Frederick J. Morrison, Ph.D.

Fred Morrison is a Developmental Psychologist whose current research focuses on the nature and sources of literacy acquisition in children during the transition to school. His research has uncovered surprisingly large individual differences among children in important cognitive, language and social skills even before they begin school. His current work examines the impact of child, family and schooling factors in shaping children's growth and in contributing to early problems in school. In one series of studies he is examining the impact of schooling by using a " natural experiment" (school cutoff) in which children who just make vs. miss the cutoff for school entry are compared on growth of a variety of skills important for school success.

In another project, he is a co-investigator on the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. This national study has been following over 1000 children since birth in 10 different sites around the nation, focusing on the impact of different contexts ( family, childcare, school) on children's psychological growth.