Research Focus: We are researchers interested in children’s social-cognitive development. Our research is informed by the disciplines of psychology, education and law to examine children’s behaviours that are pertinent to children’s adaptive development, child witness testimony and professionals who work with children.

For instance, we conduct research on children’s adaptive development. We examine how they learn social rules and conventions, understand others feelings and beliefs, and how they develop social behaviours and manage social interactions. Our research mandate covers a wide range of issues and research questions:

The children’s lie-telling and moral development as well as promoting children’s honesty and moral development in applied settings.

Deception detection strategies in children and adults

Children’s social interactions in school, between friends and cyberspace

Children’s conceptions of life, death and spirituality as well as how parents, teachers, and health care workers talk to children about these concepts

Child witness competency and abilities to testify

Our research not only has implications for our theoretical understanding of children’s adaptive development but also aims to provide relevant information to real‑world problems faced by parents and professionals who work with children (e.g., teachers, social workers, legal professionals, police, and health professionals).

Common Research Interests: Achievement motivation, motivational interventions, motivational strategies, perceptions of interest/value/control, academic emotions, post-secondary student development and retention, faculty motivation, health and motivation in older adults, student and instructor attrition

Lab Members: Dr. Nathan Hall (director, McGill), Dr. Thomas Goetz (primary collaborator, University of Konstanz); Drs. Raymond Perry and Judith Chipperfield (collaborators, University of Manitoba), Dr. Jutta Heckhausen (collaborator, University of California, Irvine), Dr. Reinhard Pekrun (collaborator, University of Munich), Dr. Carsten Wrosch (collaborator, Concordia University), Dr. Robert Stupnisky (collaborator, University of North Dakota); Kyle Hubbard (RA, MA student, McGill), Jason Ringo (RA, McGill)

Other Information: Opportunities exist for international research exchanges with collaborators as funded through grants to the director, collaborators and student awards (e.g. DAAD).

Common Research Interests: Better understanding learning, problem solving and decision-making across different disciplines.

Lab Members: Dr. Susanne Lajoie (Director), Dr. Jeffrey Wiseman, MD (Research Associate), Omar Sharif Ahmad (Postdoctoral Fellow), Ilian Cruz-Panesso, Yuan-Jin Hong, Lorraine Meilleur, Laura Naismith, Nicholas Gelinas-Phaneuf, Eric Poitras, Maedeh Kazemi, John Ranellucci, Christine Summerside, Kevin Waschke (Graduates Students)

Other Information: Undergraduate volunteers are welcome to join.

Common Research Interests: Those interested in qualitative research related to identity development; we focus first on doctoral experience and then on career decisions and life plans post-graduation which may lead outside of academia

Lab Members: Lynn McAlpine, Cheryl Amundsen (SFU, Shuhua Chen, Greg Hum (SFU)

Secondary research foci include bereavement, training and professional issues in counseling psychology, and gender issues.

Common Research Interests: LGBT issues, HIV/AIDS, bereavement, professional/training issues, gender issues

Research foci:

Psychotherapy process and outcome: The MPPRG conducts studies on the patient/client variables, therapist variables and the interactive process of psychotherapy, and the effect of these on treatment outcome.  

Progress tracking and monitoring in psychotherapy: The MPPRG conducts research examining the advantages and disadvantages of using ongoing tracking methods in psychotherapy.

Use of new technologies in delivering psychotherapeutic services: The MPPRG conducts research into the use of new technologies in psychotherapy, including cyberpsychology and virtual reality, and telepsychotherapy.

Mental health services (psychotherapy) in primary care: The Group conducts research examining some of the key variables in effective psychotherapy service delivery.

While many members of the MPPRG are interested in applied clinical research, many others focus on knowledge translation. As such, the MPPRG also aims at developing guidelines related to the practice of mental health assessment and psychotherapy.

Lab Members: Martin Drapeau & Marilyn Fitzpatrick, Directors. Any given year, the MPPRG includes between 20 and 25 research assistants, including master level and doctoral level students.

Focus: The Perceptual Neuroscience Laboratory (PNLab) for Autism and Development is interested in assessing perceptual and cognitive processes during typical development, in the autism spectrum and related neurodevelopmental conditions. Research conducted in the lab aims at increasing the efficacy of existing cognitive and behavioral interventions in autism by considering perceptual strengths and challenges in this condition at different periods of development.

Common research Interests: (1) the characterization of brain function underlying perceptual and cognitive processes in autism and fragile-x syndrome (FXS); (2) how altered sensory functioning differentially affects higher-level perception (i.e., social perception), cognition (i.e., visual attention), learning and behavior in autism; (3) defining developmental trajectories for visual and auditory abilities in both typically- and atypically-developing populations; and (4) the development of cognitive assessment tools based on perceptual performance.

Lab Members: Catherine Archambeault, Vanessa Bao, Katherine Bonnycastle, Sabrina Censi, Victoria Doobay, Kevin Dugas, Jacalyn Guy, Kian Habib, Julie Hanck, Evelyne Marcil, Karine Morin, Audrey Perreault.

Among current projects are developing mentoring program for high risk high school students with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL, developing and evaluating high school dropout interventions with the Lester B. Pearson School Board, researching the development of language skills in children with rare genetic disorders and autism, and developing international partnerships to improve the academic performance of children with borderline intelligence.

All research is based on the meta-academic model, which involves the instruction of non-academic factors that lead to school success in high risk students. The identified factors are: social skills, language skills, executive functions, coping with mental health issues, and coping with medical issues. These five areas are a complement to academic instruction and are necessary to school success.

Common Research Interests: Students interested in school psychology, implementing real world interventions with students at risk for school failure, neuropsychological assessment and interventions, international research, and the intersection of medical issues and school performance.

Lab Members: SPARC is comprised of graduate students from diverse backgrounds and with an array of strengths and interests. Team members have included students from Human Development and Law programs, a fellow at the McGill Institute of Health and Social Policy, teachers, practitioners, and students with disabilities.