Gabrielle Principe
Professor of Psychology
Education
Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research Interests
My program of research centers on social cognitive development, with a focus on factors affecting young children’s memory for personally experienced events. This work is motivated both by basic questions about the development of memory and by applied issues surrounding children’s abilities to provide testimony in legal settings. Several diverse strands of research include the impact of rumors and other sorts of natural conversations on memory, the influence of fantasy beliefs on event recollections, and the effects of retelling context on autobiographical narratives.
I also have a longstanding interest in the role of evolutionary theory and the implications of evolutionary ideas on child development and education. This interest has resulted in a series of projects focused on translating research to the general public, including a trade book, Your Brain on Childhood: The Unexpected Side Effects of Classrooms, Ballparks, Family Rooms, and the Minivan (Prometheus, 2011), a blog on PsychologyToday.com, and an editorship of the Education Section of Evolution: This View of Life, a general interest online magazine intended to expand evolutionary thinking to issues of higher education and public policy.
Courses Taught
- PSYC 224: Lifespan Development
- PSYC 375: Topics in Child and Adolescent Development
- PSYC 469: Advanced Developmental with Lab
- Honors Special Topics