Project Will Examine the Effect of Pictures in Books for Beginning Readers


The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $8.2 million through its Science of Learning program to fund 24 new projects that will advance theoretical insights and fundamental knowledge of learning principles, processes, environments and constraints.

Carnegie Mellon University’s Anna Fisher has received a four-year, $751,000 grant to study the effect of pictures in books for beginning readers. Fisher, associate professor of psychology in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, will work to understand whether design of reading materials for beginning readers can be optimized taking into account children’s developing attention regulation skills.

This research will be conducted in collaboration with Karrie Godwin (DC’15), who received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from CMU and was a fellow in the Program in Interdisciplinary Education Research (PIER). Godwin is currently an assistant professor at Kent State University. Read more…