Eline de Boer, MSc

PhD student

About me

From the day they are born, children are curious about the world around them. People, toys, sounds, ways to move around: they find it all extremely interesting. But what is curiosity exactly? How does it develop? What does it look like in the brain? Are all children equally curious or are some more curious than others? And if so, what makes those children more curious than others? Do highly curious children develop differently from less curious children? Are there ways we can stimulate curiosity? Questions that make me very curious.

In October 2021, I started a PhD focusing on curiosity and cognitive development in young children. Before this, I did a research masters in clinical and developmental psychopathology and a clinical masters (and internship) in child- and adolescent psychology. I hope to be able to use my knowledge on developmental psychology, experience in clinical practice and research skills to answer some of the questions above.