Biography

Katherine Choe
Department: Psychology
Title: Assistant Professor of Psychology (2006)
Degree: B.A. from Johns Hopkins University; M.S. and Ph.D. from Yale University
Office: HS 117
Phone: 410-337-6359
Email: katherine.choe@goucher.edu

Teaching Interests

I teach courses in lifespan development, the concept of self and identity, and qualitative research in psychology. I encourage students to see the relationship between psychology and their everyday lives. In my teaching, I seek to keep the courses interactive via debates and through examples from my own research and TV shows or current events.

Courses Taught in Fall Semester:

• PSY 244 Lifespan Developmental Psychology
• PSY 340 Concept of Self and Identity

Courses Taught in Spring Semester:

• PSY 244 Lifespan Developmental Psychology
• PSY 255 Qualitative Research Methods in Psychology

Research Interests

My research interests are in cognitive development with a focus on knowledge acquisition, intuitive explanation, and conceptual change. My work seeks to increase our understanding of how young children come to make sense of the world around them.

Two projects are described below:

Children’s understanding of time perception

We have all felt that “time flies when we’re having fun,” but have also experienced the agony of a boring lecture. My current work focuses on this type of contrast. I am interested in whether or not these types of experiences influence a child’s perception of time as well as the duration of it.

Children’s intuitions of individual identity

This project examines our intuitions about the essence of individual identity and the role the brain plays in sustaining the identity. Adults know that the crucial role that the brain plays goes beyond controlling physical and psychological functioning. Children’s concept of identity is investigated through a method of hypothetical brain transplants in various categories such as ownership and culpability as well as cognition and behavior. Other research interests include having conflicting desires in one’s mind, causal reasoning, and the concept of body and soul. Scholarly interests include inter-disciplinary work, examining theories and research from areas such as cognitive, social, and developmental psychology, and philosophy.

Other

I also like babies and strawberry margaritas. I enjoy listening to National Public Radio and spending time with my family.