Department of Psychology

Principle Investigator

Dr. Mark Sabbagh

Professor

Mark completed an undergraduate degree at UC Santa Cruz (1993), graduate work at University of Oregon (1998), and his postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan (2000).

Click here for Mark Sabbagh’s CV

Jeannette Benson

PhD, 6

Jen is from Toronto, Ontario and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo. She studies the relation between executive functioning and children’s developing theory-of-mind.

Click here for Jeannette Benson’s CV

Benson, J. E., Sabbagh, M.A., Carlson, S. M., & Zelazo, P. D. (submitted). Individual differences in executive functioning predict preschoolers’ improvement from theory-of-mind training. Developmental Psychology.

Sabbagh, M., Benson, J. E., & Kuhlmeier, V. A. (in press). False belief understanding in preschoolers and infants. In M. Legerstee, D. Haley, and M. Bornstein (Eds.)The Developing Infant Mind: Integrating Biology and Experience. Guilford Press.

Sabbagh, M. A., Hopkins, S. F. R., Benson, J. E., & Flanagan, J. R. (2010).

Conceptual change and preschoolers’ theory of mind: Evidence from load-force adaptation. Neural Networks.

Benson, J. E., & Sabbagh, M. A. (2009). Theory of mind and executive functioning: A developmental neuropsychological approach. In P. D. Zelazo (Ed.), M. Chandler, & E. Crone, Developmental Social Cognitive Neuroscience. Psychology Press: New York.

Sevda Bahtiyar

PhD, 6

Sevda received her undergraduate degree from METU, Ankara, Turkey in 2003 and MA in Developmental Psychology from Koc University - Istanbul, Turkey in 2005. She studies language development and conventionality.

Click here for Sevda Bahtiyar’s CV

Anastasia Christopher

MSc, 2

Anastasia is from Belleville, Ontario. She completed an undergraduate Honours degree in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour at McMaster University. Anastasia is in her second year of her Master’s degree and is studying the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms involved in preschoolers developing Theory of Mind, particularly the effects of oxytocin.

Samantha Drover

MSc, 1

Samantha is from Kingston, Ontario. She completed her undergraduate Honours degree in Psychology at Queen’s University. Samantha is starting her first year as a Master’s student in Developmental Psychology and is interested in studying neurocognitive responses underlying theory-of-mind using EEG technology.

Martha Bailey
MSc, 1

Martha lives in Kingston, Ontario. She completed her LLB at the University of Toronto, her LLM at Queen’s University, and her DPhil from Oxford University. Martha is in the first year of the MSc program in Neuroscience Studies. She is interested in studying the neurobiology of adolescent attachment.

Teal Mackintosh

Undergraduate Honours Student

Teal is from Ottawa, Ontario. She is in her final year of her Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Psychology at Queen's. Her thesis project examines preschoolers' understanding of social conventions. She is interested in how age and temperament influence children's compliance with social norms. After her undergraduate degree, Teal plans on pursuing graduate studies in child clinical psychology.

Rackeb Tesfaye

Undergraduate Honours Student

Rackeb is from Toronto, Ontario. She is currently in her 4th year at Queen's University completing her Honours Thesis in Psychology.  Rackeb is interested in studying the effects of affectionate contact on social cognition and the underlying role that oxytocin may play.

Peter Law

Undergraduate Honours Student

Peter is from Richmond Hill, Ontario. He is currently completing his undergraduate Honours degree in Psychology at Queen’s University. Peter is a 4th year thesis student interested in studying the neurocognitive responses behind probabilistic learning through the use of EEG.

Stefanie Knebel

Stefanie is from Barrie, Ontario. She graduated from Laurentian University with Honours in Psychology. Stefanie is performing lab coordinator duties and assisting with several ongoing projects in the lab while applying to graduate school.