Research Areas in Developmental Psychology

Faculty within the Department of Psychology who focuses on human development are engaged in high-profile research on topics central to healthy development, risk, and resilience. Developmental psychology at FAU embraces international, interdisciplinary collaboration with laboratories throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia. We proudly host graduate students from all backgrounds, from all corners of the globe. The US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the US National Science Foundation fund ongoing research projects. Members of our faculty serve as Editors of two leading developmental journals: the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology and the International Journal of Behavioral Development. We are known for methodological diversity, with facilities for behavioral observation, eye tracking, EEG, fMRI, and fNIRS. Unique opportunities are available to conduct research in university-affiliated preschools, primary schools, middle schools, and high schools.

• Gizelle Anzures,   Developmental changes in face perception, own- and other-race face perception (e.g., visual scanning, identity recognition, etc.),
  development of the brain's face-processing network
• David F. Bjorklund,  Children’s cognitive development; evolutionary developmental psychology
• Erika Hoff,  Language and literacy development of children from Spanish-speaking U.S. households
• Irem Korucu Children’s cognitive and social-emotional development; risk and protective factors in early contexts; intervention programs for at-risk children
• Nancy Aaron Jones,  Brain and socio-emotional development of at-risk infants and children
• Brett Laursen,  Parent-child and peer relationships; developmental methodology
• Teresa Wilcox,  Infant perception and cognition; knowledge acquisition; functional brain development