Life is full of opportunities for experiencing feedback on our actions and behaviors. We can imagine receiving comments from a teacher at school, corrections from peers at the gym, or an evaluation from a boss at work. This feedback is information that can be used for improvement or for reaching a goal and is an important component of the learning process. However, in certain contexts, the reception of feedback may in fact hinder learning! This poses the question: which features make feedback effective in triggering positive cognitive change? The goal of this line of work is to understand when, how, and for whom feedback is an effective learning and motivational tool.   

My dissertation specifically investigates the harmful effects of ego-centric features of feedback—features that draw the learner’s attention to their self-image rather than the task. Over the course of three studies, I experimentally manipulate certain ego-centric features (source & content) of feedback during mathematics practice and examine their influence on achievement outcomes (performance, motivation, emotion, & attention) for child learners (ages 6-8). 

Imagine a young child solving an equation and then receiving feedback

that the answer is wrong. Do you think they will feel sad and

disappointed or perhaps energized and excited by the challenge? And do

these emotional responses matter for their ability or desire to solve

another equation?  The goal of this area of research is to quantify children’s emotional experiences and to explore how these emotional states relate to their task motivation.

What comes to mind when you think of mathematics? Is it a topic or an ability? Is it about real-life tasks or an abstract depiction of nature? Is it an emotional response such as uneasiness or sense of competence? Though “mathematics” is a common word with central prominence in education, it is not always clear what people mean when they use it, and how their differing views and experiences with the domain alter their actions towards it. Individual differences in math attitudes, beliefs, and abilities often can create barriers for STEM pursuit as well as general life success. The goal of this area of research is to explore how individual differences in math learning contexts influence both adults and children's STEM pursuit, achievement, and perception of their own and other's STEM abilities.

How do we really know what goes on in the minds of others? And even more challenging, in the minds of children? I keep this question "top of mind" when designing and conducting any research study. I am passionate about answering meaningful questions about the minds of others by utilizing thoughtful, rigorous, and novel research designs while simultaneously prioritizing inclusion and community involvement. 

I began my research journey as a research assistant at UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, and Stanford University, where I enthusiastically conducted hundreds of study sessions in the community - spending countless days at museums and schools to ensure that a more diverse group of children had the opportunity participate in the research process. During my post-bach research position at Stanford University as well as during the beginning of my graduate work at Indiana University, I helped establish and validate online research methods, developing tools for other developmental researches to utilize during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. Most recently, I have been a part of team science efforts, bringing researchers and community members together to improve research infrastructure for STEM education. Lastly, I am using eye tracking technology to understand children's attention towards differing math stimuli, and hope that this data might help validate the development of newer, more accessible screen based eye tracking technology for researchers (via jsPsych). I am continually detected to answering fascinating research questions while utilizing inventive developmental methods which will continue to grow this important field of knowledge.