Carolien Rieffe leads the Focus On Emotions research lab at the Developmental and Educational Psychology section of the Institute of Psychology and University of Twente. She is Professor of Social Interaction Technology at the University of Twente and Honorary Professor at the Institute of Education at UCL (University College London) in London.

More information about Carolien Rieffe

Carolien Rieffe leads the Focus On Emotions research lab at the Developmental and Educational Psychology section of the Institute of Psychology and University of Twente. She is Professor of Social Interaction Technology at the University of Twente and Honorary Professor at the Institute of Education at UCL (University College London) in London.

Research on emotions in social development

Rieffe researches the functions of emotions and how they affect children's social development and mental health. Central to this is interaction with the environment. Rieffe studies youth of all ages, focusing in part on understanding the impact of individual differences on the development of children with hearing loss and autistic children and adolescents.

Focus on Emotions Lab

Researchers at the Focus on Emotions Lab explore various aspects of emotional intelligence, such as emotion awareness, coping, empathy and expressing anger. Within another line of research, they focus on cultural differences.

The lab works closely with Computer Science (LIACS (Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science) and the Technical University of Twente), allowing researchers in the lab to apply new techniques to monitor children's social behavior, such as using sensor data.

Research on a socially inclusive environment

Rieffe is also researching how new technologies can help create socially inclusive environments. In a socially inclusive environment, individual differences are taken into account, making everyone feel safe and valued, and therefore able to develop to their full potential. Two ongoing lines of research are:

Schoolyard Project

Playgrounds are the place where children and young people develop, but for far from every child the (school) square is a pleasant place. Many children stand aside, feel lonely or excluded, and do not participate with others. The social environment, as well as the physical environment, can be a barrier to participation for many children and young people. Due to poor acoustics, for example, a young person with hearing loss can barely understand his or her classmates.

In the Schoolyard Project, Rieffe is working with Computer Science and the Department of Child Psychiatry, among others, to investigate the extent to which the schoolyard is an accessible place for different children and adolescents. She is using sensor technology to investigate how children move around the schoolyard, and is working with TU Delft's Department of Architecture to design schoolyards where all children can move around optimally.

Museums

Rieffe is also a critical friend of the Musea Bekennen Kleur foundation, which works to increase diversity in museums. Dutch museums often painted a one-sided picture of people of color and Dutch colonial history. Many Dutch museums are now changing this by displaying exhibits showing different perspectives. Rieffe is active in making such exhibition also available in virtual reality, so that these exhibition can be preserved, and can be used within education.

An example is the research of the exhibition "HERE. Black in Rembrandt's Time,' which was shown at the Museum Het Rembrandthuis in Amsterdam in 2020. This exhibition offers a respectful and personalized perspective on people of color in the Netherlands in the 17th century and today, and this exhibition can now be viewed in VR. Rieffe and colleagues are exploring whether and how a new VR representation of people of color in art, affects how young people view the period.

Other collaborations in this regard are with the National Archives (Curaçao exhibition) and the artist Remy Jungerman, winner 2022 of the KNAW Heineken Prize and whose solo exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in 2022 is the basis for building a new exhibition of his work in VR.

Education

Rieffe teaches social and emotional development, with a special focus on clinical groups, such as children with autism or hearing loss. She teaches undergraduate, graduate, honors and PhD courses.

Short CV

Rieffe received her master's degree in Psychology Methodology (with Honours) from the University of Amsterdam and a PhD from VU University Amsterdam. She then worked as an associate professor at the Institute of Education (University of London, UK). In 2010 she became associate professor at Leiden University and in 2020 professor at the University of Twente. She has also held an honorary professorship at UCL (University of London, UK) since 2015.

She received several grants and awards including a NWO VIDI grant, an award for the most influential research article in 25 years in Child and Adolescent, award for best teacher and the Award for Smartest City Project of the Netherlands.

Rieffe sat or sits on several advisory boards and committees, including the advisory board of the Honours College, LCDS (Leiden Center for Data Science), Female Autism Network of the Netherlands and the examination board of Univesity Leiden.

She also works closely with professional organizations and academic institutions abroad, including ENT-LUMC, Curium, INTER-PSY, Museum Rembrandt Huis, National Archives, and Center for Autism.