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The Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) is home to multidisciplinary research on human learning and education. Our research spans a wide range, from the neural bases of learning and memory through literacy, language, reasoning, and STEM learning, the social and developmental contexts that affect educational attainment and equity, and large-scale efforts for educational improvement. We are pleased to share some of our research with the University of Pittsburgh community and the wider learning and educational sciences communities through these occasional reports.
LRDC Research News is prepared by Elizabeth Rangel, LRDC Director of Communications. See the LRDC website for more on Center research.
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Analysis of Student Perceptions in Introductory Physics
LRDC researchers, Avital Pelakh, Nabila Jamal-Orozco, Brian Galla, Timothy Nokes-Malach, and colleagues work to better understand course experiences for students who report negative perceptions in introductory physics. Read about the research here.
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Using AI to Help Teachers Build on Community Knowledge
LRDC research scientist Raquel Coelho and colleague Alden McCollum, New York University, propose a novel, complementary approach to curriculum planning, one that centers student voice and leverages artificial intelligence. More on the research here.
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Building Educators' Confidence and Skill in Improvement Science
Researchers investigate how deliberate practice and social learning, two central components of the network improvement community (NIC) model, shape the development of improvement science confidence and skill. Read about the research here.
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Co-Designing Teaching for a Gen AI World, Together
The Learning Sciences and Emergent Technology (LSET) Hub is hosting a cross-disciplinary convening on April 22, 2026. The event will create collaborative teams to test solutions to pressing problems about generative AI and student learning. The Pitt University Times interviewed co-chair Jennifer Iriti on the goals of the event here. Registration information here.
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Distinguished University Professor Charles Perfetti Celebrated
In January of 2026, Dr. Charles Perfetti retired from the University of Pittsburgh. A celebration in his honor was held on March 16, 2026 on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Learn more about Dr. Perfetti's distinguished career and the March 16 event here.
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New in the LRDC Learning Sciences Video Series
"Insights into Digital Literacy" details student strategies for successfully navigating digital text, sources, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) outputs. Link here to view the video.
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Alum News: Good Morning, America
Roberta Golinkoff (Postdoctoral Fellow, 1974) and co-authors Kathy Hirsh-Pasek et al. recently published the revised edition of Einstein Never Used Flash Cards (originally published in 2003). Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek appeared on the ABC program Good Morning America to talk about their book. View the interview in two clips One (4:20 minutes); Two (5:49 minutes). Dr. Golinkoff is happy to discuss this work.
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Alum News: Fulbright Scholar
Michael Andrew Ranney (PhD, Psychology, 1987) recently returned from a Fulbright Scholarship in Europe. Centered at Prague's Charles University in the Czech Republic, Ranney visited ten countries giving many university, as well as public, lectures on varied topics. Ranney is an expert in the cognitive science of, and communication about, global warming and climate change. His public-outreach site is: HowGlobalWarmingWorks.org
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Thank You!
Thank you to all for your generous donations on February 24, 2026, Pitt Day of Giving. All gifts support student initiatives at the Center.
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Belback, A., Brenner, E., Johnson, L., Robinson, C., Shaw, C., & Spears, J. (2026). How shifting towards shared advising models positively impacts student success. In S. P. Dandaneua (Ed.), The equity-excellence imperative in action: Fostering student success in higher education. John Hopkins University Press.
Coutanche, M.N. (2026). Meta-analytic evidence for fast mapping in healthy adults. Learning & Memory.
King-Shepard, Q. W., Walker, J., Nokes-Malach, T. J., Carpenter, S. K., & Fraundorf, S. H. (2025). The Effect of Prequestions on Learning: A Multilevel Meta-Analysis. Educational Psychology Review.
Hanson, J.L., Adkins, D.J., Kahhale, I., & Sen, S. (2026). Positive affect as a developmental mediator of early adversity and internalizing psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Leyva, D., Weiland, C., Bustamante, A.S., & Rochester, S.E. (2026). How to apply a strengths-based approach to randomized controlled trials. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness.
Pelakh, A., Good, M. L., Kuo, E., Tumminia, M., Jamal-Orozco, N., Adelman, A., Antoan, J., Galla, B., & Nokes-Malach, T.J. (2026). Thematic analysis of student perceptions of resources and demands experienced in introductory physics. Physical Review Physics Education Research.
Jones, E.J., Damon, S., Miller, P., Dupree, T., Coccari, M.L., Sekikawa, A., Shaw, D.S., Marsland, A.L., & Votruba-Drzal, E. (2026). Prospective links between childhood family income and subclinical atherosclerosis in a sample of young men. Health Psychology.
Michael, C., Jones, N.S., Hanson, J.L., Westerman, H.B., Klump, K.L., Mitchell, C., Monk, C.S., Burt, S.A., & Hyde, L.W. (2026). A systematic evaluation of the performance of multiple brain age algorithms in two cohorts of youth. Human Brain Mapping.
Suarez, G.L., Bezek, J.L., Westerman, H.B., Hanson, J.L., Klump, K.L., Burt, S.A., & Hyde, L.W. (2025). Structural brain correlates of multidomain resilience among youth exposed to neighborhood disadvantage. Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science.
Ventura, A.C., & Leyva, D. (2026). Latin American caregivers’ language input and children’s cognitive and socioemotional development. Educational and Developmental Psychologist.
LRDC authors in bold.
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