Members
Director
Cecilia Cheung
Dr. Cheung is an associate professor of psychology at UCR. Her research focuses on the role of the social environment (e.g., parents, teachers, peers) in children’s academic and emotional adjustment. She also has a special interest in understanding children's development across cultures.
Dr. Cheung is a recipient of the Society for Research in Child Development Early Career Research Contributions Award, a Distinguished Research Award in Human Development by the American Education Research Association, the American Psychological Association Early Career Outstanding Paper Award in Developmental Psychology, and the AERA-SRCD Early Career Fellowship. A large portion of her leisure time is spent on tennis, guitar, movies, and novels.
Google Scholar | Faculty Website | Email: ccheung@ucr.edu
Postdoctoral scholar
Sarah Knapp
Sarah is a postdoctoral scholar in the Culture and Child Development (Department of Psychology) and in The Center for Health Disparities (School of Medicine). She earned a PhD from the University of California, Riverside in 2023 with a specialization in Health and Well-being. Sarah incorporates developmental, social, cultural, and personality perspectives to better understand the relationships between motivation and emotional experiences. She has specific expertise in physiological indices of emotional functioning (autonomic nervous system) and uses mixed-method approaches (experiments, surveys, interviews, EKG). In her spare time, she cooks, arranges flowers, paints, and plays with her puppy.
Graduate Students
Danyang Ma
Danyang is a third-year student in Developmental Psychology. She received her BA in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine. She is interested in how parenting in various culture contexts influences young children’s motivation to learn and children’s understanding of morality. She enjoys playing table tennis and exploring hotpot restaurants when she is free.
Minghui Wang
Minghui is a third-year graduate student in Developmental Psychology. She received her BA in Psychology from Zhejiang University in China and MA from Boston University. She is interested in how feedback influence children’s self-worth and motivation, as well as the potential role of cultural contexts. She enjoys reading novels and watching movies in her spare time.
Eva Li
Eva is a first-year student in Developmental Psychology. She graduated from Cal State East Bay with a BA in Psychology and MA in Positive Developmental Psychology and Evaluation from Claremont Graduate University. She is interested in exploring the impact of various cultural aspects (e.g., interpersonal relationships) on children's emotional well-being. Eva enjoys reading and playing board games with friends in her spare time.
lab coordinator
Nancy Le
Nancy graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 2022 with a B.S. in Psychology. Her current focus is working with a broad range of relationship dynamics; such as working with families and couples to facilitate effective and healthy communication. Moreover, she is also passionate about understanding mental health interventions and ways to cope with interpersonal challenges. Outside of academic work, her hobbies include building puzzles, watching Korean dramas, and cooking.
Lab Alumni
Graduate students
Amy Allen, Amy graduated with a doctorate in School Psychology in 2018. She is currently a school psychologist at the Diagnostic Center of Northern California (DCN).
Danielle Delany, Danielle graduated with a doctorate in Developmental Psychology in 2021. She is currently a Mental Health Policy Director at a nonprofit in Los Angeles.
Yena Kyeong, Yena graduated with a doctorate in Developmental Psychology in 2022. She is currently a research fellow at the NTU Early Cognition Lab in Singapore.
Pamela Sheffler, Pamela graduated with a doctorate in Developmental Psychology in 2022. She is currently an assistant professor of psychology at Landmark College in Putney, Vermont.
Lab Visitors
Jing Wang, Dr. Wang from the University of Hong Kong's Graduate School of Education visited our lab in summer 2018.
Li Wen, Dr. Wen from the National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning at Beijing Normal University was a visiting scholar in 2018-19.