People | Socialcognitionlab

Dr. Valerie Kuhlmeier

My research program explores cognition from a developmental and evolutionary perspective. I examine the origins of our cognitive capacities in a comparative manner, studying infants, young children, non-human primates, and dogs.

Academic Publications

Outreach

bio

Professor & Associate Head
Department of Psychology
Queen's University

Assistant Director
ManyDogs

Dr. Taigan MacGowan

I am a Postdoctoral Fellow examining individual differences in the development of social cognitive processes, such as theory of mind and prosocial behaviour. I investigate these phenomena from a psychophysiological standpoint, and in the context of temperamental and state shyness.

Dr. Sylvia Pinheiro

I examine how children learn social behaviours, particularly within the virtual environment. I also communicate scientific knowledge to nonacademic audiences via illustration and game-based activities.

Hannah Burrows

My MSc research focuses on modelling human-dog interactions, with applications to working and service dogs. I am concurrently developing a financial literacy course for low-income students in pursuit of higher education.

Em Sundby

For my MSc research, I am examining how dogs perceive the ownership of objects. Specifically, I am studying how memory for objects may be affected by prior experience and familiarity, and how these memory biases may affect the training of working and service dogs.

Lara Gomes

I'm a PhD student in Psychobiology at UFRN, Brazil, and I'm at the Social Cognition Lab as a visiting research student. I'm interested in the evolution of human behaviour, with a focus on empathic behaviour throughout human development, particularly how empathy can be affected by variables such as gender, socioeconomic status, and parenting practices.

Nicole Doncaster

My Master’s research focuses on the development of morality in children. Specifically, I am interested in how sport and team environments can influence moral decision-making regarding gamesmanship and cheating.

Learn about undergraduate and graduate student opportunities HERE

Lab Alumni

Honour's Thesis Students

2024-2025

Claire Dixon

Jessica Vance

2023-2024

Talia Buckhalter

Adriana Helou

2021-2022

Brendan Hancock

Montana Shore

2020-2021

Emma Liptrot

Lexie Piccolo

2019-2020

Kate Hollingshead

2018-2019
Brooke Hilton

Shanahan Shan

2017-2018
Megan Kenney
Emily Pepper

2016-2017
Natanya Levine

2015-2016
Nina Buchenrieder

2014-2015
Ruxandra Filip
Rayna Edels

2013-2014
Zoe Paul
Kelsey Slobodian
Danielle Speck

2012-2013
Annamaria McAndrew
Madison Healey

2011-2012
Kathleen Merwin

2010-2011
Sydney Oastler
Raquel Martinez

2009-2010
Kyleigh Schraeder
Victoria Freeman

2008-2009
Jessica White

2007-2008
Sara Caird
Jenny Chu

2006-2007
Sarah Latimer

2005-2006
Lisa Hong
Katherine Chow

2004-2005
Kelly Anthony-Brown

Sylvia Pinheiro, Ph.D.

Lab Coordinator, Queen's U.

Tara Karasewich, Ph.D.

Accommodations Manager, Queen's U.

Maeve Glover, MSc.

Secondary school educator

Scott Robson, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow, CHEO

Amy O'Neill, Ph.D.

Clinical Practice

Kristen Dunfield, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Concordia Univ.

Tania Tzelnic, MSc.

Public Policy

Elizabeth Hallinan, MSc.

Attorney at Law

Undergraduate Research Fellows

Montana Shore, NSERC USRA & Queen's ASURF

Graduate Student, Boston Univ.

Danielle Bukovsky, NSERC USRA

Undergraduate, Queen's Univ.

Brooke Hilton, NSERC USRA &

Queen's ASURF

Graduate Student, Queen's Univ.

Ruxandra Filip, NSERC USRA

Graduate Student

Lab Coordinators

Sara Jones

Employment Counsellor, Toronto

Olivia Holden

Graduate Student, McGill Univ.

Hannah Taalman (MSc.)

Research Coordinator, CAMH

Rayna Edels (M.A.)

Graduate Student, McGill Univ.

Debra Torok

Graduate Student, Univ. of Victoria

Kathleen Merwin

Graduate Student, Dalhousie Univ.

Lindsay Murphy

Director of BI and Analytics

Rachel Banton (MSc.)

Graduate Student, Concordia Univ.

Senior Account Manager

Vivian Lee (Ph.D.)

Graduate Student, McMaster Univ.

Postdoctoral Researcher, York Univ.

Assistant Professor, Carleton Univ.