Fellowships at the Center for Developmental Science

Current Postdoctoral Fellows

DUSTIN ALBERT, Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Temple University in 2011

Graduate mentors: Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D. and Jason Chein, Ph.D.
CCHD mentors: Ken Dodge, Ph.D., Daniel Bauer, Ph.D., and Andrea Hussong, Ph.D.

Research Interests:
Dustin’s research aims to further understanding of the factors contributing to risky decision making in adolescence. Building on neurodevelopmental models of adolescent decision making, his research has examined the hypothesis that asynchronous patterns of development across different brain systems during adolescence produce a period of increased sensitivity to motivational stimuli and diminished capacity for cognitive control. Especially in affectively salient peer contexts, evidence suggests that this regulatory imbalance contributes to adolescents’ increased proclivity to engage in risky behaviors (e.g., substance use, unprotected sexual activity, and reckless driving) that significantly threaten their health and well-being. Dustin’s dissertation research utilized fMRI to examine differences between adolescents and adults in neural activation patterns underlying comparative evaluation and choice between “smaller-sooner” and “larger-later” rewards, as well as the sensitivity of this decision processing to peer context. As a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Developmental Science, he plans to extend this work by exploring sources of variation in “normative” neurodevelopmental trajectories, with a focus on modeling the individual (e.g., genetic polymorphisms, temperament, early social behavior) and contextual (e.g., parenting quality, peer relations, intervention exposure) factors that dynamically influence the maturation of reward processing and cognitive control.

Publications:
O’Brien, L., Albert, D., Chein, J., & Steinberg, L. (in press). Adolescents prefer more immediate rewards when in the presence of their peers. Journal of Research on Adolescence.

Albert, D., & Steinberg, L. (2011). Age differences in strategic planning as indexed by the Tower of London. Child Development, 82, 1501-1517.

Chein, J., Albert, D., O’Brien, L., Uckert, K., & Steinberg, L. (2011). Peers increase adolescent risk taking by enhancing activity in the brain’s reward circuitry. Developmental Science, 14, F1-F10.

Albert, D., & Steinberg, L. (2011). Peer influences on adolescent risk behavior. In M.T. Bardo, D.H. Fishbein, & R. Milich (Eds.), Inhibitory Control and Drug Abuse Prevention: From Research to Translation. New York: Springer.

Albert, D., & Steinberg, L. (2011). Adolescent judgment and decision making. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21, 211-224.

Steinberg, L., Albert, D., Cauffman, E., Banich, M., Graham, S., & Woolard, J.L. (2008). Age differences in sensation seeking and impulsivity as indexed by behavior and self-report: Evidence for a dual-systems model. Developmental Psychology, 44, 1764-1778.

Mesquita, B., & Albert, D. (2006). The cultural regulation of emotions. In J.J. Gross (Ed.), The Handbook of Emotion Regulation (pp. 486-503). New York: Guilford Press.

LATONYA HARRIS, Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from University of California, Davis in 2010

Graduate mentor: Gail S. Goodman, Ph.D.
CCHD mentors: Martha Cox, PhD, Deborah Jones, PhD, Peter Ornstein, PhD.

Research Interests:
LaTonya’s broad research interests have included understanding the effects of severe trauma on children’s overall development and well-being. To this end, her master’s thesis research examined factors predicting resilience in children exposed to child abuse in the context of developmental psychopathology. LaTonya’s current research is focused more narrowly on the effects of exposure to chronic trauma (e.g., child maltreatment, inter-partner violence) on children’s cognitive development. Thus, in her dissertation project, she examined the effects of child maltreatment on children’s cognitive functions, including executive functions, memory, and problem solving. LaTonya’s goal is for her dissertation work to lay the foundation for future investigations into the mechanisms through which trauma might adversely affect children’s cognitive development and to understand the underlying biological processes (e.g., effects of stress on the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus) through which these effects may occur. Through her work at the CDS, LaTonya will examine how poor self regulation may affect cognitive development. LaTonya believes that relations among trauma and cognitive development may have negative implications for children’s academic achievement.

Publications:
Harris, L. S., Block, S. D., Ogle, C. M., Goodman, G. S., Augusti, E. M., Larson, R., Culver, M. A., Pineda, A. R., Timmer, S. M., & Urquiza, A. (in prep.) The relation between coping style and autobiographical memory specificity in adolescents and adults with histories of child sexual abuse. Developmental Science.

Toth, S. L., Harris, L. S., Goodman, G. S., Cicchetti, D. (2010). Influence of violence and aggression on children’s psychological development: Trauma, attachment, and memory. In P. R. Shaver & M. Mikulincer (Eds), Aggression. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Harris, L. S., Goodman, G. S., Augusti, E. M., Chae, Y., & Alley, D. (2008). Children’s resistance to suggestion. In K. Kuenhle & M. Connell (Eds.), Critical issues in child sexual abuse assessment. Somerset, NJ: Wiley.

Bottoms, B. L., Harris, L., Augusti, E. M., Goodman, G. S., Ouderberk, B. A., & Wiley, T. (2007). Child maltreatment. In B. Cutler (Ed.), Encyclopedia of law and psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

ELIZA NELSON, Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Behavior from University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2010

Graduate mentors: Melinda Novak, Ph.D. and Neil Berthier, Ph.D.
CCHD mentor: George Michel, Ph.D.

Research Interests:
Eliza’s broad research interests are the ontogeny and phylogeny of sensorimotor skill in human and nonhuman primates, particularly the phenomenon of handedness. While handedness has been well characterized in adults as a marker for cerebral asymmetry, many questions remain regarding developmental trajectories in human infants as well as patterns of hand use within and across nonhuman primates. The major goal of Eliza’s work is to understand the factors that shape hand use trajectories in primates, and the implications of these trajectories on the organization of the brain and nervous system and the emergence of complex abilities such as motor planning and tool use.

Eliza’s previous work examined handedness in human infants and adults (UMass Amherst Child Study Center), rhesus monkey infants (Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, NIH/NICHD), adult rhesus monkeys (UMass Amherst), black and white ruffed lemurs (Monkeyland Primate Sanctuary), and chimpanzees (Yerkes National Primate Research Center). In her postdoctoral fellowship, she is developing new methodology to assess handedness in toddlers from bimanual actions. This study is part of a larger NSF-funded project at the UNCG Infant Development Center that is examining the relationship between handedness trajectories, problem solving ability, executive function, and other skills in children from 6 to 60 months.

Publications:
Nelson, E.L., Konidaris, G.D., Berthier, N.E., Braun, M.C., Novak, M.F.S.X., Suomi, S.J. & Novak, M.A. (In Press). Kinematics of reaching and implications for handedness in rhesus monkey infants. Developmental Psychobiology.

Nelson, E.L., Berthier, N.E., Metevier, C.M. & Novak, M.A. (2011). Evidence for motor planning in monkeys: Rhesus macaques select efficient grips when transporting spoons. Developmental Science, 14, 822-831.

Nelson, E.L., Emery, M.S., Babcock, S.M., Novak, M.F.S.X., Suomi, S.J. & Novak, M.A. (2011). Head orientation and handedness trajectory in rhesus monkey infants (Macaca mulatta). Developmental Psychobiology, 53, 246-255.

Nelson, E.L., O'Karma, J.M., Ruperti, F.S. & Novak, M.A. (2009). Laterality in semi-free-ranging black and white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata variegata): Head-tilt correlates with hand use during feeding. American Journal of Primatology, 71, 1032-1040.

Nelson, E.L., Ruperti, F. and M.A. Novak. (2007). Bridging Science and Tourism: A Preliminary Study of the Black and White Ruffed Lemur at Monkeyland. Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference of PAAZAB (African Association of Zoos & Aquaria), 39-41.

Hopkins, W., Cantalupo, C., Freeman, H., Russell, J., Kachin, M. and Nelson, E. (2005) Chimpanzees are right-handed when recording bouts of hand use. Laterality, 10(2), 121-130.

NISSA TOWE-GOODMAN, Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from The Pennsylvania State University in 2010

Graduate mentor: Cynthia A. Stifter, Ph.D.
CCHD mentors: Adrian Angold, M.D., Helen Egger, M.D., Martha Cox, Ph.D.

Research Interests:
Nissa’s research focuses on the ways in which the family emotional climate may alter the development of regulatory skills in early childhood, and the subsequent implications that regulatory deficits may have for children’s adaptation and development. Specifically, her research is centered on the ways in which interparental conflict and violence may alter the development of emotional, physiological, and behavioral self-regulation in young children, and exploring how these alterations may be linked with early adjustment problems. Additionally, she is interested in the emotional quality of the parent-child relationship and early regulatory skill development in high-risk families, such as those dealing with poverty or parental psychopathology. Through her dissertation, she used mixture modeling techniques to examine linkages between interparental violence and the development of adrenocortical and behavioral stress response patterns across early childhood, as well as links between severe violence in the home and alterations in toddler emotion regulation dynamics. During her postdoctoral fellowship through the Carolina Consortium on Human Development, she will extend this work to examine the pathways through which the interparental relationship, parenting quality, and the way children process and manage emotions may contribute to early psychopathology, particularly the development of anxiety disorders.

Publications:
Towe-Goodman, N., Stifter, C., Coccia, M., Cox, M., & The Family Life Project Key Investigators. (in press). Interparental aggression, attention skills, and early childhood behavior problems. Development and Psychopathology.

Towe-Goodman, N., & Teti, D. (2008). Power assertive discipline and maternal emotional involvement: Implications for child adjustment. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 648-651.

Harmon, A., Towe-Goodman, N., Fortunato, C., & Granger, D. (2008). Differences in saliva collection location and disparities in baseline and diurnal rhythms of alpha-amylase: A cautionary note. Hormones and Behavior, 54, 592-596.

Stifter, C., Willoughby, M., & Towe-Goodman, N. (2008). Agree or agree to disagree? Assessing the convergence between parents and observers on infant temperament. Infant and Child Development, 17, 407-426.

Teti, D., & Towe-Goodman, N. (2008). Post-partum depression, effects on child. In M. Haith & J. Benson (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Infant & Early Childhood Development. Oxford, UK: Elsevier.

 

KRISTIN TULLY , Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology from Durham University (United Kingdom) 2010

Graduate mentor: Helen Ball, Ph.D.
CCHD mentor: Dianne Holditch Davis, RN, FAAN

Research Interests:
Kristin’s current research compares late preterm and term breastfeeding, with Diane Holdtich-Davis and Eric Hodges. This work builds upon studies of childbirth, infant feeding, and night-time parental care she conducted with Professors James McKenna and Helen Ball. Kristin has worked in home, laboratory, and hospital settings collecting observational and qualitative data. Dr. Klingaman is interested in evolutionary medicine, human ethology, life history theory, longitudinal study, and maternal-child health. She has previously worked for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Department of Federal Affairs, the Office of United States Senator Evan Bayh, and the journal Social Science & Medicine. She currently serves on the boards of the Biological Anthropology and Society for Anthropological Sciences Sections of the American Anthropological Association.

Publications:

Referred
Tully, K.P. & Ball, H.L. In Press. Trade-offs underlying maternal breastfeeding decisions: A conceptual model. Maternal & Child Nutrition.

Brandon, D.H., Tully, K.P., Silva, S., Thompson, J., Malcolm, W., Murtha, A., Turner, B., & Holditch-Davis, D. In Press. Emotional responses of mothers of late preterm and fullterm infants. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing.

Klingaman, K.P. 2009. Methodology report: Investigating mothers’ experiences of breastfeeding after caesarean section delivery. Society, Biology & Human Affairs, 74(2), 60-72.

Klingaman, K.P. & Ball, H.L. 2007. Anthropology of birth and breastfeeding: Rationale for evolutionary medicine on the postnatal ward. Durham Anthropology Journal, 14(1).

Other
Klingaman, K.P. & Ball, H.L. 2009 (March). Practicing evolutionary medicine in a postnatal ward: Ameliroating iatrogenic obstacles to breastfeeding. Anthropology News, 9-11.

Klingaman, K.P. 2008. Review of Breastfeeding and sexuality: Behaviour, beliefs and taboos among the Gogo mothers in Tanzania by M. Mabilia. Society, Biology & Human Affairs, 40(2), 318-319.

Ball, H.L. & Klingaman, K.P. 2007. Breastfeeding and mother-infant sleep proximity: Implications for infant care. In W.R. Trevathan, E.O. Smith, & J.J. McKenna (Eds.). Evolutionary Medicine and Health: New Perspectives (pp. 226-241). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Callan, T., Cullen, B., Davis, C., Ingram, A., Jones, C., Klingaman, K., & Platz, T. (Eds.). 2007. Durham Anthropology Journal, 14(1).

Under Review
Tully, K.P. & Ball, H.L. A pilot study of postnatal ward cribs to promote breastfeeding after cesarean section delivery.

In Preparation
Tully, K.P. & Ball, H.L. Misrecognition of the need for cesarean section delivery.

Holditch-Davis, D. Tully, K.P., Levy, J., White-Traut, R., & David, R. Effects of kangaroo care on breastfeeding preterm infants.