Robert
Coplan
During his time at the University of Waterloo, Rob’s research focused on young children’s social and non-social play behaviours. After completing his PhD, he accepted a faculty position at Carleton University, where he is currently a Full Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Pickering Centre for Research in Human Development. His research focuses on the development of shyness, social withdrawal, and social anxiety in childhood, with current projects examining the costs/benefits of solitude across development, as well as the meaning and implications of social withdrawal across different cultural contexts. Rob’s most recent books include Quiet at School: An Educator’s Guide to Shy Children (2016, Teachers College Press) and A Handbook of Solitude: Psychological Perspectives on Social Isolation, Social Withdrawal, and Being Alone (2014, Wiley-Blackwell).
Cristina
Atance
Cristina studied cognitive development at the University of Waterloo under the supervision of Dr. Daniela O’Neill. She obtained her PhD in 2001 and, from there, travelled to the University of Washington in Seattle to work as a post-doc with Dr. Andrew Meltzoff. In 2003, Cristina accepted a position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa where she is currently. In addition to her regular teaching and research duties at the University of Ottawa, Cristina is the Director of the Graduate Programme in Experimental Psychology. Her current research examines the development of children’s planning, saving, and future-oriented behaviours, more broadly. She is also interested in how these behaviours are related to children’s mental state reasoning (or “theory of mind”), executive function abilities, and memory capacities. Her research has been funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the Government of Ontario, in the form of an Early Researcher Award.