Students in the Developmental Psychology program are exposed to a variety of methods for studying the minds and behaviours of infants and children. They conduct hands-on research in collaboration with other students and faculty members, and have the opportunity to present this research through various outlets.
We offer three programs in the Developmental Area:
- PhD program in Developmental Psychology,
- Master of Applied Science (MASc) Program in Developmental & Communication Science (DCS),
- Master's program in Developmental Psychology.
The Developmental Psychology graduate program has a strong focus on cognitive, social-cognitive, and language development in infancy and childhood, periods of rapid developmental change. We use a range of experimental methods to produce cutting edge research that creatively explores the minds of some of the most fascinating humans.
Developmental Core Faculty
- Stephanie Denison*
- Ori Friedman*
- Sara Hart*
- Heather Henderson*
- Daniela O’Neill*
- Katherine White*Ìý- Area Head
*May be accepting new graduate students for Fall 2026
Other faculty doing developmental research
The following Psychology faculty from other research areas can act as co-supervisors for Developmental graduate students, but the primary supervisor would have to be one of the Developmental core faculty.
Tara McAuleyÌý(Clinical)
Elizabeth NilsenÌý(Clinical)*
Roxane ItierÌý(Cognitive Neuroscience)*
*May be accepting new graduate students for Fall 2026
Developmental research labs
- Children’s Communication LabÌý(Daniela O’Neill)
- Hart Lab (Sara Hart)
- Social Development Lab (Heather Henderson)
- Developmental Learning Lab (Stephanie Denison)
- The Lab for Infant Development and Language and the Developmental Learning Lab together form the Infant Studies group.