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 | Douglas Frye
Associate Professor
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Education
1973: B.A. Psychology and Philosophy, University College, New York University
1978: Ph.D. Psychology, Yale University
Areas of Expertise
Children’s theory of mind
Cognitive development
Early mathematical development
Human development
Professional Biography
Dr. Frye’s first teaching and research appointment was abroad at Cambridge University. He returned to the United States to pursue research in computer science at Yale and subsequently resumed teaching and research at New York University. He joined the faculty at Penn in 1998.
Research Interests and Current Projects
Dr. Frye’s research efforts are concentrated on two topics in cognitive development, children’s theories of mind and early mathematical development. The first considers the developments that are important for theory of mind and the effects those developments subsequently have on children’s social competence. This research investigates the relation of theory of mind to executive control in particular and to early childhood development in general. It examines the benefits theory of mind has for young children’s social-emotional understanding and for their understanding of teaching and learning.
The goal of the second research effort is to understand how children initially acquire mathematical reasoning skills. This research assesses the cognitive changes that occur in early math learning and employs that information to design interactive classroom and computer settings to improve math understanding. Present projects include collaborating with urban Head Start centers to support emergent numeracy and social competence to ensure young children’s readiness for the transition to school.
Courses Taught
EDUC 560 Human Development
EDUC 562: Social and Personality Development
EDUC 568: Cognitive Development
EDUC 764: Cognitive Processes: Children’s Theories of Mind
Selected Publications
Frye, D., & Ziv, M. (in press). Teaching and learning as intentional activities. In C. Tamis-LeMonda & B. D. Homer (Eds.), The development of social cognition and communication.
Frye, D., & Zelazo, P.D. (2003). The development of young children’s action control and awareness. In J. Roessler & N. Eilan (Eds.), Agency and Self-awareness: Issues in philosophy and psychology (pp. 244-262). Oxford University Press.
Ziv, M., & Frye, D. (2003). The relation between desire and false belief in children’s theory of mind: No satisfaction? Developmental Psychology.
Zelazo, P. D., Burack, J. A., Boseovski, J. J., Jacques, S., & Frye, D. (2001). A cognitive complexity and control framework for the study of autism.” In T. Charman, J. A. Burack, N. Yirmiya, & P. R. Zelazo (Eds.), Development and autism: Perspectives from theory and research (pp. 195-217). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Frye, D. (2000). Theory of mind, domain specificity, and reasoning. In P. Mitchell & K. Riggs (Eds.), Children’s reasoning of the mind. Hove, UK: Psychology Press.
Frye, D. (1998). Cognitive Complexity and Control I. Theory of Mind in Typical and Atypical Development. In Current Directions in Psychological Science.
Frye, D. (1997). Cognitive development, intention, and instruction. In Cognitive Development.
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