The University of Chicago
Department of Psychology
5848 South University Avenue
Chicago, IL, 60637
Office Phone: (773) 834-4170
Office: Green 110
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Raedy Ping
Background
University of Chicago, Aug 2003 – Aug 2009 Department of Psychology Ph. D. from Developmental Psychology Program, Aug 2009
Dissertation: The Motor System’s Role in Gesture Understanding--Drs. Susan Goldin-Meadow) & Sian Beilock
University of Illinois at Chicago, Sept 2008 - Sept 2009 Learning Sciences Research institute Post-Doctoral Research Specialist
Projects: Teaching and Learning with Geographic Information Systems (GIS)— Drs. Josh Radinsky & Susan Goldman
Nanoscale Science and Engineering Education (NSEE) Center for Learning and Teaching (NCLT)—Drs. Tom Moher & Jim Pellegrino
Currently: Post-doc in the Spatial Intelligence & Learning Center--Dr. Susan Levine
Teaching Experience
Developmental Psychology, The Mind, Cognitive Psychology, Fundamentals of Psychology, Psychology of Negotiation, Psychological Statistics.
Research Interests
Currently, Raedy is interested in the relationship between lab research and classroom practice--how we can creatively and effectively apply findings from the lab to actual classroom and other naturalistic learning interactions? Raedy's lab research centers generally on how humans use their bodies to represent information, and how we communicate these representations with one another, especially during learning interactions. As a post-doc in the Spatial Intelligence & Learning Center, working with Dr. Susan Levine, she focuses on translating lab findings about spatial intelligence into classroom practices and curricula. She also continues to conduct lab studies regarding gesture, spatial intelligence, and learning.
Previous: As a graduate student, Raedy conducted laboratory research with Drs. Susan Goldin-Meadow and Sian Beilock. Her research with Dr. Goldin-Meadow investigated whether representational gestures about objects that are not currently visible in the immediate environment confer the same learning and cognitive benefits as gestures about visible objects. Her work with Dr. Beilock, centered broadly in the field of embodied cognition, focused on the role of the body in our preferences about objects in the world . In Raedy's dissertation, she applied behavioral methodology and logic from the field of embodied cognition to show that a listener’s own motor system is implicated in understanding and using the information that a speaker conveys in gesture. During a one-year postdoctoral appointment with the Learning Sciences Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago (2008-2009), she worked with Drs. Josh Radinsky and Susan Goldman to describe ways children use their bodies to represent ideas during interactions with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in an earth science unit. She also worked on a curriculum design study using multiple types of interactive scientific models to teach children about nonvisible phenomena during a DNA unit with Dr. Tom Moher.
Publications
Publications in Peer-Reviewed Journals
Ping, R. M., Dhillon, G. S. & Beilock, S. L. (2009). Reach for what you like: The body’s role in shaping preferences. Emotion Review, 1 (2), 140-150.
Ping, R. M., & Goldin-Meadow, S. (2008). Hands in the air: Using ungrounded iconic gestures to teach children conservation of quantity. Developmental Psychology, 44 (5), 1277-1287.
Ping, R. M. & Goldin-Meadow, S. (2010). Gesturing saves cognitive resources when talking about non-present objects. Cognitive Science, 34, 602-619.
Paper Presentations
Radinsky, J., Godman, S., Doherty, R., & Ping, R. (2010). Small group argumentation with visual data: Negotiating what is seen and what it means. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association,
May 2010, Denver CO.
Ping, R. M., Dhillon, G. S. & Beilock, S. L. The motor system’s role in object preference. Paper presented at Annual Meeting of the Midwestern PsychologicalAssociation, May 2008, Chicago, IL.
Ping, R.M. & Goldin-Meadow, S. Gesturing in the air: Children learn from gestures not grounded in the here-and-now. Paper presented at Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, July 2006, Vancouver, BC.
Yoshida, H., Smith, L. B., Ping, R. M. & Davis, E. L. How are speech and gesture related? Cognitive Science Society, August 2002, Washington, DC.
Select Poster Presentations
Ping, R. M. & Goldin-Meadow, S. Gesturing lightens the cognitive load of talking about non-present objects. Poster presented at Biannual Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, April 2009, Denver, CO.
Ping, R. M., Dhillon, G. S. & Beilock, S. L. The motor system’s role in object likeability. Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, May 2008, Chicago, IL.
Ping, R. M., Goldin-Meadow, S., Santana, H. C., Jr., & Sarfaty, A. E. Gesturing saves cognitive resources for children speaking about present or absent objects. Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, May 2008, Chicago, IL.
Ping, R. M., Goldin-Meadow, S., & Decatur, M.V. Gesture, cognitive load, and non-visible objects. Poster presented at Biannual Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, March 2007, Boston, MA.
