Karl Rosengren

Karl Rosengren is a Professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester, affiliated with the School of Arts & Sciences and the Psychology program. His research focuses on cognitive and motor development, particularly examining how children’s drawing abilities interact with conceptual development. He investigates topics such as perception-action integration, learning mechanisms, and the representation of biological variability. Rosengren’s work spans developmental psychology, cognitive science, and educational research, with notable contributions to understanding how visual representations influence learning about genetics and metamorphosis.

His research also explores parent-child communication around health crises (e.g., pandemic-related questions), cultural influences on reasoning about illnesses, and the cognitive underpinnings of beliefs about genetic inheritance. He collaborates on computational methods to analyze children’s drawings and evaluate educational tools for teaching biological concepts. Recent studies highlight the role of perceptual richness in learning, cross-cultural differences in explanatory frameworks, and the interplay between essentialist thinking and mental health stigma.

Rosengren holds a leadership role in interdisciplinary projects bridging cognitive science and education. His work often integrates quantitative and qualitative methods, including experimental designs, content analysis of educational materials, and cross-cultural comparisons. He maintains active research collaborations on topics like firefighter gait analysis and the physiological impacts of protective equipment, demonstrating his broader interest in applied cognitive science.