Developmental
Area Director: Dan Lapsley
Overview
Developmental psychology at Notre Dame is dedicated to the science of understanding human development across the lifespan. Faculty research focuses on the domains of cognitive development, socioemotional development, and developmental psychopathology, as well as the transactions between ecological contexts and development. This multi-level approach, which includes each of these domains and contexts, is essential for a comprehensive understanding of developmental continuity and change. In addition, several faculty are engaged in translational research which applies basic developmental research findings into evidence-based programs such as clinical interventions and educational practice.
Doctoral candidates in the developmental area study development of individuals and families, and how the two interrelate. Unique components of our Developmental psychology graduate program include our emphases on lifespan development, the examination of typical as well as atypical development, and the translation of basic research into applied settings.
Developmental psychology research centers, areas of research, and associated faculty are summarized below.
Research Centers
Learn more about our primary research centers by following the links below:
Shaw Center for Children and Families
Institute for Educational Initiatives
Research Areas
Cognitive Development:
McNeil: mathematical cognition
Valentino: development of autobiographical memory
Socioemotional Development:
Gondoli: adolescent development, parenting processes
Lapsley: moral development
Narvaez: moral development, parenting, virtue
Valentino: emotion regulation, self development, representational models
Developmental Psychopathology:
Bergeman: stress, resilience, health and well-being, aging
Cummings: emotional security, family conflict and emotional adjustment
Gondoli: parenting and ADHD
Valentino: development of maltreated children, mother-child interactions
Biological Development
Bergeman: stress, health and well-being
Cummings: family stress and physiology
Valentino: stress and mother-child physiology, metabolic risk, health
Contexts of Development:
Cummings: parenting/conflict, family
Gondoli: parenting, family
McNeil: home and school
Narvaez: parenting, family
Valentino: poverty, child maltreatment, parenting
Translational Research:
Cummings: interventions to improve emotional security (typical development and families with developmental disabilities)
Gondoli: interventions to improve parenting among families with ADHD, externalizing behavior, eating disorders
McNeil: learning materials and activities that enhance children’s understanding of mathematics and mathematics achievement
Valentino: interventions to improve emotional support among maltreating families and prevent maltreatment