This March, the lab was off to take part in the biennial meeting hosted by Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD). We were able to learn about trending developmental research projects, catch up with our international collaborators, and share findings from four of our lab’s research projects.
How would you describe this year’s conference?
Michelle: Like other years, the research presented at this year’s biennial meeting for Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) was diverse and inspiring! All I can say is conference high, conference high!
Kristy: Falling into a rut is all too familiar to most academics, and it is sometimes possible to become less cognizant of the novel, interesting aspects of the research. An overseas conference provides the opportunity to refresh the mind and rejuvenate the senses. Conference aside, going abroad broadens your perspective because of the diversity of people, experiences and culture that you would not experience in your restricted social circle back home.
Siqi: I encountered several presentations that made me think, “This is marvellous. I wish I could construct a study like this in the future!” Listening to presentations of these studies truly provided me with fresh perspectives on how to design studies that are as innovative and insightful.
Why is the conference experience so valuable?
Michelle: Being able to discuss potential research projects with current and potential collaborators and presenting the Early Cognition Lab’s research on maternal mental-state-talk in Singaporean bilinguals at this premier conference allowed me to grow professionally by expanding my current knowledge and gaining new knowledge.
What was it like presenting your research to other researchers?
Kristy: When presenting my posters, having a third-person perspective from people who do not know about my project was truly valuable. I greatly appreciated their affirmation of my research’s significance, which helped greatly to quash doubts that I had about the meaningfulness of what I have been doing in the past year.
Siqi: I felt slightly nervous presenting my poster at as it was my first time presenting my project to others outside of the lab. I was both happy and surprised to find that visitors to my poster showed a great deal of interest about implicit gender bias. Researchers who were parents themselves were intrigued to see that their own implicit biases were related with that of their children’s.
What did you take away from attending other talks or poster exhibitions?
Siqi: I saw many novel graphics used to present data at talks. I developed a newfound appreciation for how good visualization of results can make a huge difference to the audience and to readers, ultimately increasing the quality of delivery.
Kristy: I was able to regain a sense of wonder in the field of child development. I really looked forward to attending talks every day, observing researchers from international labs (and drawing comparisons to local researchers), and soaking in the concentrate of ideas and possibilities at the conference.