbook of motivation at school (pp. 459-476).New York, NY: Routledge.

Select Journal Articles

Ramani, G. B., Jaeggi, S. M., *Daubert, E., & Buschkuehl, M. (in press). Domain-general and domain-specific training to improve kindergarten children’s mathematics. Journal of Numerical Cognition.

Eason, S., & Ramani, G. B. (2017). Parental scaffolding and children’s executive function: Working memory and planning as moderators during joint problem solving. Infant and Child Development, 26, 1-24.

Zippert, E. & Ramani, G. B. (2017). Parents’ estimations of preschoolers’ number skills relate to at-home number-related activity engagement. Infant and Child Development, 26, 25-40.

Muenks, K., Miele, D. B., Ramani, G. B., Stapleton, L. M., & Rowe, M. L. (2015). Parental beliefs about the fixedness of abilities. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 41, 78-89.

Ramani, G. B. & Eason, S. (2015). It all adds up: Learning early math through play and games. Phi Delta Kappan, 96(1), 27-32.

Ramani, G. B., Rowe, M.R., Eason, S., & Leech, K. (2015). Math talk during informal learning activities in Head Start families. Cognitive Development, 35, 15-33.

Murphy, P. K., Rowe, M., Ramani, G. B., & Silverman, R. (2014). Promoting critical-analytic thinking in children and adolescence at home and in school. Educational Psychology Review, 26(4), 561-578.

Ramani, G. B., Zippert, E., Schweitzer, S., & Pan, S. (2014). Preschool children’s joint block building during a guided play activity. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 35, 326-336.

Ramani, G. B., & Brownell, C. A. (2014). Preschoolers’ cooperative problem solving: Integrating play and problem solving. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 12(1),92-108.

Ramani, G. B., Siegler, R. S., & Hitti, A. (2012). Taking it to the classroom: Number board games as a small group learning activity. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(3),661-672. Ramani, G. B. (2012). Influence of a playful, child-directed context on preschool children’s peer cooperation. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 58(2),159-190.

Grants & Projects

2017 - 2018 - Spencer Foundation; G. Ramani (PI); It's More than Just Fun and Games: A Play-Based Mathematics Intervention for Head Start Families

2017 - Heising-Simons Foundation; G. Ramani (PI); Promoting Family Math Fluency in Families from Head Start: A Play-Based Mathematics Intervention

2016 - 2019 - National Science Foundation (NSF; #1561447); G. Ramani (PI); S. Jaeggi (co-PI); Collaborative Research: Domain-General and Domain-Specific Training to Improve Children’s Mathematics

2015 - 2016 - Spencer Foundation; G. Ramani (PI); Improving Low-income Children’s Symbolic and Non-symbolic Numerical Knowledge

2015 - Heising-Simons Foundation; G. Ramani (PI); Using Number Games to Promote Head Start Children’s Symbolic and Non-symbolic Number Skills

2013-2014 - ADVANCE NSF Interdisciplinary and Engaged Seed Grant; G. Ramani (PI); S. Jaeggi (co-PI); Domain-General and Domain-Specific Training to Improve Children’s Numerical Knowledge and Working Memory

Courses

EDHD 322: The Young Child as Mathematician, University of Maryland (undergraduate)

EDHD 411: Child Growth and Development, University of Maryland (undergraduate)

EDHD 460: Educational Psychology (undergraduate)

EDHD 721: Cognitive Development and Learning: An Introduction (graduate)

EDHD 779O: Where Worlds Meet: Social and Cognitive Development (graduate)

Labs

Early Childhood Interaction Lab