Professor Mark Nielsen
Professor

Mark Nielsen

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 56414

Background

Mark joined the School of Psychology in 2002 as a UQ Postdoctoral Research Fellow after completing his PhD at La Trobe University. His research interests lie in a range of inter-related aspects of socio-cognitive development in young human children and non-human primates. His current research is primarily focused on charting the origins and development of human cultural cognition.

He is:

  • a Senior Research Associate, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
  • a member of: Association for Psychological Science; Society for Research in Child Development; Australasian Human Development Association
  • an Associate Editor: Journal of Experimental Child Psychology; PLoS ONE
  • an Editorial Consultant: Child Development; Developmental Science

Availability

Professor Mark Nielsen is:
Available for supervision

Fields of research

Cognitive and computational psychology Psychology

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, Flinders University
  • Postgraduate Diploma, La Trobe University

Research impacts

Mark has forged an international reputation for cutting-edge research on multiple aspects of developmental social cognition. Based on the quality of his research, he was presented with an Early Career Researcher Award from the International Society on Infant Studies (2006), a Research Excellence Award from the (then) Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (2009), and in 2016 was made a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. He has published over 100 papers, had his research feature in over 80 conference presentations and over 15 invited conference and colloquia talks.

Search Professor Mark Nielsen’s works on UQ eSpace

133 works between 1999 and 2024
All (133) Journal Article (115) Book Chapter (9) Conference Publication (8) Other Outputs (1)

1 - 20 of 133 works

2024

Journal Article

Dragging but not tapping promotes preschoolers’ numerical estimating with touchscreens

Wu, Yunyi, Cao, Xinyun, Nielsen, Mark, Mao, Yichen and Wang, Fuxing (2024). Dragging but not tapping promotes preschoolers’ numerical estimating with touchscreens. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 246 105989, 105989. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.105989

Dragging but not tapping promotes preschoolers’ numerical estimating with touchscreens

2024

Journal Article

The role of conventionality and design in children’s function judgments about malfunctioning artifacts

Fong, Frankie T.K., Puebla, Guillermo and Nielsen, Mark (2024). The role of conventionality and design in children’s function judgments about malfunctioning artifacts. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 240 105835, 105835. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105835

The role of conventionality and design in children’s function judgments about malfunctioning artifacts

2023

Journal Article

Children's distinct drive to reproduce costly rituals

Zhao, Mingxuan, Fong, Frankie T. K., Whiten, Andrew and Nielsen, Mark (2023). Children's distinct drive to reproduce costly rituals. Child development, 95 (4), 1-11. doi: 10.1111/cdev.14061

Children's distinct drive to reproduce costly rituals

2023

Journal Article

Do children imitate even when it is costly? New insights from a novel task

Zhao, Mingxuan, Fong, Frankie T. K., Whiten, Andrew and Nielsen, Mark (2023). Do children imitate even when it is costly? New insights from a novel task. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 42 (1), 1-18. doi: 10.1111/bjdp.12463

Do children imitate even when it is costly? New insights from a novel task

2023

Journal Article

I copy you as I believe you know about our culture: combining imitation and selective trust literatures

Fong, Frankie T. K., Nielsen, Mark and Corriveau, Kathleen H. (2023). I copy you as I believe you know about our culture: combining imitation and selective trust literatures. Infant and Child Development, 32 (5) e2453. doi: 10.1002/icd.2453

I copy you as I believe you know about our culture: combining imitation and selective trust literatures

2023

Journal Article

The effect of intent and character information on children's evaluations of third-party transgressions

Cameron, Sophie, Wilks, Matti and Nielsen, Mark (2023). The effect of intent and character information on children's evaluations of third-party transgressions. Social Development, 32 (3), 976-989. doi: 10.1111/sode.12675

The effect of intent and character information on children's evaluations of third-party transgressions

2023

Journal Article

Revisiting the video deficit in technology-saturated environments: Successful imitation from people, screens, and social robots

Sommer, Kristyn, Slaughter, Virginia, Wiles, Janet and Nielsen, Mark (2023). Revisiting the video deficit in technology-saturated environments: Successful imitation from people, screens, and social robots. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 232 105673, 1-13. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105673

Revisiting the video deficit in technology-saturated environments: Successful imitation from people, screens, and social robots

2023

Journal Article

Quantifying quality: The impact of measures of school quality on children's academic achievement across diverse societies

Rawlings, Bruce S, Davis, Helen Elizabeth, Anum, Adote, Burger, Oskar, Chen, Lydia, Morales, Juliet Carolina Castro, Dutra, Natalia, Dzabatou, Ardain, Dzokoto, Vivian, Erut, Alejandro, Fong, Frankie T K, Ghelardi, Sabrina, Goldwater, Micah, Ingram, Gordon, Messer, Emily, Kingsford, Jessica, Lew-Levy, Sheina, Mendez, Kimberley, Newhouse, Morgan, Nielsen, Mark, Pamei, Gairan, Pope-Caldwell, Sarah, Ramos, Karlos, Rojas, Luis Emilio Echeverria, Dos Santos, Renan A C, Silveira, Lara G S, Watzek, Julia, Wirth, Ciara and Legare, Cristine H (2023). Quantifying quality: The impact of measures of school quality on children's academic achievement across diverse societies. Developmental Science, 27 (5) e13434, 1-17. doi: 10.1111/desc.13434

Quantifying quality: The impact of measures of school quality on children's academic achievement across diverse societies

2023

Journal Article

The role of ritual in children’s acquisition of supernatural beliefs

Mathiassen, Anna and Nielsen, Mark (2023). The role of ritual in children’s acquisition of supernatural beliefs. Religions, 14 (6) 797, 1-21. doi: 10.3390/rel14060797

The role of ritual in children’s acquisition of supernatural beliefs

2023

Journal Article

The cost–benefit trade‐off in young children's overimitation behaviour

Nielsen, Mark, Grant, Julie and Tomaselli, Keyan (2023). The cost–benefit trade‐off in young children's overimitation behaviour. Infant and Child Development, 32 (2) e2394, 1-11. doi: 10.1002/icd.2394

The cost–benefit trade‐off in young children's overimitation behaviour

2023

Journal Article

Testing the bounds of compassion in young children

Kirby, James N., Kirkland, Kelly, Wilks, Matti, Green, Mitchell, Tanjitpiyanond, Porntida, Chowdhury, Nafisa and Nielsen, Mark (2023). Testing the bounds of compassion in young children. Royal Society Open Science, 10 (2) 221448, 1-14. doi: 10.1098/rsos.221448

Testing the bounds of compassion in young children

2022

Journal Article

I may not like you, but I still care: children differentiate moral concern from other constructs

Neldner, Karri, Wilks, Matti, Crimston, Charlie R., Jaymes, R. W. M. and Nielsen, Mark (2022). I may not like you, but I still care: children differentiate moral concern from other constructs. Developmental Psychology, 59 (3), 549-566. doi: 10.1037/dev0001485

I may not like you, but I still care: children differentiate moral concern from other constructs

2022

Journal Article

Revisiting an extant framework: Concerns about culture and task generalization

Fong, Frankie T. K., Nielsen, Mark and Legare, Cristine H. (2022). Revisiting an extant framework: Concerns about culture and task generalization. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 45 e257, 1-14. doi: 10.1017/s0140525x22001200

Revisiting an extant framework: Concerns about culture and task generalization

2022

Journal Article

The effect of moral character on children's judgements of transgressions

Cameron, Sophie, Wilks, Matti, Redshaw, Jonathan and Nielsen, Mark (2022). The effect of moral character on children's judgements of transgressions. Cognitive Development, 63 101221, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2022.101221

The effect of moral character on children's judgements of transgressions

2022

Journal Article

Examining relations between performance on non-verbal executive function and verbal self-regulation tasks in demographically-diverse populations

Dutra, Natália B., Chen, Lydia, Anum, Adote, Burger, Oskar, Davis, Helen E., Dzokoto, Vivian A., Fong, Frankie T. K., Ghelardi, Sabrina, Mendez, Kimberly, Messer, Emily J. E., Newhouse, Morgan, Nielsen, Mark G., Ramos, Karlos, Rawlings, Bruce, Dos Santos, Renan A. C., Silveira, Lara G. S., Tucker-Drob, Elliot M. and Legare, Cristine H. (2022). Examining relations between performance on non-verbal executive function and verbal self-regulation tasks in demographically-diverse populations. Developmental Science, 25 (5) e13228, e13228. doi: 10.1111/desc.13228

Examining relations between performance on non-verbal executive function and verbal self-regulation tasks in demographically-diverse populations

2021

Journal Article

How economic inequality affects prosocial behavior in children across development

Kirkland, Kelly, Jetten, Jolanda, Wilks, Matti and Nielsen, Mark (2021). How economic inequality affects prosocial behavior in children across development. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 210 105202, 105202. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105202

How economic inequality affects prosocial behavior in children across development

2021

Journal Article

The digital social partner: Preschool children display stronger imitative tendency in screen‐based than live learning

Fong, Frankie T. K., Imuta, Kana, Redshaw, Jonathan and Nielsen, Mark (2021). The digital social partner: Preschool children display stronger imitative tendency in screen‐based than live learning. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 3 (4) hbe2.280, 585-594. doi: 10.1002/hbe2.280

The digital social partner: Preschool children display stronger imitative tendency in screen‐based than live learning

2021

Journal Article

The early ontogeny of infants’ imitation of on screen humans and robots

Sommer, Kristyn, Redshaw, Jonathan, Slaughter, Virginia, Wiles, Janet and Nielsen, Mark (2021). The early ontogeny of infants’ imitation of on screen humans and robots. Infant Behavior and Development, 64 101614, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101614

The early ontogeny of infants’ imitation of on screen humans and robots

2021

Journal Article

The man and the machine: Do children learn from and transmit tool-use knowledge acquired from a robot in ways that are comparable to a human model?

Fong, Frankie T.K., Sommer, Kristyn, Redshaw, Jonathan, Kang, Jemima and Nielsen, Mark (2021). The man and the machine: Do children learn from and transmit tool-use knowledge acquired from a robot in ways that are comparable to a human model?. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 208 105148, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105148

The man and the machine: Do children learn from and transmit tool-use knowledge acquired from a robot in ways that are comparable to a human model?

2021

Journal Article

Does helping now excuse cheating later? An investigation into moral balancing in children

Cameron, Sophie, Wilks, Matti and Nielsen, Mark (2021). Does helping now excuse cheating later? An investigation into moral balancing in children. Royal Society Open Science, 8 (7) 202296, 202296. doi: 10.1098/rsos.202296

Does helping now excuse cheating later? An investigation into moral balancing in children

Current funding

  • 2023 - 2025
    The Development and Diversity of Religious Cognition and Behaviour ((John Templeton Foundation) administered by The University of California Riverside)
    University of California, Riverside
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2024
    Imitation learning in infancy
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2024
    To imitate or innovate: A new look at children's social learning strategies
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2019 - 2023
    The Consequences of Formal Education for Science and Religion (The Issachar Fund subaward administered by The University of Texas at Austin)
    University of Texas at Austin - Grants
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2017
    The developmental origins of tool innovation
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2013
    A brain stimulation and portable eye-tracking suite for human behavioural research
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    Over-imitation, trial-and-error learning and the inter-generational transmission of information
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011
    UQ Travel Awards Category 2 - Dr Mark Gregory Nielsen
    UQ Travel Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2013
    Charting the prevalence, time course and social-cognitive correlates of neonatal imitation.
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2009
    UQ Travel Awards Category 2, Dr Mark Nielsen
    UQ Travel Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2008
    Synchronic imitation in children with ASD: imitation and the social deficit hypothesis.
    APEX Foundation for Autism
    Open grant
  • 2007
    Imitation and Pretence in Human Children and Nonhuman Primates: Exploring the Origins of Cultural Cognition
    UQ Travel Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2007 - 2009
    Thinking about the future: The nature and development of mental time travel
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2005 - 2006
    Actions, outcomes, agency and imitation. Why toddlers copy what others do.
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant
  • 2003
    An Investigation of Social Learning in Human Infants
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Mark Nielsen is:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    To imitate or innovate: A new look at children's social learning

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Frankie Fong

  • Doctor Philosophy

    How Indonesian Matrilineal and Patrilineal Culture Affect Gender Norms in Imitation

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Frankie Fong

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Imitation and childrens social vs material priorities

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Frankie Fong

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Testing an Evolutionary Account of Inequity Aversion from Behind the Veil of Ignorance

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Lionel Page

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Foundations of cumulative culture: What drives children to innovate or imitate.

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Frankie Fong

Completed supervision

Enquiries

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