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

134 works between 1999 and 2025
All (134) Journal Article (116) Book Chapter (9) Conference Publication (8) Other Outputs (1)

101 - 120 of 134 works

2012

Journal Article

Product-based television and young children's pretend play in Australia

Fletcher, Renee and Nielsen, Mark (2012). Product-based television and young children's pretend play in Australia. Journal of Children and Media, 6 (1), 5-17. doi: 10.1080/17482798.2011.633397

Product-based television and young children's pretend play in Australia

2011

Journal Article

Imitation in young children: When who gets copied is more important than what gets copied.

Nielsen, Mark and Blank, Cornelia (2011). Imitation in young children: When who gets copied is more important than what gets copied.. Developmental Psychology, 47 (4), 1050-1053. doi: 10.1037/a0023866

Imitation in young children: When who gets copied is more important than what gets copied.

2011

Journal Article

Children's capacity to remember a novel problem and to secure its future solution

Suddendorf, Thomas, Nielsen, Mark and von Gehlen, Rebecca (2011). Children's capacity to remember a novel problem and to secure its future solution. Developmental Science, 14 (1), 26-33. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.00950.x

Children's capacity to remember a novel problem and to secure its future solution

2010

Journal Article

Over-imitation in children with autism and Down syndrome

Nielsen, Mark and Hudry, Kristelle (2010). Over-imitation in children with autism and Down syndrome. Australian Journal of Psychology, 62 (2), 67-74. doi: 10.1080/00049530902758613

Over-imitation in children with autism and Down syndrome

2010

Journal Article

Overimitation in Kalahari Bushman children and the origins of human cultural cognition

Nielsen, Mark and Tomaselli, Keyan (2010). Overimitation in Kalahari Bushman children and the origins of human cultural cognition. Psychological Science, 21 (5), 729-736. doi: 10.1177/0956797610368808

Overimitation in Kalahari Bushman children and the origins of human cultural cognition

2010

Book Chapter

Failure to find over-imitation in captive orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus): Implications for our understanding of cross-generation information transfer

Nielsen, Mark and Susianto, Erna W. E. (2010). Failure to find over-imitation in captive orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus): Implications for our understanding of cross-generation information transfer. Developmental Psychology. (pp. 153-167) edited by Johan Håkansson. New York. NY, U.S.A.: Nova Science Publishers.

Failure to find over-imitation in captive orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus): Implications for our understanding of cross-generation information transfer

2009

Journal Article

12-Month-Olds Produce Others' Intended but Unfulfilled Acts

Nielsen, Mark (2009). 12-Month-Olds Produce Others' Intended but Unfulfilled Acts. Infancy, 14 (3), 377-389. doi: 10.1080/15250000902840003

12-Month-Olds Produce Others' Intended but Unfulfilled Acts

2009

Journal Article

The imitative behaviour of children and chimpanzees: A window on the transmission of cultural traditions

Nielsen, Mark (2009). The imitative behaviour of children and chimpanzees: A window on the transmission of cultural traditions. Revue de primatologie, 1, 2-13.

The imitative behaviour of children and chimpanzees: A window on the transmission of cultural traditions

2008

Journal Article

Tools, TV and trust: Introduction to the special issue on imitation in typically developing children

Nielsen, Mark Gregory and Carpenter, Malinda (2008). Tools, TV and trust: Introduction to the special issue on imitation in typically developing children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 101 (4), 225-227. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2008.09.005

Tools, TV and trust: Introduction to the special issue on imitation in typically developing children

2008

Journal Article

Reflecting on imitation in autism: Introduction to the special issue

Nielsen, Mark and Carpenter, Malinda (2008). Reflecting on imitation in autism: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 101 (3), 165-169. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2008.06.004

Reflecting on imitation in autism: Introduction to the special issue

2008

Journal Article

Adult modelling facilitates young children's generation of novel pretend acts

Nielsen, Mark and Christie, Tamara (2008). Adult modelling facilitates young children's generation of novel pretend acts. Infant and Child Development, 17 (2), 151-162. doi: 10.1002/icd.538

Adult modelling facilitates young children's generation of novel pretend acts

2008

Journal Article

Interacting socially with human hands at 24 months of age

Slaughter, Virginia, Nielsen, Mark and Enchelmaier, Petrina (2008). Interacting socially with human hands at 24 months of age. Infancy, 13 (2), 185-195. doi: 10.1080/15250000701795721

Interacting socially with human hands at 24 months of age

2008

Journal Article

The effect of social engagement on 24-month-olds' imitation from live and televised models

Nielsen, Mark, Simcock, Gabrielle and Jenkins, Linda (2008). The effect of social engagement on 24-month-olds' imitation from live and televised models. Developmental Science, 11 (5), 722-731. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00722.x

The effect of social engagement on 24-month-olds' imitation from live and televised models

2008

Journal Article

The social motivation for social learning

Nielsen, Mark (2008). The social motivation for social learning. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 31 (1), 33-33. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X0700324X

The social motivation for social learning

2007

Journal Article

Visual self-recognition in mirrors and live videos: Evidence for a developmental asynchrony

Suddendorf, Thomas, Simcock, Gabrielle and Nielsen, Mark (2007). Visual self-recognition in mirrors and live videos: Evidence for a developmental asynchrony. Cognitive Development, 22 (2), 185-196. doi: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2006.09.003

Visual self-recognition in mirrors and live videos: Evidence for a developmental asynchrony

2007

Book Chapter

Multiple motivations for imitation in infancy

Nielsen, Mark and Slaughter, Virginia (2007). Multiple motivations for imitation in infancy. Imitation and Social Learning in Robots, Humans and Animals: Behavioural, Social and Communicative Dimensions. (pp. 343-360) edited by Nehaniv, Chrystopher L. and Dautenhahn, Kerstin. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511489808.023

Multiple motivations for imitation in infancy

2007

Book Chapter

Multiple motivations for imitation in infancy

Nielsen, Mark G. and Slaughter, Virginia (2007). Multiple motivations for imitation in infancy. Imitation and social learning in robots, humans and animals. (pp. 343-359) edited by Nehaniv, C. L. and Dautenhahn, K.. United States: Cambridge University Press.

Multiple motivations for imitation in infancy

2006

Conference Publication

The development of self-recognition in mirrors and live videos

Suddendorf, T., Simcock, G., Nielsen, M. and Collier-Baker, E. (2006). The development of self-recognition in mirrors and live videos. 33rd Australasian Experimental Psychology Conference, Bardon Conference Centre, Brisbane, 20-23 April, 2006. London: Taylor and Francis. doi: 10.1080/00049530600940016

The development of self-recognition in mirrors and live videos

2006

Book Chapter

Children's communication of pretend acts using social cues

Randell, A. C. and Nielsen, M. G. (2006). Children's communication of pretend acts using social cues. Frontiers in Cognitive Psychology. (pp. 127-144) edited by M.A. Vanchevsky. New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc..

Children's communication of pretend acts using social cues

2006

Book Chapter

Imitation and self-recogntion in autism: In search of an explanation

Nielsen, M. G., Suddendorf, T. and Dissanayake, C. (2006). Imitation and self-recogntion in autism: In search of an explanation. Imitation and the Social Mind: Autism and Typical Development. (pp. 138-197) edited by S.J. Rogers and J.H.G. Williams. New York, NY United States: The Guilford Press.

Imitation and self-recogntion in autism: In search of an explanation

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

Past funding

  • 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
  • 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

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

    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

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

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Lionel Page

  • Doctor Philosophy

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

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Lionel Page

  • Doctor Philosophy

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

    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

    How Indonesian Matrilineal and Patrilineal Culture Affect Gender Norms in Imitation

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Frankie Fong

  • Doctor Philosophy

    A Developemntal Perspective on the Foundations of Ritual and Trust

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jonathan Redshaw

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Young children¿s costly social learning: ritual vs. instrumental actions

    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

    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

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

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Lionel Page

  • Doctor Philosophy

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

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Lionel Page

Completed supervision

Enquiries

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