New developmental psychology professor joins the Department's faculty

Hi! My name is Dr. Roberts. I research and teach Developmental Psychology at Roosevelt University.

I study cultural patterns in children’s use of attention, nonverbal communication, and collaboration during learning activities. For example, in some cultural communities, children learn by carefully observing adults do their work and pitching in where they can. In other communities, children are segregated from adult work and learn through child-focused lessons where an instructor directs their attention for them. These cultural patterns are of interest to me because of the implications they may have for children’s success in schools. I am also interested in learning as a social endeavor that is intertwined with the developing identities of learners. Please contact me at aroberts06@roosevelt.edu if you would like to learn more about this research.

I teach Childhood & Adolescence, Human Development, Adult Development, Introductory Statistics and Research Methods. In my classes, we work to understand the consistencies and variations in human development across the life span in cultural communities around the world. We ask questions like, “What does it mean to be 2-years-old? How is it different to be this age in rural Guatemala than in downtown Chicago?” In my classes we also read scholarly articles and examine not only what the studies found, but also how they came to those conclusions. Social science is a conversation where our understanding of the world is developed and self-corrected. I prepare and invite students to become a part of that conversation. I look forward to learning with you as we make meaningful connections that allow us to better understand human development.