Samuel Ronfard
Papers
1
Total Citations
128
H-Index
1
About
Samuel Ronfard is a developmental psychologist whose research explores how children learn, reason, and remember, with a particular focus on the roles of social interaction, testimony, and narrative. His work bridges cognitive development and education, examining how young children acquire knowledge from others—whether from parents, teachers, or even robots. In his highly cited 2017 study, “Flat vs. Expressive Storytelling,” Ronfard investigated whether a social robot could effectively engage preschoolers in dialogic reading, finding that children learned and retained vocabulary better when the robot used expressive, interactive storytelling rather than a flat delivery. This work, with over 128 citations, has significant implications for early childhood education and human-robot interaction. Beyond this, Ronfard’s broader contributions include studies on children’s understanding of pretense, imagination, and the reliability of informants, shedding light on how young minds navigate a complex social world. His research is widely cited in developmental science and education, and he is recognized for advancing our understanding of how children integrate information from diverse sources—including technology—into their learning processes.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1