Professor Virginia Slaughter
Professor

Virginia Slaughter

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 56220

Background

Virginia Slaughter is Professor of Psychology at the University of Queensland, Australia, where she founded the Early Cognitive Development Centre. Her research focuses on social and cognitive development in infants and young children, with particular emphasis on social behaviour in infancy, theory-of-mind development and the acquisition of peer interaction skills. She is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science.

Availability

Professor Virginia Slaughter is:
Not available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Cognitive and computational psychology Psychology

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Arts, unknown
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of California-Berkeley

Search Professor Virginia Slaughter’s works on UQ eSpace

159 works between 1988 and 2024
All (159) Journal Article (126) Book Chapter (14) Conference Publication (14) Book (5)

1 - 20 of 159 works

2024

Journal Article

Parents' mental state language and child gender: A scoping review of developmental evidence

Farrell, Callyn, Sanderson, Ellen, Mulvihill, Aisling, Thai, Michael and Slaughter, Virginia (2024). Parents' mental state language and child gender: A scoping review of developmental evidence. British Journal of Developmental Psychology. doi: 10.1111/bjdp.12502

Parents' mental state language and child gender: A scoping review of developmental evidence

2024

Journal Article

From a crisis management tool to proactive death education in Swedish preschools

Puskas, Tunde, Andersson, Anita and Slaughter, Virginia (2024). From a crisis management tool to proactive death education in Swedish preschools. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. doi: 10.1177/14639491241246121

From a crisis management tool to proactive death education in Swedish preschools

2024

Journal Article

Are Autistic Children with Theory of Mind Delays Unexpectedly Competent at Moral Reasoning?

Peterson, Candida C. and Slaughter, Virginia (2024). Are Autistic Children with Theory of Mind Delays Unexpectedly Competent at Moral Reasoning?. International Journal of Disability Development and Education, ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), 1-13. doi: 10.1080/1034912X.2023.2295916

Are Autistic Children with Theory of Mind Delays Unexpectedly Competent at Moral Reasoning?

2023

Journal Article

Participation and experiences in extracurricular activities for autistic and neurotypical children

Farrell, Callyn, Slaughter, Virginia, McAuliffe, Tomomi and Mulvihill, Aisling (2023). Participation and experiences in extracurricular activities for autistic and neurotypical children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1-15. doi: 10.1007/s10803-023-06142-z

Participation and experiences in extracurricular activities for autistic and neurotypical children

2023

Journal Article

The impacts of typically developing siblings on the developmental outcomes of children with disability: a scoping review

Cuskelly, Monica, Gilmore, Linda, Rayner, Christopher, Girkin, Fiona, Mulvihill, Aisling and Slaughter, Virginia (2023). The impacts of typically developing siblings on the developmental outcomes of children with disability: a scoping review. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 140 104574, 104574. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104574

The impacts of typically developing siblings on the developmental outcomes of children with disability: a scoping review

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

How we talk to kids: adults prefer different forms of language for children based on gender expression

Farrell, Callyn, Slaughter, Virginia, Thai, Michael and Mulvihill, Aisling (2023). How we talk to kids: adults prefer different forms of language for children based on gender expression. Sex Roles, 89 (3-4), 119-134. doi: 10.1007/s11199-023-01393-7

How we talk to kids: adults prefer different forms of language for children based on gender expression

2023

Journal Article

Living in heaven and buried in the earth? Teaching young children about death

Puskás, Tünde, Andersson, Anita, Jeppsson, Fredrik and Slaughter, Virginia (2023). Living in heaven and buried in the earth? Teaching young children about death. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 31, 900-14. doi: 10.1080/1350293X.2023.2221002

Living in heaven and buried in the earth? Teaching young children about death

2023

Journal Article

Early childhood educators' mental state language and children's theory of mind in the preschool setting

Mulvihill, Aisling, Armstrong, Rebecca, Casey, Charlotte, Redshaw, Jonathan, Scarinci, Nerina and Slaughter, Virginia (2023). Early childhood educators' mental state language and children's theory of mind in the preschool setting. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 41 (3), 227-245. doi: 10.1111/bjdp.12449

Early childhood educators' mental state language and children's theory of mind in the preschool setting

2023

Journal Article

Not just quantity but also quality of language: cross-cultural comparisons of maternal mental state talk in New Zealand, Australia, and China

Kong, Qiuyi, Mulvihill, Aisling, Slaughter, Virginia, Fraser, Harry, Cavanagh-Welch, Bailey, Elwina, Felicia Crysta, Kang, Jie and Ruffman, Ted (2023). Not just quantity but also quality of language: cross-cultural comparisons of maternal mental state talk in New Zealand, Australia, and China. PLOS ONE, 18 (3) e0282480, e0282480. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282480

Not just quantity but also quality of language: cross-cultural comparisons of maternal mental state talk in New Zealand, Australia, and China

2023

Journal Article

Mindreading across cultural boundaries

Kim, Lee Rae, Jetten, Jolanda, Pekerti, Andre and Slaughter, Virginia (2023). Mindreading across cultural boundaries. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 93 101775, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2023.101775

Mindreading across cultural boundaries

2022

Journal Article

A meta-analytic review on the social–emotional intelligence correlates of the six bullying roles: bullies, followers, victims, bully-victims, defenders, and outsiders

Imuta, Kana, Song, Sumin, Henry, Julie D., Ruffman, Ted, Peterson, Candida and Slaughter, Virginia (2022). A meta-analytic review on the social–emotional intelligence correlates of the six bullying roles: bullies, followers, victims, bully-victims, defenders, and outsiders. Psychological Bulletin, 148 (3-4), 199-226. doi: 10.1037/bul0000364

A meta-analytic review on the social–emotional intelligence correlates of the six bullying roles: bullies, followers, victims, bully-victims, defenders, and outsiders

2021

Journal Article

Screen time in the coronavirus 2019 era: international trends of increasing use among 3- to 7-year-old children

Ribner, Andrew D., Coulanges, Linsah, Friedman, Samantha, Libertus, Melissa E., Hughes, Claire, Foley, Sarah, Devine, Rory, Fink, Elian, Selby, Amy, Brocki, Karin, Frick, Matilda, Badinlou, Farzaneh, Feng, Xin, Chan, Meingold, Slaughter, Virginia, Clark, Sally, Su, Yanjie, Wan, Shan, Lecce, Serena, Basile, Chiara, Elliott, Leanne and Silver, Alex (2021). Screen time in the coronavirus 2019 era: international trends of increasing use among 3- to 7-year-old children. Journal of Pediatrics, 239, 59-66.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.08.068

Screen time in the coronavirus 2019 era: international trends of increasing use among 3- to 7-year-old children

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

Theory of Mind (ToM) Development in Thai Deaf Children

Siriattakul, Parinya, Suttiwan, Panrapee, Slaughter, Virginia and Peterson, Candida C. (2021). Theory of Mind (ToM) Development in Thai Deaf Children. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 26 (2), 241-250. doi: 10.1093/deafed/enaa036

Theory of Mind (ToM) Development in Thai Deaf Children

2021

Journal Article

Do newborns have the ability to imitate?

Slaughter, Virginia (2021). Do newborns have the ability to imitate?. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 25 (5), 377-387. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.02.006

Do newborns have the ability to imitate?

2021

Journal Article

Can a robot teach me that? Children's ability to imitate robots

Sommer, Kristyn, Slaughter, Virginia, Wiles, Janet, Owen, Kathryn, Chiba, Andrea A., Forster, Deborah, Malmir, Mohsen and Nielsen, Mark (2021). Can a robot teach me that? Children's ability to imitate robots. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 203 105040, 105040. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2020.105040

Can a robot teach me that? Children's ability to imitate robots

2021

Journal Article

Does neonatal imitation exist? Insights from a meta-analysis of 336 effect sizes

Davis, Jacqueline, Redshaw, Jonathan, Suddendorf, Thomas, Nielsen, Mark, Kennedy-Costantini, Siobhan, Oostenbroek, Janine and Slaughter, Virginia (2021). Does neonatal imitation exist? Insights from a meta-analysis of 336 effect sizes. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16 (6), 1745691620959834-1397. doi: 10.1177/1745691620959834

Does neonatal imitation exist? Insights from a meta-analysis of 336 effect sizes

2020

Journal Article

Preschool children overimitate robots, but do so less than they overimitate humans

Sommer, Kristyn, Davidson, Rebecca, Armitage, Kristy L., Slaughter, Virginia, Wiles, Janet and Nielsen, Mark (2020). Preschool children overimitate robots, but do so less than they overimitate humans. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 191 104702, 104702. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104702

Preschool children overimitate robots, but do so less than they overimitate humans

2020

Journal Article

Social behaviors of children with ASD during play with siblings and parents: Parental perceptions

O’Brien, Zachariah K., Cuskelly, Monica and Slaughter, Virginia (2020). Social behaviors of children with ASD during play with siblings and parents: Parental perceptions. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 97 103525, 103525. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2019.103525

Social behaviors of children with ASD during play with siblings and parents: Parental perceptions

Current funding

  • 2023 - 2025
    The neural plasticity of gaze following in children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
    Brain and Behavior Research Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2024
    The Role of Cultural Evolution in Human Understanding (John Templeton Foundation application submitted by Oxford University)
    University of Oxford
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2024
    Imitation learning in infancy
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2019 - 2023
    Sibling influence on development of children with autism spectrum disorder (ARC Discovery Project administered by the University of Tasmania)
    University of Tasmania
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2020
    Do theory of mind delays explain children's social problems?
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2019
    Mothers' and their Children's Health study: understanding disparities in health and health service utilisation among Australian families
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2014
    Prem Baby Triple P: A RCT of Enhanced Parenting to Improve Developmental Outcomes in Preterm Infants
    Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2017
    Yours and mine: Development of the concept of ownership in typical children and those on the autism spectrum
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2017
    A randomised controlled trial of enhanced parenting capacity to improve developmental outcomes in preterm infants
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2012
    UQ Category 1 Travel Award - Celia Brownell
    UQ Travel Awards for International Collaborative Research (Category 1)
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2014
    Effects of an animal-assisted intervention for children with autism (NIH R03 administered by Purdue University)
    Purdue University
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    Animal-assisted activities for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their peers in a classroom setting (follow-on study)
    Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    Establishing a UWA-UQ network for collaboration in Autism Research
    UWA-UQ Bilateral Research Collaboration Award
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2012
    Theory of mind and everyday social behaviour in children with autism, deafness and typical development
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2011
    Animal-assisted activities for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their peers in a classroom setting
    Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2013
    Charting the prevalence, time course and social-cognitive correlates of neonatal imitation.
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2008
    Synchronic imitation in children with ASD: imitation and the social deficit hypothesis.
    APEX Foundation for Autism
    Open grant
  • 2006 - 2008
    Objects or agents: Early development of knowledge about human hands
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2006 - 2008
    Social Influences on Five Key Steps in Understanding Mind for Children with Autism, Deafness or Typical Development
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2005
    NHMRC_Equipment Grant = Refurbishment and equipment for Early Cognitive Development Unit and Video equipment for cognitive testing of children, adolescents and adults
    NHMRC Equipment Grant
    Open grant
  • 2004 - 2005
    The development of knowledge about human beings in infancy and early childhood
    UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards - DVC(R) Funding
    Open grant
  • 2004 - 2005
    Investigating the nature of infants' human body concept
    University of Queensland Research Development Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2003 - 2005
    Maternal input and theory of mind development in infancy and early childhood
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2002 - 2003
    Development of a Computerized Assessment Tool to Aid in the Diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorders
    UQ FirstLink Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2002
    The recognition of human body shape in infancy.
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2001
    Parental beliefs, attitudes and attachment in relation to daycare and early intervention for typical and disabled children.
    University of Queensland Small Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2000 - 2001
    Investigation the contributions of joint attention and maternal input to theory of mind development in normal, deaf and autistic children.
    ARC Australian Research Council (Large grants)
    Open grant
  • 2000
    The recognition of human body shape in infancy.
    ARC Australian Research Council (Small grants)
    Open grant
  • 1999
    Autistic children's understanding of emotion
    UQ Foundation
    Open grant
  • 1999
    The beginnings of social intelligence: A longitudinal study of the emergence of joint attention
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 1998 - 1999
    Children's understanding of biology: implications for cognitive development and health
    ARC Australian Research Council (Large grants)
    Open grant
  • 1997 - 1998
    The beginning of social intelligence: emergence of joint attention in infancy
    University of Queensland New Staff Research Grant
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Virginia Slaughter is:
Not available for supervision

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The role of cultural and environmental factors in the developmental trajectory of early infant imitative behaviour

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Sumeet Farwaha

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The role of bilingualism in children's numeracy development and mathematical achievement

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Aisling Mulvihill

  • Doctor Philosophy

    An intervention to develop empathy in primary-aged children

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Vanessa Cobham, Dr Kristiana Ludlow

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The influence of socially constructed gender on children's theory of mind reasoning

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Michael Thai, Dr Aisling Mulvihill

  • Master Philosophy

    Mindreading across cultural boundaries

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Andre Pekerti, Professor Jolanda Jetten

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Virginia Slaughter directly for media enquiries about:

  • Children's concepts
  • Cognition and infants
  • Cognitive development
  • Developmental psychology
  • Infant cognition
  • Knowledge of numbers - learning
  • Numbers - knowledge of
  • Self concept development
  • Social development - children
  • Social knowledge testing of babies

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