About

Professor | Developmental Psychology

Director of the Developmental Masters and Early Intervention Program

Research Interests

I am currently the principal investigator of the ALERT Lab (Attention, Learning, and Emotion Regulation Team). My primary research focus has been on understanding the processes underlying the cognitive, social, and emotional development of preschool and school-aged children. Specifically, I am interested in cognitive, metacognitive, affective, and motivational factors that affect the growth and development of all youth. Much of my research has been interdisciplinary in nature and has focused on individual differences in learning, with special attention directed to how developmental assets and strengths can compensate for developmental differences. My multimethod research has focused on the importance of early identification and treatment of learning differences, attention deficit disorder, language disabilities, and autism. More recently, we have extended our work to include children experiencing a variety of pediatric medical issues, including asthma, allergies, otitis media, GI issues, and sleep problems. Gathering information from a multitude of familial, professional and community partners (i.e., parents, extended family, teachers, and physicians), this research program was designed to optimize early development for children in an attempt at ensuring a bright future.

At the ALERT Lab, we are working on several projects pertaining to child development.

Our most recent project that is in the data-collection stage is titled: Optimizing Learning and Engagement in Families with Young Children. This is an online study examining the behavioral, cognitive, language, social, and emotional development of children aged between 1 to 7 years. We are particularly interested in learning about how COVID has affected families of young children. If you are interested in learning more about the first phase of this study click here.

Current Projects:

1. Optimizing Child Development: Risk, Screen and Intervene
2. Developmental Assets—Developmental Problems
3. Executive Functioning: A Comparison of Parent and Behavioral report
4. Play Assessment: A Comparison of Independent and Parent Child Play
5. Mindset: General or Domain Specific?

Collaborating Colleagues

Rita Obeid, PhD, Instructor
Amy Przeworksi, PhD, Associate Professor
Angela Ciccia, PhD, Associate Professor
Barbara Lewis, PhD, Professor

Graduate Students

Katherine Moore
Molly Easly
Doroteja Rubez
Chelsea Day, MA
Elisabeth Cowin, MSW
Patrick Cerri, MA
Zoe Perrier, MA
Laura Cameron, MA

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