Research Interests:
Manuel Sprung has studied social-cognitive development (theory of mind) in preschool and elementary school-age children. His current research represents an integration of cognitive development and clinical psychology. Dr. Sprung is conducting research on how children exposed to stressful (potentially traumatic) events process these adverse experiences (e.g., natural disaster, medical illness, injury, accident, loss of a loved one, maltreatment and bullying), and how this relates to children’s cognitive developmental level. He is also investigating social cognition and interaction in refugee and immigrant children and he is interested in studying the effects of experimental and clinical interventions, such as discourse-based interventions to foster children's cognitive development (i.e. theory-of-mind) or mindfulness-based interventions for children with stressful (potentially traumatic) experiences.
Current research project (Trauma and stressful life events study)
The purpose of this study is to understand children's experience of stressful life events and the psychological reactions to these events, such as unwanted intrusive thoughts. Stressful life events include major negative life events such as a medical illness, injury, accident, or loss of a loved one, as well as other stressful life events, such as moving cities, birth of a sibling, parental separation.
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Selected Publications:
- Sprung, M. (2010). Clinically relevant measures of children's theory of mind and knowledge about thinking: Focus on other, not standard and advanced measures. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 15 (4), 204-216. [PDF]
- Sprung, M. (2008). Unwanted intrusive thoughts and cognitive functioning in kindergarten and young elementary school-age children following Hurricane Katrina. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 37 (3), 575-587.[PDF]
- Sprung, M., Perner, J., & Mitchell, P.L. (2007). Opacity and Embedded Perspectives: object identity and object properties. Mind & Language, 22 (3), 215-245. [PDF]
- Perner, J., Zauner, P., & Sprung, M. (2005). What does 'That' Have to do with Points of View? Conflicting Desires and the Case of 'Want' in German. In J.W.Astington & J.Baird (Eds.), Why language matters for theory of mind. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [PDF]
- Perner, J., Sprung, M, & Steinkogler, B. (2004). Counterfactual Conditionals and False Belief: A Developmental Dissociation. Cognitive Development, 19 (2), 179-201. [PDF]
- Perner, J., Sprung, M., Zauner, P., & Haider, H. (2003). Want-that is understood well before think/say-that and false belief: A test of deVilliers' linguistic determinism on German speaking children. Child Development, 74 (1), 179-188. [PDF]
- Perner, J., Stummer, S., Sprung, M., & Doherty, M. (2002). Theory of Mind Finds its Piagetian Perspective: Why Alternative Naming Comes with Understanding Belief. Cognitive Development, 17, 1451-1472. [PDF]
