Toddlers’ Executive Development and Pretend Play (TEDDY) is an ongoing PhD project at the UCD Babylab. It aims to study how play can contribute to the development of executive functions in toddlerhood using previous literature and two original, empirical studies with toddlers and their parents.
What does TEDDY stand for?
TEDDY stands for Toddlers’ Executive Development and Pretend Play but was also chosen as a name for this project for thematic reasons. For many children, their first toy is some form of plush toys, like a teddy bear, which soon takes on an important role in a child’s early life and in a way is their first pretend play partner. Children give voices to their teddy bears, imagine their thoughts or their feelings and are a way for children to explore new social roles, such as a caring and nurturing parent or friend to their teddy bear. As such, TEDDY both stands for the title and the thematic focus of this project.
How can I get involved?
The TEDDY project is currently recruiting! If you are interested in finding out more, browse through our pages on the UCD Babylab website and reach out to Tobias via the contact form below any time!
Can my child take part? If your child...
• is between 20 and 28 months old.
• is born >37 weeks (i.e., full-term).
• speaks English as a primary language.
• Child has not received a clinical diagnosis or is not awaiting further investigation of a potential brain-related condition (e.g., epilepsy, autism).
We want to hear from you! You can register your interest by filling in this brief eligibility checklist.
Who is leading this study?
TEDDY is a project led by Tobias Constien, who is a PhD student at the School of Psychology at the University College Dublin (UCD). He is a trained dramatherapist and is interested in the topic of children’s imagination and how it relates to their development. He is supervised by Michelle Downes who is the principal investigator of the UCD Babylab, and Brendan Rooney.
Get in touch with Tobi: