A new study published Monday, Jan. 11 in Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne ranks Brock University’s developmental psychology researchers among the most productive and most frequently cited in Canada.

The study (found here) examines the research productivity and impact of Canadian developmental psychology programs that offer graduate degrees. It was designed to help potential graduate students determine the richness of research environments at different institutions based on hard data.

The study’s two lead authors, Ann Farrell and Thalia Semplonius, are themselves graduate students — both PhD students in Brock’s Department of Psychology.

The two students say they conducted the research because existing studies focus on psychology departments in general.

“There are no studies that provide information specifically on the developmental psychology stream in Canada,” Farrell says.

“The paper provides insight into recent research productivity and the impact of developmental psychology programs in Canada,” adds Semplonius.
“It can be used as a potential resource for graduate school applicants.”

A previous study of Canadian psychology departments from 2003 to 2008 recognized Brock as being one of the top 10 most productive departments in Canada. This new research, based on data from 2009 to 2013 and focusing on the developmental psychology stream, shows Brock ranking third, behind McMaster and Dalhousie.

“This manuscript highlights the remarkable strength of developmental psychology at Brock University, a strength shared across the entire department,” says department chair and paper co-author Catherine Mondloch.

She says the breadth and significance of topics being investigated, such as children’s lie-telling, prospective memory in children and older adults, adolescent development, bullying, face recognition, and emotion perception, enriches the graduate programs.

Thomas Dunk, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, believes the numbers demonstrate the high quality and productivity of Brock’s developmental psychologists. “Researchers in the Department of Psychology, including the graduate students, are among the very best in Canada. They have a very strong record of exceptional research,” Dunk says. “This study helps spread the news about one of Brock’s many strengths in terms of research and graduate education.”