Research Interests
I am interested in human development, particularly as it relates to auditory, motor, and social perception and cognition. My research uses music as a means to examine auditory and motor development in infants and children, and to investigate how musical experiences influence individual behaviour and interpersonal interactions. I use both quantitative and qualitative experimental methods to assess children’s sensitivity to musical features, capture changes in musical ability over the course of development, and examine how shared musical experience impacts development. I am particularly interested in the role of temporal information in auditory entrainment, sensorimotor synchronization, and auditory-motor interactions. My secondary interest is in the prosocial effects of interpersonal synchrony and collaborative music making, both for children who make music with their peers, and for the child-caregiver dyad.
In addition to scholarly research, published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at academic conferences, I also engage in applied research and in knowledge translation. I have a certificate in Knowledge Translation from SickKids Hospital in Toronto, I received the Merit Award for New Faculty at McMaster in recognition of excellence in university teaching, and I have been the recipient of two Dean’s Awards, both for Knowledge Mobilization and Innovation and Excellence in Communicating Research. Separate from my academic investigations, I have worked directly with children and their parents as an arts educator for more than 15 years and I am the co-director of IRSTE, an international arts research-to-practice collaborative. The goal of my research is to inform practice for those educating children and youth, and to influence best practices in care for clinical professionals engaged in treatment or therapy.
A sampling of my research pursuits
Peer-reviewed academic manuscripts
Hendricks, K. S., Einarson, K. M., Mitchell, N., Guerriero, E. M., & D’Ercole, P. (2021). Caring For, About, and With: Exploring Musical Meaningfulness Among Suzuki Students and Parents. Frontiers in Education, 6, 648776. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.648776
Vingilis, E., Stewart, S., Hamilton, H. A., Seeley, J., Einarson, K.M., Kolla, N. J., Bondy, S. J., Erickson, P. G. (2020). Pilot Study of Mental Health and Substance Use of Detained Youths in Ontario, Canada. Children and Youth Services Review, 116, 105156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105156
Einarson, K. M. & Trainor, L. J. (2016). Hearing the beat: Young children’s perceptual sensitivity to beat alignment varies according to metric structure. Music Perception, 34(1), 56-70. https://doi.org/10.1525/mp.2016.34.1.56
Einarson, K. M. & Trainor, L. J. (2015). The effect of visual information on young children’s perceptual sensitivity to musical beat alignment. Timing and Time Perception, 3(1-2), 88-101. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134468-03002039
Cirelli, L. K., Einarson, K. M. & Trainor, L. J. (2014) Interpersonal synchrony increases prosocial behaviour in infants. Developmental Science, 17(6), 1003-1011. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12193
**check out a three-minute video abstract of this study**
Selected professional publications
Einarson, K. M. (2018). Early Experiences Elevate Everything: What does a pediatrician want Suzuki teachers to know? American Suzuki Journal, 47(1).
Einarson, K. M., Hendricks, K. S., Guerriero, E. M., Mitchell, N., & D’Ercole, P. (2016). Parent Education in Suzuki Studios: Who offers it? Who receives it? What does it look like? American Suzuki Journal, 45(1), 25-26.
Mitchell, N., Guerriero, E. M., Einarson, K. M., Hendricks, K. S., & D’Ercole, P. (2016). The challenges of offering group class. American Suzuki Journal, 44(4), 6-7. [downloadable graphic]
Guerriero, E. M., Mitchell, N., Einarson, K. M., Hendricks, K. S., & D’Ercole, P. (2016). The joys and benefits of Suzuki group class. American Suzuki Journal, 44(3), 8-9. [downloadable graphic]
Mitchell, N., Hendricks, K. S., Einarson, K. M., Guerriero, E. M., & D’Ercole, P. (2016). What do Suzuki studios look like? American Suzuki Journal, 44(2), 18.
Einarson, K. M., Guerriero, E. M., D’Ercole, P, Hendricks, K. S., & Mitchell, N. (2015). Who are Suzuki Teachers? American Suzuki Journal, 44(1), 21-22.
Mitchell, N., Hendricks, K. S., Einarson, K. M., Guerriero, E. M., & D’Ercole, P. (2015). The International Research Symposium on Talent Education. American Suzuki Journal, 43(4), 22.
Thomas, R., Couchman, S, & Einarson, K. M. (2013). A Measure of Success: The Contribution of Symphony Education Programs in Canada. 2010-2013 Symphonies Education Program Report, Measuredoutcome Consulting, Toronto, Canada.
Selected peer-reviewed published abstracts
Einarson, K. M., Hendricks, K. S., Mitchell, N., Guerriero, E. M., & D’Ercole, P. (2016). Student persistence in group-based Suzuki music training and parent ratings of children’s empathy. In Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition, San Francisco, USA (p. 535).
Einarson, K. M. & Trainor, L. J. (2014). Children’s sensitivity to musical metre: What changes with age and what doesn’t? In Proceedings of the 12th International Research Symposium in Talent Education, Minneapolis.
Einarson, K. M. & Trainor, L. J. (2013). Five-year-old children’s beat perception and beat synchronization abilities. In Frontiers in Human Neuroscience Conference Abstract: 14th Rhythm Production and Perception Workshop, Birmingham.
Cirelli, L. K., Einarson, K. M., Lade, S. & Trainor, L. J. (2013). Interpersonal motor synchrony to a musical beat as a cue for social cohesion during infancy, In Frontiers in Human Neuroscience Conference Abstract: 14th Rhythm Production and Perception Workshop, Birmingham.
Einarson, K. M., & Trainor, L. J. (2012). Young children’s musical enculturation: Developing a test of young children’s metre processing skills. In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Einarson, K. M., Corrigall, K. A., & Trainor, L. J. (2012). Assessing young children’s musical enculturation: A novel method for testing sensitivity to key membership, harmony, and musical metre. In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Cirelli, L. K., Einarson, K. M., & Trainor, L. J. (2012). Bouncing babies to the beat: Music and helping behaviour in infancy. In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Edited proceedings
Einarson, K. M. (Ed.). (2020). Proceedings of the 15th International Research Symposium on Talent Education. Minneapolis, MN. ISBN: 978-0-9939334-5-5
Einarson, K. M. (Ed.). (2018). Proceedings of the 14th International Research Symposium on Talent Education. Minneapolis, MN. ISBN: 978-0-9939334-4-8
Einarson, K. M. (Ed.). (2016). Proceedings of the 13th International Research Symposium in Talent Education. Minneapolis, MN. ISBN: 978-0-9939334-3-1
Einarson, K. M. (Ed.). (2014). Proceedings of the 12th International Research Symposium in Talent Education. Minneapolis, MN. ISBN: 978-0-9939334-0-0
Einarson, K. M. (Ed.). (2012). Proceedings of the 11th International Research Symposium in Talent Education. Minneapolis, MN. ISBN: 978-0-9939334-1-7
Einarson, K. M. (Ed.). (2010). Proceedings of the 10th International Research Symposium on Talent Education. Minneapolis, MN. ISBN: 978-0-9939334-2-4