Visiting speaker: Maria Markodimitraki, University of Crete

Title: The development of language, emotions, imitation, and playful interactions in infants and young children: research methodology and protocols.

Time: Thursday July 10, 4:00, room C210.

Abstract:

The main research areas of the Cretan Research Team (Laboratories of Psychology in the Department of Philosophy and Social Studies, Department of Psychology and Department of Preschool Education) will be presented. More specifically, the presentation will focus on two life periods (infancy and preschool age), on issues we are interested in such as language development, emotions and developmental changes in human imitative ability. All these issues are investigated in a naturalistic context, in playful dyadic and triadic interactions. Finally, the methodological design of our studies will be described and the two main protocols which are used will be presented and analyzed. The most important findings will be discussed from the aspect of theory of innate intersubjectivity.

Bio:

Maria Markodimitraki (Heraklion, 1973) serves as Assistant Professor of Developmental Psychology at the Department of Preschool Education, University of Crete (Greece). She graduated from the Department of Philosophy and Social Studies of the University of Crete and got her PhD degree in Psychology at the same Department. She has taught as a scholar in Secondary Education. Since September 2003 she teaches at the Department of Preschool Education, University of Crete. She is married and mother of three children, a pair of dizygotic twins of different sex, aged 15, and a boy 10 years old. Her research interests focus on the development and training of typically and non-typically developing twin and non-twin infants and toddlers. Related articles have been published in psychology journals and conference proceedings in the Greek language and internationally. Within voluntary action to connect the University with local community and in cooperation with relevant agencies of Primary Education Dr. Markodimitraki organizes seminars counseling parents of twins and multiple. Maria Markodimitraki participates as scientific coordinator and research associate in research programs funded by ELKE

http://www.edc.uoc.gr/~markodim/cv_en.html