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Approximately 31 graduate students from locations throughout the United States and abroad are currently enrolled in the Human Development graduate program. The diversity of our students’ interests and experiences provides a valuable, intangible resource. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply directly to the Graduate School.
Human Development Graduate Students  | Cagla Aydin Education: Current Research: I am interested in topics within the area of the relationship between suggestibility and language, autobiographical memory and false memory. Specifically, my current research deals with questions such as:
- How do people learn new information gained from other minds?
- When they are confronted with conflicting information, can young children make use of linguistic reliability cues to avoid being deceived? (with Stephen J. Ceci)
Other projects I am involved in include:
- How does emotion influence true and false memories? (with Charles J. Brainerd)
- How do personal and public memories change across the life-span and cross-culturally? (with Qi Wang)
Career Plans: Email: ca94@cornell.edu | Top
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| | Nadia Chernyak B.A., 2008 - Cornell University
English and Psychology (magna cum laude) Current Research: Career Plans: research and teaching Email: nc98@cornell.edu
| Top  | Stacey Doan Education: Current Research:
My research interests fall into three interconnecting categories:
Culture and cognition - I am interested in how culture influences higher cognitive processes such as memory, self and emotional regulation, and reasoning. Besides documenting cultural differences, I am interested in finding the mechanisms for which these cultural differences may be transmitted.
Self- I am fascinated by how constructions of oneself may influence the way in which we perceive and understand the world around us. Additionally, I am interested in understanding how the self is conceptualized across cultures, its consistency (or lack thereof) across context, and its development in early and middle childhood.
Emotion - Understanding the role of emotion on higher cognitive processes, as well as examining individual differences in the ways that we regulation emotions or let emotions regulate us, the development of these differences and their effects on cognitive and psychological outcomes. Email: sbd9@cornell.edu | Top Top  | Thomas Fuller-Rowell B.A. 2003-University of Colorado, Boulder
Psychology and Biochemistry with Honors Current Research: Health manifestations of inequality (e.g. biological indicators of chronic stress); Implementing action research programs for stress reduction and health promotion on the individual and community level; Tracking the effectiveness of such programs; Participatory evaluation and program development; Evidence-based practice; Integrating community research with education and action; Empowering marginalized populations to address critical social issues through resource allocation, needs fulfillment, and the use of participatory action research methods; Community-university partnerships. My current work is with the Growing Up in New York City Project. This six site project is part of the global "Growing Up in Cities" initiative under the umbrella of the UNESCO Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Program. The project is being carried out in collaboration with community organizations in NYC and engages groups of young people in an action research process to make their neighborhoods better places to grow up. Email: tf42@cornell.edu | Top  | Heather Gilmore B.A. 2002-Case Western Reserve University,
Anthropology and Psychology with Honors M.A. 2007 - Cornell University
Developmental Psychology Current Research: I am interested in studying mechanisms of self-regulation and how these mechanisms develop during early childhood and into young adulthood. I am working with Dr. Elise Temple to study executive attention from a behavioral and neurological perspective. Career Plans: Research and teach in a tenure-track position at a major research university. Email: hmg24@cornell.edu | Top  | Sarah Hertzog B.A. 2002 - Tufts University, Child Development M.A. 2004 - Tufts University, Child Development Current Research: Broadly, I am interested in how different populations across the lifespan experience stress, including exposure/reactivity to stressors and the theoretical underpinnings of the stress process itself. My current research focuses on identifying the psychological correlates of both stress and well-being among first-time mothers. Career Plans: Research / Teaching Email: smh77@cornell.edu | Top  | Nicole Ja B.A. 2000 - Psychology and English Literature, University of California at Berkeley M.A. 2007 - Developmental Psychology, Cornell University
My doctoral work concentrates on understanding the developmental benefits of organized activity involvement for low income urban adolescents with use of two theoretical perspectives of motivation and self. Specifically, I intend to examine the way in which school and community activity contexts (e.g., sports youth groups) serve as resources for gaining personal and social resources in the promotion of agentic processes of self development. My master's research examined girls' experiences of opportunities for development (e.g., identity exploration, teamwork) in team vs. individual sports with use of the Youth Experiences Survey (YES) and the diary method. The diaries served as a data source for explicating the YES results, as a method for understanding engagement in systematic diary writing as an augmentation of the sport experience, and to explore the ways in which girls used writing as active agents of their own development. I also work with Professor Anthony Ong in the Resilience and Lifespan Development Lab studying the role of race-related uplifts and racial micro-aggressions in the mental health of Asian/Asian American undergraduate students.
Email: nmj8@cornell.edu | Top
| Andy Jefferson B.A. 2007 College of William and Mary, Neuroscience Current Research: I am currently working with Dr. Barbara Koslowski on exploring what kinds of anomalous information are more likely to make people modify or change their theory about an event or mechanism. Email: aj255@cornell.edu
|  | Pilyoung Kim (In Absentia) B.A. 2002-Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
Psychology and English Language & Literature M.Ed. 2003-Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA Mind, Brain, and Education Current Research: My research interests are focused on effects of early traumatic experience on development of emotional and behavioral regulation from a neuropsychological perspective; resilience factors in cognitive-emotional processes and supportive environments. Career Plans: Research/Teaching Email: pk94@cornell.edu | Top  | Jessica Zoe Klemfuss B.A. 2004 UC Berkley
Psychology
M.A. 2008 Cornell University
Developmental Psychology
Current Research: I am interested in the development of memory and communication accuracy, particularly as it applies to young children's ability to provide legal testimony. My most current work focuses on individual differences in children's testimonial competency
Career Plans: Research / Teaching Email: jzk3@cornell.edu | Top  | Jessie Bee Kim Koh Bachelor of Arts (Merit) in Psychology and Economics, National University of Singapore, 1996 Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honors) in Psychology, National University of Singapore, 1997 Masters of Social Sciences in Psychology, National University of Singapore, 2003 Current Research: My primary research interests lie in the areas of culture, socio-emotional development and psychopathology. One line of my work seeks to understand children’s depression and anxiety across cultures, with specific focus on conceptualization, symptomatology and measurement. And a second line of my work seeks to investigate the nature of socio-emotional development and social competence in children in different cultural contexts. Additionally, I am interested in cultural cognition and the effects on well-being. I am working under the guidance of Professor Qi Wang. Career Plans: Research and Teaching Email: bk94@cornell.edu | Top  | Margaret McCarthy A.B. 1986-Columbia College, Columbia University
Latin, cum laude J.D. 1989-Columbia University School of Law Current Research: My current research focuses on child abuse and maltreatment in the context of long-term receipt of TANF (public assistance) funds. Career Plans: Research/Teaching Email: mem227@cornell.edu | Top  | Britain Mills B.S 2000
Texas Christian University
Neuroscience, Magna Cum Laude
Current Research: My interests include mathematical modeling, decision theory, dual-process models of memory, judgment, and decision-making, and the developmental trajectories and neurocognitive underpinnings of these processes. My current work involves modeling repeated choice performance on a gambling task used to diagnose decision-making deficits in certain populations, such as patients with ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesions and substance abusers. I also oversee many of the day-to-day operations of a grant from the National Institutes of Health for a national, multicenter randomized controlled trial that compares traditional adolescent risk reduction interventions to a novel approach grounded in developmental research on adolescent memory and decision making. Career Plans: Research / Teaching
Email: bam64@cornell.edu | Top | 
| Ryan Mitchell B.A 2007 - Boston University, Psychology with Distinction Current Research: Broadly, I am interested in the development, friendships, and romantic relationships of sexual minority youth. I am also interested in online friendships and relationships, as well as adolescents' use of internet-based communication and online social networking. Career Plans: Research and teaching. Email: rsm236@cornell.edu | Top  | Seth T. Pardo M.A. 2008 - Cornell University
Developmental Psychology B.A. 2003 - Duke University
Psychology with Honors Certificate 2003 - Duke University
Human Development, Current Research: : Broadly, my current research focuses on self-identity and its developmental functions. My primary line of resarch in collaboration with Dr. Ritch C. Savin-Williams focuses on the psychosocial processes underlying sexual and gender development among trans identified persons as well as the differential developmental trajectories of forming a trans self-identity. Additional research in collaboration with Dr. Valerie Reyna tests the function of identity in risk perception in medical decision making. In all my research, I am determined to elucidate predictors of individual well-being and resilient adjustment. Career Plans: Research/Teaching. Email: tbp3@cornell.edu Homepage: http://www.freewebs.com/tpardo/ | Top
| Youjeong Park M.A. 2006, B.A. 2002
Child Development and Family Studies
Seoul National University Current Research: I am currently working with Professor Marianella Casasola in Cornell Infant Studies Lab. My interests are in early cognitive and language development; in particular, what makes early categorization possible and how people consciously and unconsciously teach children categories.
Career Plans:
Research and Teaching Email: yp229@cornell.edu | Top  | Andrew Reed M.A. 2008 - Cornell University Developmental Psychology B.A. 2005- Swarthmore College
Psychology and History with High Honors Current Research: Broadly speaking, I am interested in the emotional and cognitive influences on decision-making across the life-span. My primary line of research, in collaboration with Dr. Joseph Mikels, explores how people's preferences for choice and autonomy shift with age. An additional line of research investigates means by which we can facilitate older adults' decision making, from tailoring the decision environment to fit their abilities and preferences to encouraging the use of age-appropriate decision strategies. The ultimate goal of this research is to optimize the satisfaction and quality of decisions made by adults of all ages. Career Plans: Research/Teaching Email: aer28@cornell.edu | Top  | Sara Sepanski B.A. 2002-Wake Forest University M.A. 2005-University of Richmond
Psychology Current Research: I study the relationship between poverty, emotion and cognition beginning in infancy. I am interested in how socioeconomic status affects emotion knowledge and self regulation beginning at 12 months of age, and how these abilities then influence attention, language, memory, and general school readiness. I am also interested in educational policy issues regarding poverty, literacy, and teacher morale, particularly in light of increasing federal school involvement. Career Plans: A tenure track job at a small liberal arts college Email: ses87@cornell.edu | Top  | Yi Shao M.A. 2007 - Cornell University, Developmental Psychology B.S. 2003 - Peking University,
China Psychology Current Research: I'm now a Ph.D. candidate focusing on memory research. I'm interested in children's eyewitness testimony, autobiogrpahical memory across cultural settings. Career Plans: Research / Teaching Email: ys249@cornell.edu | Top | 
| Qingfang Song Education: Current research: Career Plans: Email: qs33@cornell.edu | Top  | Charlotte Sweeney B.S. 2004, M.A. 2009
Developmental Psychology
Cornell University
Current Research: Broadly, I am interested in eyewitness testimony of vulnerable populations; specifically in young children and older adults. I have been studying deception detection across age groups from childhood to older adulthood. I am also interested in studying elder abuse as it pertains to eyewitness testimony.
Career Plans: Email: cds33@cornell.edu | Top  | Jeffrey Valla Education: Current Research:
Jeffrey Valla began working with CIRC as a Cornell University undergraduate. He has since graduated from Cornell with a B.S. in Human Development minoring in Personality and Social Development, and Adolescence. Following graduation, he was hired as a Research Assistant for CIRC in January 2005. To date, Jeffrey Valla’s responsibilities related to CIRC have included: • Conducting one-on-one dynamic assessments during Phase 1 implementation • Manually entering pretest and posttest answers during Phase 1 • Scoring pretest and posttest answers from all Phase 1 participants • Editing and assisting in revisions of the Phase 2 Thinking Like A Scientist curriculum, including lessons, quizzes, and homework questions • Editing and assisting in revisions of Phase 2 pretest and posttest assessment questions • Rating pretest and posttest assessment answers from Phase 2 participants. • Conducting preliminary statistical analyses on pretest, posttest, homework, and quiz ratings (means and standard deviations) • Rating homework and quiz responses from Phase 2 participants • Organizing shipping and receiving logistical issues related to the Phase 2 implementation • Organizing and archiving all data during Phase 2 • Assisting with revisions of scoring methods and protocols • Corresponding with participating teachers and coordinating test dates and scheduling • Complete overhaul of the CIRC website ( www.circ.cornell.edu), including design, programming, and content. Career Plans: Email: jmv34@cornell.edu | Top  | Snezana Vrangalova B.A. 2005-University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Skopje, Macedonia Current Research: I am generally interested in the human sexual development throughout the lifespan. More specifically, I explore how people develop non-traditional sexual desires, such as desires for non-committed (casual) sex or openly non-monogamous relationships, how they incorporate these interests into their identities and lifestyles, and how these are related to various aspects of people's wellbeing. I am also interested in people's reasoning and intuitions regarding issues of sexual morality. This line of work will try to answer questions such as What sexual behaviors do people find morally wrong? Why? How this changes across the lifespan and what triggers these changes? For a more detailed and up-to-date description of my research, please check out my personal website. Career Plans: Research/Teaching Email: sv99@cornell.edu Website: http://www.freewebs.com/vrangalova/ | Top | | Emre Selcuk B.S. 2003
Business Administration
Middle East Technical University, TurkeyCurrent Research:
I am interested in the formation and functioning of attachment relationships in adulthood. Career Plans: Research / Teaching Email: es588@cornell.edu
| Top  | Yi (Claire) Yang B.A. 2003-Wuhan University
Law B.S.2003-Central China Normal University
Psychology M.Sc. 2005-Oxford University
Psychology Current Research: false memory, emotion, decision-making. Career Plans: Research/Teaching Email: yy257@cornell.edu | Top |
