Babineau, M. E., & Packard, B. W. (in press). The pursuit of college in adulthood: Reclaiming past selves or constructing new? Journal of Adult Development.

Packard, B. W., Babineau, M. E., & Hauke, S. E. (2006). Entrepreneurial strategies for supporting independent, individualized learning in science. Paper presented in Symposium “Individualized Learning: Motivational and Organizational Conditions for Effectiveness”. Paper presented at 2006 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA.

Packard, B. W., Babineau, M. E., Piontkowksi, S., & Ruiz, Y. (2006). Mentoring among first generation college students pursuing science and technology: Are diverse investment strategies prevalent? Paper presented at 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. San Francisco, CA.

Babineau, M. E., & Packard, B. W. (2005). Adult women returning to school: Mentoring during application and post-enrollment phases. Paper presented at 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Montreal, Canada.

Assistant Professor

207C Reese Psych-Ed

Ext. 2105

Email: kbinder

B.A., Southern Illinois University
M.A., University of South Carolina
Ph.D., University of South Carolina

Experimental Methods
Cognitive Psychology
Lab in Cognition
Seminar in Cognition: Inhibition

My research concerns how the language processing system uses different forms of contextual information during the process of reading. Generally, I have examined this issue by investigating how context influences different forms of ambiguity that exist in the language. For example, I have looked at lexically ambiguous words (e.g. pitcher), phonologically ambiguous items (hare and hair), idiomatic phrases that have both a literal and figurative interpretation (e.g. kick the bucket), and syntactically ambiguous phrases (e.g. visiting relativse can be a pain). I am trying to develop a more principled account of how context works during the reading process. Further, I am trying to figure out how different forms of context influence different stages of word processing in reading. That is, some forms of context may help us get to the meaning of the word, while other forms of context help with integrating that information into the discourse representation of what we are reading.

Binder, K.S., & Borecki, C. (in press). The use of phonological, orthographic, and contextual information during reading: A comparison of adults who are learning to read and skilled adult readers. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal.

Binder, K.S., Chace, K., & Manning, M.C. (in press). Context Effects on the Naming Speed of Target Words in Less Skilled and More Skilled Adult Readers. Journal of Research in Reading.

Deutsch, F.M., Kokot, A.P., & Binder, K.S. (in press). Plans for an     egalitarian marriage. Journal of Marriage and Family.

Binder, K.S. (2003). The influence of local and global context: An eye movement and lexical ambiguity investigation. Memory and Cognition, 31, 690-702.

Thompkins, A.C., & Binder, K.S. (2003). A comparison of the factors affecting reading performance of functionally illiterate adults and children matched by reading level. Reading Research Quarterly, 38, 236-258.

College Faculty Profile

Professor

211 Reese Psych-Ed

Ext 2843

Email: jcohen

A.B. Columbia College
M.A. University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D.University of Pennsylvania

Introduction to Psychology

Introductory Seminars in Psychology: Brain/Mind
Visual and Auditory Perception

Biological Bases of Behavior

Laboratory in Sensory Psychology

Seminar in Perception, Cognition and Language

Seminar in Biological Bases of Behavior

Interests:

My research interests are generally in the area of vision and visual perception. Currently, I am exploring how we use visual information depending on whether we are trying to judge what the objects around us are or whether we are acting on those objects, for example, walking towards them or grasping them. Perception and action seem to use visual information in different ways. Some of the strongest evidence comes from stroke patients. Patients with damage in the inferotemporal cortex of the brain are unable to use vision to recognize the objects in their environment, yet they can accurately reach out and grasp them. Patients with damage to the posterior parietal cortex can recognize objects, but they cannot readily move towards them or grasp them. My research students and I are investigating this dissociation in intact subjects by comparing perceptual and visuomotor responses to visual illusions.

In other work on color perception I have been investigating individual differences in the time course of color change following color adaptation (exposure to another colored light stimulus) and during recovery from that adaptation, that is, after the colored adapting light is turned off. I also have an abiding interest in psychology and art, particularly in the use of color interactions by visual artists.

Recent Publication:

Radoeva, P. D., Cohen, J. D., Corballis, P.M., Lukovits, T. G., and Koleva, S. (2005). Hemispheric asymmetry in a dissociation between the visuomotor and visuoperceptual streams. Neuropsychologia, 43, 1763-1773

College Faulty Profile

Professor

209A Reese Psych-Ed

Ext 2107

Email: fdeutsch

B.A., Carnegie-Mellon University
Ph.D., Columbia University

Statistics

Social Psychology

Psychology of Women

Research Methods in Social Psychology

Seminar: Gender and Domestic Labor

I am currently pursuing two lines of research. The first addresses how men and women around the world divide domestic labor. I am particularly interested in how couples create equal relationships, and how students envision the balance between work and family in their futures. My second area of research focuses on the educational paths of preschool teachers. What factors facilitate and impede their pursuit of higher education?

Deutsch, F. M. (1999). Halving it all: How Equally Shared Parenting Works Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Deutsch, F. M. (2006) Filial piety, patrilineality, and China’s one-child policy. Journal of Family Issues, 27, 366-389. DOI:10.1177/0192513X05283097

Deutsch, F. M. (2007). Undoing gender. Gender and Society, 21, 106-127.

Mannino, C. A., & Deutsch, F. M. (2007). Changing the division of household labor: A negotiated process between partners. Sex Roles, 56, 309-324.

Deutsch, F. M. (2007). Review of Scott R. Harris, The meanings of marital equality. Contemporary Sociology, 36, pp.23.

Deutsch, F. M., Kokot, A. P., & Binder, K. S. (2007). College women’s plans for different types of egalitarian marriage. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 916-9

College Faculty Profile

 

Assistant Professor
311 Reese Psych-Ed
Ext. 2086
Email: adouglas

B.A., Barnard College, Columbia University
Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Seminar in Personality: Psychology of Trauma
Personality Theories
Research Methods (formerly Experimental Methods)
Lab in Personality & Abnormal Psychology: Stress and Coping

I am interested in trauma stress and coping.  My research examines the impact of stress and trauma on relationships and cognitions and seeks to understand mechanisms related to dissociation, dissociative coping, racial stress and “growth”.

Douglas, A.N. & Williams, M.K. (2001). Dissociation and ethnic minorities: A coping mechanism? Poster presentation at the 109th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA.

Williams, M.K., Douglas, A.N. & Ponce, A.N. (2002). Effects of child abuse and distorted beliefs on relationship violence. Poster presentation at the 110th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

Douglas, A. & Williams, M (2003). Conceptualization of race-related stress within a trauma coping and adaptation model.  Paper presentation at the 20th Annual Teachers College Winter Roundtable on Cross-Cultural Psychology and Education, New York, NY.

Kagan, R. & Douglas, A. (2006). Real Life Heroes: Rebuilding trust with traumatized children. Paper presented at the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. 14th Annual Colloquium, Nashville, TN.

Douglas, A.N. (2006). Dissociative Coping: An examination of ethnic differences with a nonclinical United States sample. Poster presented at the IV World Congress on Traumatic Stress, Buenos Ares, Argentina.

Professor

209B Reese Psych-Ed

Ext 2296

Email: khollis

B.A., Slippery Rock State College
Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Introduction to Psychology

Animal Behavior

Introduction to Learning and Motivation

Laboratory in Animal Learning and Animal Behavior

Seminar in the Biological Bases of Behavior

Generally the goal of my research is to integrate the study of animal learning (predominantly a psychological approach) and animal behavior (predominantly a zoological approach). For some time I have been researching the biological function of Pavlovian (or, classical) conditioning -- that is, the way in which Pavlovian conditioning contributes to an animal's reproductive success. I am particularly interested in the classically conditioned behavior of fish, lizards and, more recently, insects. In my spare time, I enjoy camping, canoeing, hiking and cross-country skiing.

Hollis, K.L., Pharr, V.L., Dumas, M.J., Britton, G.B., and Field, J. (1997). Classical conditioning provides paternity advantage for territorial male blue gouramis (Trichogaster trichopterus). Journal of Comparative Psychology, 111, 219-225.

Hollis, K.L. (1997). Contemporary research on Pavlovian condition: A "new" functional analysis. American Psychologist, 52, 956-965.

Hollis, K.L., Blouin, L.A., Romano, M.C., Langworthy-Lam, K.S., & Siegenthaler, J.A. (2004). Maintaining a competitive edge: Dominance hierarchies, food competition and strategies to secure food in green anoles (Anolis carolinensis) and firemouth cichlids (Thorichthys meeki). International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 17, 222-240.

Hollis, K.L., Langworthy-Lam, K.S., Blouin, L.A., & Romano, M.C. (2004). Novel strategies of subordinate fish competing for food: Learning when to fold. Animal Behaviour, 68, 1155-1164.

Psychologist "Goes Fishing"

College Faculty Profile

Professor

207A Reese Psych-Ed

Ext 2339
Email: ghornste

B.S., University of Pittsburgh
M.A., Clark University
Ph.D., Clark University

Personality Theory
Development in Early Childhood

Concepts of Abnormality

History and Systems of Psychology

Introductory Psychology

Psychology of Women

Social Psychology

Gender & Identity (with F. Deutsch)

Phenomenological Research in Psychology

Development in Later Childhood and Adolescence

Research Methods

Seminar in Dream Interpretation

Seminar in the History of Psychology

First Person Narratives of Mental Illness
Qualitative Methods in Psychology

My research is broadly concerned with the history of twentieth-century psychology, psychiatry, and psychoanalysis. I have recently published a book on psychoanalytic approaches to the treatment of psychosis, which focuses on the work of Frieda Fromm-Reichmann, M.D. (1889-1957). One goal of the book is to show that despite the widespread use of somatic treatments (medication, electroshock, lobotomy), psychotherapy can be used to treat even the most severe forms of mental disturbance.

I am currently at work on a new book that uses first-person narratives of madness to reconceive fundamental assumptions about the mind and mental disorder. Drawing on published narratives (both historical and contemporary), oral histories, interviews, and participant observation in both the US and UK, this work seeks to highlight the central (but unacknowledged) role that people diagnosed with "mental illness" have always played in understanding madness and its treatment.

Hornstein, G.A. (2000).  To Redeem One Person is to Redeem the World: The Life of Frieda Fromm-Reichmann.  NY:  Free Press (paperback, NY: Other Press, 2005).

Hornstein, G.A. (2002).  Narratives of madness, as told from within.  The Chronicle Review (cover story, January 25 issue), pp. B7-10.

Hornstein, G.A. (2005).  Bibliography of first-person narratives of madness in English (3rd Ed.).  Available at: www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/misc/profile/names/ghornste.shtml.

Hornstein, G.A. (2006).  Frieda Fromm-Reichmann:  Pioneer in the psychotherapy of psychosis.  In D.A. Dewsbury, L.T. Benjamin and M. Wertheimer (Eds.), Portraits of pioneers in psychology, Volume 6.  Washington, DC: American          Psychological Association, pp. 85-100.

Adame, A.L. and Hornstein, G.A. (2006). Representing madness: How are subjective experiences of emotional distress presented in first-person accounts? The Humanistic Psychologist, 34, 135-158.

College Faculty Profile

Associate Professor

Chair, Education Division
Director, Secondary, Middle, Visual Art & Music Teacher Preparation Programs

206 Reese Psych-Ed

Ext 2390

Email: slawrenc

B.A., Salem State College
M.A.T., Salem State College
Ed.D., Harvard Graduate School of Education

Race, Class, Culture and Gender in the Classroom

Student Teaching in Middle and Secondary Schools

The Process of Teaching Learning in Secondary and Middle Schools
Whiteness, Racism and Inequality in Schools and Society
Whiteness and the Construction of Identity
Researching the Enterprise of Education
Lab in Personality Psychology: Qualitative Methods

My research interest focuses on the role of race and racism in schooling. I am particularly interested in how college students in general and teacher education students and veteran teachers in particular, both white and of color, learn about and teach in ways that challenge dominant racial ideologies. My current research examines how first year college students experience learning about whiteness and racism and whether and how their racial and cultural competence is influenced by such learning.

Lawrence, S. M. (2005). Contextual matters: Teachers’ perceptions of the success of antiracist classroom practices. Journal of Educational Research, 98, (6) 350-365.

Lawrence, S. M. & Tatum, B. D. (2004). White educators as allies: Moving from awareness to action (revised). In M. Fine, L. Weiss, L. Powell, L. Pruitt and A. Burns (Eds.). Off/White: Readings on power, privilege and resistance, 2nd edition, (pp.362-372). NY: Routledge.

Lawrence, S. M. (1998). Research, writing and racial identity: Cross-disciplinary connections for multicultural education. The Teacher Educator, 34 (1).

Lawrence, S. M. (1998). Unveiling positions of privilege: A hands-on approach to understanding racism. Teaching of Psychology, 25, (3) 198-200.

Lawrence, S. M. (1997). Beyond race awareness: White racial identity and multicultural teaching. The Journal of Teacher Education, 48 (2), 108-117.

College Faculty Profile

Visiting Assistant Professor
123 Reese Psych-Ed, x 3510
email=dleyva

B.A., Universidad Nacional de Colombia
M.A., Universidad del Valle
M.A., Clark University
Ph.D., Clark University

Developmental Psychology
Educational Psychology

I am interested in the developmental and sociocultural processes involved in two research areas: early literacy and understanding of mind. The first area, early literacy, is related to children’s ability to understand reading and writing before they are formally taught about it. I am particularly interested in how parents talk and engage their children in tasks involving reading and writing and how these two factors help children to understand reading and writing later on. The second area, understanding of mind, is related to children’s appreciation that others might think, belief, or desire something different to what the child herself think, belief or desire. I investigate how preschool children persuade other children and how this practice might help them to understand other people’s mental states. I have worked with middle and low-income Latino, European-American and African-American families in the U.S, and with Colombian middle-class families living in their home country.

Leyva, D., Reese, E., & Wiser, M. (in progress). The role of parental talk in preschool children’s symbolic understanding of letters and numbers.

Leyva, D., & Vinden, P. (submited). Desire and persuasion: Colombian children’s understanding of changes in desires. Cognitive Development.

Leyva, D., Reese, E., & Grolnick, W. (submitted). Elaborative structure and autonomy support in low-income mothers’ reminiscing: Links to children’s autobiographical memory. Journal of Cognition and Development.

Associate Professor

123A Reese Psych-Ed

Ext 2076

Email: wmillard

A.B., Knox College
Ph.D., The University of Massachusetts

Biological Basis of Behavior

Laboratory in Behavioral Neuroscience

Of Madness and Molecules: The Technology of Neuro-Psychopharmacology

Of interest are conditions of human pathology manifest in behavior. The comparative analyses depart from principles and techniques of pharmacology and their application to the study of neural tissue. Present researches include the study of nonhuman analogues of self-control and impulsive behavior.

College Faculty Profile

Lecturer
Co-Director, SummerMath and SEARCH
1 Woodbridge Street
Ext. 2069
Email: cmorrow

A.B., Miami University
M.A., Florida State University
Ph.D., Florida State University

Introductory Psychology
Introduction to Social Psychology
Psychology of Women
Psychology of Women: Focus on Women in Mathematics and Science
Learning and Reflecting on Mathematics in a Psychological and Social Context
Explorations in Algebra

Currently I am working on developing and using constructivist models of learning and teaching in mathematics, in collaboration with my husband, Jim Morrow (Mathematics Department). We focus on understanding how to best structure educational experiences for females, particularly in mathematics. In addition to teaching undergraduate courses we co-direct SummerMath, and SEARCH, both four-week programs for young women in high school to develop conceptual understanding in mathematics and to increase confidence and interest in pursuing mathematics beyond high school. Undergraduates are hired as teaching assistants and can earn internship credit for their work. We have consulted with public schools, for instance the Magnet Middle School in Holyoke where we designed and initiated a new program for teaching mathematics, and we have given many workshops and talks to educators across the country. In 1993, with a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), we designed a five day workshop for educators to learn more about teaching mathematics to young women. In 2001, funded by a grant from NSF, we integrated eight deaf students into the SummerMath program. In 2004, we launched the SEARCH program for well-prepared high school girls who want to explore advanced mathematics.

Morrow, C. (2002) Using Graphs to Color Origami Polyhedra. In T. Hull (Ed.). Origami3: Third International Meeting of Origami, Science, Mathematics, and Education. London: A.K. Peters. 269-282

Morrow, C. (1999) Ensuring That All Children Are Powerful Technology Users. Mathematics Education Dialogues. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Morrow, C. (1999) Unit Origami and Origami Quilts: A Confluence of Art, Architecture, and Mathematics. Proceedings of the International Society for Art, Mathematics, and Architecture, San Sebastian, Spain.

Morrow, C. & Perl, T. (eds.) (1998) Women of Mathematics: A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Morrow, C. (1996) Women and Mathematics: Avenues of Connection. Focus on Learning Problems in Mathematics, 18(1, 2, 3), 4-18.

Associate Professor

207B Reese Psych/Ed,

Ext 2841

Email: bpackard

B.A., University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ph.D., Michigan State University

Educational Psychology

Seminar in Educational Psychology: Motivation

Statistics
Laboratory in Developmental Psychology

I am interested in motivation, identity, and mentoring, including the motivational implications of "possible selves" and how future-oriented images are informed by relationships with mentors and role models. My current research focuses on the transition from high school to post-secondary education or work for students from low-income backgrounds. I am interested in how young people develop and persist in their aspirations, especially in science and technology, find and make use of mentoring relationships, and learn about their futures in community settings. I continue to be interested in the persistence and mentoring of women, ethnic minorities, and first generation college students in nontraditional fields. Community-based partnerships are central to my teaching. Although I tend to work more with adolescents, I have worked with elementary school students and adults using a variety of methodologies. I enjoy thinking about how to self-motivate and how to motivate others.

Packard, B.W. & Nguyen, D.* (2003). Science career-related possible selves of adolescent girls: A longitudinal study. Journal of Career Development, 29(4), 251-263.

Packard, B.W., Walsh, L.Y.*, & Seidenberg, S. E.* (2004). Will that be one mentor or two? A cross-sectional study of women’s mentoring during college. Mentoring & Tutoring, 12 (1), 71-85.

Packard, B.W., Ellison, K.L.*, & Sequenzia, M.R.* (2004). Show and tell: Photo-interviews with urban adolescent girls. International Journal of Education & the Arts, http://ijea.asu.edu/v5n3/v5n3.pdf.

Packard, B.W. (2004-2005). Mentoring and retention in college science: Reflections on the sophomore year. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory, & Practice, 6, 289-300.

Packard, B.W., & Conway, P.F. (2006). Methodological choice and its consequences for possible selves research. Identity, 6(3), 251-271.

Personal Web Page

College Faculty Profile

Professor Psych-Ed Dept

205 Reese Psych-Ed

Ext 2052

Director of Gorse Child Study Center, Ext 2039

Email: pramsey

B.A. Middlebury College
M.A. California State University, San Francisco
Ed.D. University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Laboratory in Social and Personality Development

Introductory Psychology

Introduction to Developmental Psychology

Continuity, Crisis and the Future of Our Schools
Seminar in Psychological Research

My research and teaching are focused on early social and attitudinal development.  My students and I have studied many aspects of young children's peer relationships:  how they initiate contact, resolve conflicts, avoid cross‑sex peers, and show concern for each other.  We have also studied how children develop early attitudes about gender, race, and social class and how teaching from a multicultural perspective affects children's early awareness and attitudes about groups of people that are currently unfamiliar to them.  I am beginning some new projects in transracial adoption and ethnic identity development.

Ramsey, P.G. (1995). Changing Social Dynamics in Early Childhood Classrooms. Child Development, 66, pp.764-773.

Ramsey, P.G., & Lasquade, C. (1996). Preschool Children's Entry Attempts. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 17, 135-150.

Alvarado, C., Derman Sparks, L., Ramsey, P.G., (1999). In Our Own Way: How Antibias Work Shapes Our Lives. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

Ramsey, R.G. & Williams, LR.. (2003). Multicultural Education: A Resource Book. New York: Routledge Farmer.

Ramsey, P.G. (2004). Teaching and Learning in a Diverse World. 3rd Edition New York: Teachers College Press.

College Faculty Profile

Visiting Associate Professor
Research Associate
212 Reese, x 2067
Email: promney

B.A., Spanish Language and Literature, The College of Our Lady of Good Counsel
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, The City University of New York

Psychology of Racism
Introduction to Systems Thinking: Families, Groups and Organizations
The Psychology of Good & Evil

My interests are in personal and organizational development. My current research involves documenting the involvement of women of color in the second wave of feminism. I also do research on diversity in academic settings, particularly recruitment and retention of faculty of color. I am also interested in positive psychology and the psychology of aging.

Romney, P. (2000). Can you love them enough?: Organizational consulting as a spiritual quest.  Feminism, Community, and Communication (ed: Mary E. Olson). The Haworth Press, Inc. pp. 65-81.

Romney, P. (2003). Closing the Achievement Gap? Five Questions Every School Should Ask. Independent School, Summer.

Romney, P. (2005a). African in Maine: Introduction and Reflections.  In P. Korza, and B.S. Bacon, Cultural Perspectives in Civic Dialogue. Washington, D.C.: Americans for the Arts.

Romney, P. (2005b). The Art of Dialogue.  In P. Korza, B. Schaffer Bacon, and A. Assaf.  Civic Dialogue; Arts & Culture: Findings from Animating Democracy. Washington, D.C.: Americans for the Arts.

Jordan, J.V. & Romney, P. (2005c). Women in the Workplace: An Application of Relational Cultural Theory. In M.P. Mirkin, K. Suyemoto, & B. Okun, Psychotherapy with Women: Exploring Diverse Contexts & Identities. New York: Guilford Press.

Business Web Page

Professor

204 Reese Psych-Ed

Ext 2297

Email: shilkret

B.A., Johns Hopkins University
M.A., Clark University
Ph.D., Clark University

Introduction to Developmental Psychology
Concepts of Abnormality
Psychoanalytic Psychology (seminar)
Laboratory in Personality Research: Quantitative Methods
Laboratory in Psychological Assessment
First Love: Attachment Theory and Research (seminar)

My current work deals with college students’ development, including how they accomplish goals and overcome unconscious obstructions, and the relations between earlier parenting experiences and college adjustment. Another line of recent work involves stigmatization and self-handicapping among college students of learning disabilities labels. Students wishing to work with me should take courses first that familiarize them with these ideas.

Shilkret, R. (2005). Review of S. Noll and J. W. Trent, Jr. (eds.) "Mental retardation in America: A historical reader." Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 79, 354-355.

Shilkret, R., & Silberschatz, S. (2005). The developmental basis of control-mastery theory. In George Silberschatz (Ed.) Transformative relationships: The control-mastery theory of psychotherapy. New York: Routledge, pp. 171-187.

Weiss, Y., & Shilkret, R. (2005, April). "The importance of the peer group in the Israeli kibbutz for the development of adult attachment style." Poster presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), Atlanta, GA.

Markova, G., & Shilkret, R. (2005,April). "Relationships among parents’ attachment styles, mental representations, and institutionalization of children in Bulgaria." Poster presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), Atlanta, GA.

Anderson, E., & Shilkret, R. (2004, March). "A new measure and conception of resilience for college students." Poster presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Adolescence, Baltimore, MD.

Shilkret, R. "The developmental basis of control-mastery theory." Lecture at conference on control-mastery theory, Women's Center for Psychotherapy, Hartford, CT, January 17, 2004. (And with C. Shilkret): Full day conference entitled "How psychotherapy works: A study of the process." Women's Center for Psychotherapy, Hartford, CT, January 17, 2004.

Shilkret, R. (2003, March). "Psychodynamic studies of college adjustment." Distinguished Lecture Series, Clinical Psychology Graduate Program, Widener University, Chester, PA

College Faculty Profile

Assistant Professor
310 Reese Psych-Ed
Ext. 2365
Email: avalle

B.S., Stanford University
Ph.D., University of California – Santa Cruz

Semina in Developmentalr: Culture and Human Development
Lab: Reasoning, Epistemology, and Parent-Child
Introduction to Developmental Psychology
Statistics

My research explores how reasoning develops in social contexts and reflects cultural ideas about knowledge. For example, in Western middle-class communities, science is a privileged way of knowing about the natural world, but personal experience and other types of cultural knowledge and beliefs may also be relevant. I look at how conversations with parents expose preschool and elementary school age children to their parents’ assumptions about valued ways of knowing and encourage reasoning in ways consistent with these assumptions. I also explore how ideas about knowledge might develop through participation in specific forms of college education (i.e., science versus humanities majors) and relate to individual differences in reliance on logic-based versus everyday heuristic strategies to solve problems. 
I am also interested in analogical reasoning. My research explores how parents help young children notice and use analogies to understand unfamiliar ideas and to solve problems, and whether these forms of guidance encourage children to use analogical reasoning on their own.

Valle, A. (submitted). Developing habitual ways of reasoning: Epistemological beliefs and formal bias in parent-child conversations.

Valle, A., & Cividini, C.* (May, 2007). How conversations with parents may encourage children to develop a science-based interpretive epistemology. Paper presented at annual meeting of the Jean Piaget Society, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Valle, A., White, R.M.*, & Raczkowski, L.V.* (April, 2007). Ideas about the nature of science (NOS) in parent-child conversations. Paper presented at biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Boston, MA.

Callanan, M., Valle, A., & Azmitia, M. (2007). Expanding studies of family conversations about science through video analysis. In R. Goldman, R. Pea, B. Barron, & S. Derry (Eds.), Video research in the learning sciences.

Valle, A., & Callanan, M. (2006).  Similarity comparisons and relational analogies in parent-child conversations about science topics. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 52 (1), 96-124.