Heidi Kloos , PhD

Heidi Kloos’ research interests are the basics of knowledge development and children's STEM learning, using the lens of systems approaches. Her teaching interests lie in Statistics, Cognition, Learning, and Cognitive Development.

Ph.D. in Psychology: Arizona State University Temple, AZ, 2001

M.A. in Psychology: Arizona State University Temple, AZ, 1998

Exchange Student in Psychology: Arizona State University Temple, AZ, 1996

Graduate Studies in Clinical Psychology: Karl-Ulrich University Tuebingen, Germany, 1995

B.A. in Psychology: Karl- Ulrich University Tuebingen, Germany, 1994

How does a systems approach to knowledge development inform STEM pedagogy? 
This research question is motivated by both: 
(1) a need to improve STEM competence in children, and
(2) inconsistencies in theoretical models and empirical findings on children's learning 

08-20-2014 -To Present A&S Senate President, University of Cincinnati,

01-20-2013 -08-20-2014 Interim Head of Department, Psychology,

Investigators:PI: Kloos 09-01-2007 -08-31-2012 National Science Foundation (REESE) Development and Change of Young Children's Misconceptions about Physics Role:PI $708,495 Completed Type:Grant

Investigators:PI: Van Orden 01-01-2008 -12-31-2011 National Science Foundation (HSD) DHB Collaborative: Lifespan Dynamics of Cognition and Action Role:Co-PI $543,367 Completed Type:Grant

Investigators:PI: Kloos 06-01-2006 -05-31-2007 University of Cincinnati Faculty Research Fellowship Completed

Grant: #DRL 0723638 Investigators:Kloos, Adelheid 09-01-2007 -08-31-2013 National Science Foundation Development and Change of Young Children's Misconceptions about Physics Role:PI $708,495.00 Active Level:Federal

Grant: #BCS-0728743 Investigators:Kloos, Adelheid; Riley, Michael; Shockley, Kevin; Van Orden, Guy 01-15-2008 -12-31-2012 National Science Foundation DHB Collaborative: Lifespan Dynamics of Cognition and Action Role:PI $543,367.00 Completed Type:Grant

Grant: #R03 HD055324 Investigators:Kloos, Adelheid 08-05-2008 -07-31-2011 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development The Role of Congruence in Children's Intuitive Beliefs Role:PI $156,000.00 Closed Level:Federal

Grant: #3 R03 HD055324-01A2S1 Investigators:Kloos, Adelheid 06-01-2009 -09-30-2010 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development The Role of Congruence in Children's Beliefs about Physics (ARRA Supplement) Role:PI $16,569.00 Completed Type:Grant

Grant: #NSF DRL-1114674 Investigators:Boat, Mary Barbara; Brown, Rhonda; Carr, Victoria; Johnson, Carla; Kloos, Adelheid; Kuschner, David; Meyer, Helen; Moomaw, Sally Coup; Pan, Wei; Plevyak, Linda 10-01-2011 -09-30-2013 National Science Foundation Playscapes: Designed Nature Environments to Promote Informal Science Learning Role:Collaborator $330,124.00 Active Level:Federal

Investigators:PI: Kloos 08-01-2008 -07-31-2011 NICHD The Role of Congruence in Children’ Beliefs About Physics Role:PI 156,000 Completed

Grant: #SMA-1263142 Investigators:Holden, John; Holloway, Stacie; Howe, Steven; Jacquez, Farrah; Kallen, Rachel; Kloos, Adelheid; Mcleish, Alison; Richardson, Michael; Riley, Michael; Shear, Paula; Whitton, Sarah 02-15-2013 -01-31-2016 National Science Foundation REU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Complex Psychological Systems Role:Collaborator $255,714.00 Active Level:Federal

Grant: #BCS-1313889 Investigators:Kloos, Adelheid 08-01-2013 -07-31-2015 National Science Foundation Control Parameter of Children's Beliefs: How to Capture the Interplay between Stability and Fluidity Role:PI $138,292.00 Completed

Investigators:PI: Kallen 06-20-2013 -05-20-2016 NSF REU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Complex Psychological Systems Role:Co-PI 320,613 Active

Investigators:Kloos, Heidi; 04-01-2015 -05-20-2016 NSF Workshop: A common framework for early science learning: Are we there yet? $49,550 Denied

Investigators:PI: Kukreti 2015 Department of Education FITW: Enhancing STEM Student Success: A Scalable Integration of Best Practices Role:Co-PI Denied

Grant: #NSF DRL-1516191 Investigators:PI: Carr, Vicki 09-20-2015 -08-20-2018 NSF STEM in the PlayScape: Building Knowledge for Educational Practice Role:Co-PI $1,912,750 Active

Investigators:PI: Steven Buchberger 09-20-2015 -08-20-2020 NSF RED: Building a Long-Lasting All-Inclusive Culture of Knowledge Role:Co-PI $3,000,000 Denied

Investigators:Kloos, Heidi; Canfield, James 05-20-2015 -05-20-2016 University of Cincinnati ACT for Children on the Bubble: Developing a Math Program for Underprepared Low-Income Middle-School Students Role:PI 25,000 Active Type:Grant

Investigators:Kloos, Heidi; Breiner, Jon; Gaskins, Whitney; Ossman, Kathy 08-01-2016 -07-31-2019 NSF iTest ITEST Strategies: Using LEGO Technology to Ignite Life-Long Learning in Urban Elementary-School Students Role:PI 1,199,893 Pending Type:Grant

Investigators:Kloos, Heidi; Canfield, James; 08-01-2016 -07-31-2018 IES Exploring After-school Settings: Does modulative practice improve high-school math competence? Role:PI $250,000 Pending Type:Grant

Grant: #DRL-1516191 Investigators:Boat, Mary Barbara; Brown, Rhonda; Carr, Victoria; Kloos, Adelheid; Maltbie, Catherine; Plano Clark, Vicki 01-15-2016 -12-31-2018 National Science Foundation STEM in the PlayScape: Building Knowledge for Educational Practice Role:Collaborator $1,116,905.00 Awarded Level:Federal

Grant: #2017 Mindplay Award Investigators:Kloos, Adelheid 09-01-2017 -08-31-2019 MindPlay, Inc Empirically Testing the Efficacy of MindPlay on Students' Literacy Role:PI $69,804.00 Awarded Level:Industry

Grant: #Kloos- Faculty Bridge Program Investigators:Kloos, Adelheid 08-01-2018 -07-31-2019 UC's Research Support Mind and Math in Modulative Practice: Effect of Student-Guided Math Exposure Role:PI $8,420.00 Active Level:Internal UC

Peer Reviewed Publications

• Kloos, H., Baker, H. & Waltzer, T. (2019). A Mind with a Mind of Its Own: How Complexity Theory Can Inform Early Science Pedagogy, Educational Psychology Review, 1-18. doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09472-6
• Kloos, H., Waltzer, T., Maltbie, C., Brown, R. D., & Carr, V. (2018). Inconsistencies in Early Science Education: Can Nature Help Streamline State Standards?. Ecopsychology, 10(4), 243-258. doi.org/10.1089/eco.2018.0042.
• Mano, Q. R., & Kloos, H. (2018). Sensitivity to the Regularity of Letter Patterns Within Print Among Preschoolers: Implications for Emerging Literacy. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 32(4), 1-13.
• Kloos, H., Maltbie, C., Brown, R., & Carr, V. (2018). Listening in: Spontaneous Teacher Talk on Playscapes. Creative Education, 9(3), 426-441.
• *Walton, A. E., Washburn, A., Langland‐Hassan, P., Chemero, A., Kloos, H., & Richardson, M. J. (2017). Creating Time: Social Collaboration in Music Improvisation. Topics in cognitive science.
• *Stacy, S. T., *Cartwright, M., *Arwood, Z., Canfield, J. P., & Kloos, H. (2017). Addressing the math-practive gap in elementary school: Are tablets a feasible tool for informal math practice? Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 179. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00179.
• *Castillo, R. D., *Waltzer, T., & Kloos, H. (2017). Hands-on experience can lead to systematic mistakes: A study on adults’ understanding of sinking objects. Cognitive research: principles and implications, 2(1), 28.
• *Amaral, J. L., Romero, V., Kloos, H., & Richardson, M. J. (2017). Complexity and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Exploring Hysteresis in A Grasping Task. Aims Medical Science, 4(1), 113-130.
• *Wight, R. A., Kloos, H., Maltbie, C. V., & Carr, V. W. (2016). Can playscapes promote early childhood inquiry towards environmentally responsible behaviors? An exploratory study. Environmental Education Research, 22(4), 518-537.
• Hardcastle, C., *White, E; Kloos, H., Hardcastle, V. G. (2016). Heavy objects and small children: Developmental data extend the passive frame theory. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 39.
• *Castillo, G.R., Kloos, H, Richardson, M.J., *Waltzer, T. (2015). Beliefs as Self-Sustaining Networks: Drawing Parallels Between Networks of Ecosystems and Adults’ Predictions. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1-13.
• *Castillo, G.R., Kloos, H., Holden, J.G., Richardson, M.J. (2015). Fractal coordination in adults' attention to hierarchical visual patterns, Nonlinear Dynamics Psychology and Life Sciences
• *Coey, C.A., *Hassebrock, J., Kloos, H., Richardson, M.J. (2015). The complexities of keeping the beat: dynamical structure in the nested behaviors of finger tapping. Attention Perception & Psychophysics
• *Castillo G. R., Kloos, H., Holden, J., & Richardson, M. (2015). Long-rang Correlations and Patterns of Recurrence in Children’s Attention to Hierarchical Displays. Frontiers in Physiology: Physiology and Network Science.
• Sloutsky, V. M., Deng, W., Fisher, A., & Kloos, H. (2015). Conceptual influences on induction: A case for late onset. Cognitive Psychology. doi:10.1016/j.cogpsych.2015.08.005
• *Wight, A. R., Kloos, H., Maltbie, C. V. & Carr, V. W. (2015): Can playscapes promote early childhood inquiry towards environmentally responsible behaviors? An exploratory study. Environmental Education Research, DOI: 10.1080/13504622.2015.1015495
• *Withcomb, D., Carrasco, R., Neuman, A., & Kloos, H. (2015). Correlational research to examine the relation between attachment and sensory modulation in young children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69(4), 5-23.
• Wallot, S., O’Brien, B. A., Haussmann, A., Kloos, H., &
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  Book Chapter

  • Fisher, A.V. & Kloos, H. (2015). Development of selective sustained attention: The Role of Executive Functions. In L. Freund, P. McCardle, and J. Griffin (Eds.), Executive Function in Preschool Age Children: Integrating Measurement, Neurodevelopment and Translational Research. APA Press.
  • Kloos, H., *Baker, H., *Luken, E., Brown, R. Pfeiffer, D. & Carr, V. (2012). Preschoolers Learning Science: Myth or Reality? In H. Kloos, B. J. Morris and J. L. Amaral (Eds.), Current Topics in Children's Learning and Cognition (p.p. 45-70). Rijeka, Croatia: Tech - Open Access Publisher.
  • *Amaral, J. L., *Collins, S.,  *Bohache, K. T., & Kloos, H. (2012). Beyond the Black-and-White of Autism: How Cognitive Performance Varies with Context. In H. Kloos, B. J. Morris and J. L. Amaral (Eds.), Current Topics in Children's Learning and Cognition (p.p. 145-170). Rijeka, Croatia: Tech - Open Access Publisher.
  • *Castillo, R. D., Van Orden, G., & Kloos, H. (2011). The Embodiment of Time Estimation. In A. Vatakis, A. Esposito, M. Giagkou, F. Cummins, & G. Papadelis (Eds.), Time and Time Perception 2010, LNAI 6789, (pp. 196–206). Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag
  • Van Orden, G.C., Kloos, H., & *Wallot, S. (2011). Living in the Pink: Intentionality, Wellbeing, and Complexity. In C. A. Hooker (Ed.), Philosophy of Complex Systems. Handbook of the Philosophy of Science, Amsterdam: Elsevier. (pp. 639-682).
  • *Hollis, J., Kloos, H., & Van Orden, G. C. (2009). Origins of order in cognitive activity. In S. Guastello, M. Koopmans, & D. Pincus (Eds.), Chaos and complexity: Recent advances and future directions in the theory of nonlinear dynamical systems, pp 206-241. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.         
  • Kloos, H., & Van Orden, G. C. (2009). Soft-assembled mechanisms for the unified theory. In J.P. Spencer, M. Thomas, & J. McClelland (Eds.) Toward a Unified Theory of Development: Connectionism and Dynamic Systems Theory Re-Considered, pp 253-267. Oxford University Press.
  • Van Orden, G. C, & Kloos, H. (2005). The question of phonology and reading. In M. S. Snowling, & C. Hulme, (Eds.). The science of reading: A handbook, pp 61-78. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
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  Peer Reviewed Conference/Workshop Proceedings

  • *Cartwright, M., Kloos, H., Mano, Q., & Hord, C. (2018). Child-guided math practice: The role of regulatory emotional self-efficacy for children experiencing homelessness. In T. T. Rogers, M. Rau, X. Zhu, & C. W. Kalish (Eds.), Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 1452-1457). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
  • Castillo, R., *Waltzer, T, & Kloos, H. (2016). Ambiguity and Representational Stability: What is the role of embodied experiences? In Papafragou, A., Grodner, D., Mirman, D., & Trueswell, J.C. (Eds.). Proceedings of the 38th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 1080-1085). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
  • *Amaral, J., Kloos, H., Richardson, (2015). Social Cues Affect Grasping Hysteresis in ASD. In Noelle, D. C., Dale, R., Warlaumont, A. S., Yoshimi, J., Matlock, T., Jennings, C. D., & Maglio, P. P. (Eds.). Proceedings of the 37th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society (pp 96-101). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
  • *Cessna, T. C., *McAlister, S. C., Kloos, H., Frank, R. A., (2014). Effect of naming on haptic memory in children and adults: Is it similar to olfactory memory? In P. Bello, M. Guarini, M. McShane, & B. Scassellati (Eds.), Proceedings of the 36th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 307-312). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
  • *Amaral, J. L., *Collins, S. *O’Connor, S., *McAlister, S., Kloos, H., & Luzzi, C. D. (2013). Shape categorization in autism: Does it follow the pattern of typical development? Proceedings of the 35rd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Berlin, Germany: Cognitive Science Society.
  • *Malone, M., *Castillo R.D., Holden, J. G., Kloos, H., & Richardson, M. J. (2013). Dynamic Structure of Joint-Action Stimulus-Response Activity. Proceedings of the 35rd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 966-971). Berlin, Germany: Cognitive Science Society.
  • *Coey, C. A., *Hassebrock, J., Kloos, H., & Richardson, M. J. (2013). Fractal structure of the nested actions in keeping the beat. Proceedings of the 35rd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Berlin, Germany: Cognitive Science Society.
  • *Bohache, K. T., Kloos, H., & Richardson, M. J. (2012). Developmental Trends in the Dynamics of Spontaneous Coordination in 5-, 7-, and 9-year-olds. Proceedings of the 34rd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Tokyo, Japan: Cognitive Science Society.
  • Kloos, H. (2011). Emergence of Higher-Order Transitivity across Development: The Importance of Local Task Difficulty. Proceedings of the First Joint International Conference on Learning and Development and Epigenetic Robotics. Frankfurt, Germany: IEEE.
  • *Baker, H., *Haussmann, A., Kloos, H., & Fisher, A. (2011). Preschoolers' learning about buoyancy: Does it help to give away the answer? Proceedings of the First Joint International Conference on Learning and Development and Epigenetic Robotics. Frankfurt, Germany: IEEE.
  • *Gresham, L., Kloos, H., *Wallot, S., & Van Orden, G. (2011). Fractals in children's time estimation: Evidence for developing coordination. Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Boston, MA: Cognitive Science Society.
  • *Pfeiffer, D., Kloos, H., & *Bullard, D. P. (2011). Learning to balance a beam: The Effect of instabilty. Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Boston, MA: Cognitive Science Society.
  • *Castillo, R., Kloos, H., *Vanderburgh, S., & Holden, J. (2011). Coordination of attention to local and global features: Fractal patterns in a speeded-categorization task. Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the Cognit
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Invited Presentations

1992 -1992 ‘Stipendium des Deutschen Volkes’ Nomination for the ‘Stipendium des Deutschen Volkes’, Rudolf Koch, Germany, 05/1992 Status:Nomination Level:National Type:Monetary

APA (Site Visitor ) Member Type:Service to Professional Associations Level:National

2001-2003 Physical knowledge in toddlers, , University of Massachusetts, , Amherst, MA

Cognitive Development Society,

Introduction to Psychology

Children's Learning and Development Ongoing Interdisciplinary Talk Series with graduate students and faculty members interested in learning and development, Arlitt Center Type:Seminar