CSBMHP Faculty Affiliate
Dr. Yvette Harris
Contact
Information:210 Psychology Building
(513) 529-2009 (voice)
(513) 529-2420 (fax)
harrisyr@muohio.edu
My current research examines the environmental antecedents of cognitive, intellectual, academic, and occupational development in ethnic and non-ethnic preschool children, school-aged children, and adolescents. Within the cognitive area, my research explores the factors that influence memory development in preschool children. My guiding hypothesis is that the origin of certain cognitive skills can be traced to the home environment and the emergence of these skills evolves within the context of social interaction (Vygotsky, 1978). Thus, I have designed my research program to examine the transactions occurring between mothers and children engaged in spatial, search, rote, and sequential memory tasks, and how those transactions influence independent memory performance in preschool children. Within the area of intellectual and academic achievement, my goal is to explore the developmental differences in the relationship between parental involvement and academic performance in school-aged children. While evidence suggests that parents, peers, and teachers have profound influences on adolescent occupational selection, my goal is to determine the various influences on African American high school career selections.