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Susan Parker, Ph D
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Email: sparker@rmc.edu
Education:
Ph.D. (Developmental Psychology) University of Minnesota,
2002
B.A. (Psychology) University of Richmond, 1997
Teaching:
As a Developmental Psychologist, I teach Developmental
Psychology, Infant Development, Early Experience, and General Psychology.
Because of my interest in the biological bases of behavior I will
also be teaching Biological Psychology while Dr. Lambert is on sabbatical.
Areas of Interest:
My research interests include the impact of early
experience on brain and social development. Specifically I utilize
electrophysiological (event-related potentials or ERPs) and behavioral
measures to explore infants’ and children’s understanding
of emotional and social information.
As a graduate student and a post-doctoral researcher
I had the opportunity to work on the Bucharest Early Intervention
Project, a study of the effects of foster care intervention on the
development of children raised in institutional settings in Bucharest,
Romania. In this study, we have been able to examine the short and
long-term effects of early deprivation/institutional rearing on
children’s brain, cognitive and social development, as well
as the ameliorating effects on foster care.
When I’m not in the classroom or the lab,
I enjoy reading, listening to music, and spending time with my husband,
Andy, a post-doctoral fellow in the Pharmacology/Toxicology Department
at VCU.
Links:
Society for Research
in Child Development
International Society of Developmental
Psychobiology
International Society on Infant
Studies
Cognitive Neuroscience
Society