Professor Virginia Slaughter
Professor

Virginia Slaughter

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 60503

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, Institution to be confirmed
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of California-Berkeley

Search Professor Virginia Slaughter’s works on UQ eSpace

165 works between 1988 and 2025
All (165) Book (5) Journal Article (129) Conference Publication (15) Book Chapter (16)

41 - 60 of 165 works

2017

Journal Article

Current evidence for automatic Theory of Mind processing in adults

Schneider, Dana, Slaughter, Virginia P. and Dux, Paul E. (2017). Current evidence for automatic Theory of Mind processing in adults. Cognition, 162, 27-31. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.01.018

Current evidence for automatic Theory of Mind processing in adults

2017

Book Chapter

Culture and the sequence of developmental milestones toward theory of mind mastery

Peterson, Candida C. and Slaughter, Virginia (2017). Culture and the sequence of developmental milestones toward theory of mind mastery. Theory of mind development in context. (pp. 25-40) Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315749181-10

Culture and the sequence of developmental milestones toward theory of mind mastery

2017

Book Chapter

Development of Social Cognition

Slaughter, Virginia (2017). Development of Social Cognition. Child Psychology and Psychiatry: Frameworks for Clinical Training and Practice. (pp. 77-82) wiley. doi: 10.1002/9781119170235.ch9

Development of Social Cognition

2017

Book

Theory of mind development in context

Virginia Slaughter and Marc de Rosnay eds. (2017). Theory of mind development in context. Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315749181

Theory of mind development in context

2017

Journal Article

There is no compelling evidence that human neonates imitate

Kennedy-Costantini, Siobhan, Oostenbroek, Janine, Suddendorf, Thomas, Nielsen, Mark, Redshaw, Jonathan, Davis, Jacqueline, Clark, Sally and Slaughter, Virginia (2017). There is no compelling evidence that human neonates imitate. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 40 e392, e392. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X16001898

There is no compelling evidence that human neonates imitate

2016

Journal Article

Theory of mind and prosocial behavior in childhood: a meta-analytic review

Imuta, Kana, Henry, Julie D., Slaughter, Virginia, Selcuk, Bilge and Ruffman, Ted (2016). Theory of mind and prosocial behavior in childhood: a meta-analytic review. Developmental Psychology, 52 (8), 1192-1205. doi: 10.1037/dev0000140

Theory of mind and prosocial behavior in childhood: a meta-analytic review

2016

Journal Article

Comprehensive Longitudinal Study Challenges the Existence of Neonatal Imitation in Humans

Oostenbroek, Janine, Suddendorf, Thomas, Nielsen, Mark, Redshaw, Jonathan, Kennedy-Costantini, Siobhan, Davis, Jacqueline, Clark, Sally and Slaughter, Virginia (2016). Comprehensive Longitudinal Study Challenges the Existence of Neonatal Imitation in Humans. Current Biology, 26 (10), 1334-1338. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.03.047

Comprehensive Longitudinal Study Challenges the Existence of Neonatal Imitation in Humans

2016

Journal Article

Direct experience with nature and the development of biological knowledge

Longbottom, Sarah E. and Slaughter, Virginia (2016). Direct experience with nature and the development of biological knowledge. Early Education and Development, 27 (8), 1-14. doi: 10.1080/10409289.2016.1169822

Direct experience with nature and the development of biological knowledge

2016

Journal Article

Peer social skills and theory of mind in children with autism, deafness, or typical development

Peterson, Candida, Slaughter, Virginia, Moore, Chris and Wellman, Henry M. (2016). Peer social skills and theory of mind in children with autism, deafness, or typical development. Developmental Psychology, 52 (1), 46-57. doi: 10.1037/a0039833

Peer social skills and theory of mind in children with autism, deafness, or typical development

2016

Conference Publication

Hand in hand: tools and techniques for understanding children's touch with a social robot

Hensby, Kristyn, Wiles, Janet, Boden, Marie, Heath, Scott, Nielsen, Mark, Pounds, Paul, Riddell, Joshua, Rogers, Kristopher, Rybak, Nikodem, Slaughter, Virginia, Smith, Michael, Taufatofua, Jonathon, Worthy, Peter and Weigel, Jason (2016). Hand in hand: tools and techniques for understanding children's touch with a social robot. 11th Annual ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, HRI 2016, Christchurch, New Zealand, 7-10 March 2016. Piscataway, NJ, United States: IEEE Computer Society. doi: 10.1109/HRI.2016.7451794

Hand in hand: tools and techniques for understanding children's touch with a social robot

2016

Journal Article

Cultural effects on mindreading

Perez-Zapata, Daniel, Slaughter, Virginia and Henry, Julie D. (2016). Cultural effects on mindreading. Cognition, 146, 410-414. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2015.10.018

Cultural effects on mindreading

2015

Journal Article

Children with autism spectrum disorder are skilled at reading emotion body language

Peterson, Candida C., Slaughter, Virginia and Brownell, Celia (2015). Children with autism spectrum disorder are skilled at reading emotion body language. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 139, 35-50. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2015.04.012

Children with autism spectrum disorder are skilled at reading emotion body language

2015

Journal Article

Meta-analysis of theory of mind and peer popularity in the preschool and early school years

Slaughter, Virginia, Imuta, Kana, Peterson, Candida C. and Henry, Julie D. (2015). Meta-analysis of theory of mind and peer popularity in the preschool and early school years. Child Development, 86 (4), 1159-1174. doi: 10.1111/cdev.12372

Meta-analysis of theory of mind and peer popularity in the preschool and early school years

2015

Journal Article

Theory of Mind in Infants and Young Children: A Review

Slaughter, Virginia (2015). Theory of Mind in Infants and Young Children: A Review. Australian Psychologist, 50 (3), 169-172. doi: 10.1111/ap.12080

Theory of Mind in Infants and Young Children: A Review

2015

Journal Article

Animals may act as social buffers: Skin conductance arousal in children with autism spectrum disorder in a social context

O'Haire, Marguerite E, Mckenzie, Samantha J, Beck, Alan M and Slaughter, Virginia (2015). Animals may act as social buffers: Skin conductance arousal in children with autism spectrum disorder in a social context. Developmental Psychobiology, 57 (5), 584-595. doi: 10.1002/dev.21310

Animals may act as social buffers: Skin conductance arousal in children with autism spectrum disorder in a social context

2015

Journal Article

Prem Baby Triple P: a randomised controlled trial of enhanced parenting capacity to improve developmental outcomes in preterm infants

Colditz, Paul, Sanders, Matthew R., Boyd, Roslyn, Pritchard, Margo, Gray, Peter, O'Callaghan, Michael J., Slaughter, Virginia, Whittingham, Koa, O'Rourke, Peter, Winter, Leanne, Evans, Tracey, Herd, Michael, Ahern, Jessica and Jardine, Luke (2015). Prem Baby Triple P: a randomised controlled trial of enhanced parenting capacity to improve developmental outcomes in preterm infants. BMC Pediatrics, 15 (1) 15, 1-13. doi: 10.1186/s12887-015-0331-x

Prem Baby Triple P: a randomised controlled trial of enhanced parenting capacity to improve developmental outcomes in preterm infants

2015

Journal Article

Friends, friendlessness, and the social consequences of gaining a theory of mind

Fink, Elian, Begeer, Sander, Peterson, Candida C., Slaughter, Virginia and de Rosnay, Marc (2015). Friends, friendlessness, and the social consequences of gaining a theory of mind. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 33 (1), 27-30. doi: 10.1111/bjdp.12080

Friends, friendlessness, and the social consequences of gaining a theory of mind

2015

Conference Publication

Comparison of Japanese and Australian adults in theory of mind: Investigating the use of subject and mental state language

Toyama, Kaoru, Imuta, Kana, Slaughter, Virginia, Kitazaki, Michiteru and Itakura, Shoji (2015). Comparison of Japanese and Australian adults in theory of mind: Investigating the use of subject and mental state language. IEICE, Shodoshima, Japan, 30-31 January 2015.

Comparison of Japanese and Australian adults in theory of mind: Investigating the use of subject and mental state language

2015

Journal Article

What do we know about implicit false-belief tracking?

Schneider, Dana, Slaughter, Virginia P. and Dux, Paul E. (2015). What do we know about implicit false-belief tracking?. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 22 (1), 1-12. doi: 10.3758/s13423-014-0644-z

What do we know about implicit false-belief tracking?

2014

Journal Article

Cultural Variations in the Development of Mind Reading

Slaughter, Virginia and Perez-Zapata, Daniel (2014). Cultural Variations in the Development of Mind Reading. Child Development Perspectives, 8 (4), 237-241. doi: 10.1111/cdep.12091

Cultural Variations in the Development of Mind Reading

Current funding

  • 2021 - 2025
    Imitation learning in infancy
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Past 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
  • 2019 - 2025
    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

    An intervention to develop empathy in primary-aged children

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Vanessa Cobham, Dr Kristiana Ludlow

  • Doctor Philosophy

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

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jonathan Redshaw

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

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au