Zachary Gold

Dr. Zachary Gold is Assistant Professor in Psychology at St. John Fisher University, researching play-based learning as a foundation for early STEM skill development. His work examines how block play and engineering activities promote spatial reasoning, executive function, and problem-solving abilities in young children across diverse populations.

Publications investigate cognitive development through play contexts, with recent cross-cultural comparisons of block play benefits and studies of inclusive engineering play for children with disabilities. Research demonstrates how informal play environments serve as effective STEM learning contexts and support mathematical cognition development.

His work informs early childhood curriculum design and inclusive educational practices that leverage play for cognitive development.