Karine Mazens

Karine Mazens is an Associate Professor at Grenoble Alpes University, permanently affiliated with the Psychology and NeuroCognition Laboratory (LPNC, CNRS UMR 5105). Her academic base is in the Michel Dubois Building (Office E102), where she conducts research on child development and mathematical cognition. She serves as co-responsible for both the Master in Child Neuropsychology program and LPNC's Development and Learning research team.

Her educational background includes a 1999 PhD in Psychology from Université René Descartes (Paris V) focusing on conceptual change in children's naive sound representations, followed by a 2021 HDR (Habilitation à diriger des recherches) from Grenoble Alpes University on conceptual development in children aged 4-12 years.

Mazens' research centers on developmental psychology with specific expertise in mathematical cognition and conceptual development. Her work examines how children acquire numerical understanding, with emphasis on arithmetic learning strategies, multisensory interventions for early math education, and addressing socioeconomic disparities in mathematical achievement. She investigates the transition from naive to scientific concepts in biological inheritance and numerical reasoning, often employing experimental paradigms with preschool and early school-aged children.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a strong focus on practical educational applications, particularly interventions for disadvantaged learners in kindergarten settings. Her work bridges cognitive theory with classroom practice, frequently exploring how perceptual cues, learning materials, and multisensory approaches shape mathematical development. Recurring themes include the mental number line, approximate number system training, and longitudinal tracking of mathematical competencies from early childhood.

No scientific awards or major fellowships were documented in the source material.

Mazens actively supervises academic training through co-direction of the Master in Child Neuropsychology and holds leadership in research through her HDR certification. She currently directs the TRANSPAM project and a longitudinal cohort study tracking mathematics development in Cycle 1 (elementary school), funded under Pégase Pole Action 4. Her research integrates cognitive psychology with educational practice to develop evidence-based interventions.

She co-leads LPNC's Development and Learning team, which investigates conceptual change and learning mechanisms across childhood. Her laboratory work frequently involves experimental studies on numerical cognition, kinship detection, and multisensory perception, often collaborating with researchers in education and cognitive neuroscience to translate findings into classroom applications.