Our Research Team
Jennifer L. Coffman, PhD (She/Her/Hers)
Lab Director
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Jennifer Coffman's program of research is focused on understanding the development of children’s cognitive and affective skills with an emphasis on conversations in the home and school contexts that impact developmental change. She examines a variety of factors at home and school that may contribute to children’s acquisition of effective memory strategies, metacognitive knowledge, gratitude, regulation, mathematics, and academic achievement. Moreover, she is interested in general questions regarding the contexts that support children’s adaptation and learning. Dr. Coffman focuses primarily on basic developmental questions involving social forces in the home and school settings that foster growth in children’s cognitive, social, and academic performance while simultaneously working toward interventions that can positively impact children’s developing skills.
Amber E. Westover, PhD (She/Her/Hers)
Amber Westover is a former doctoral student in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at UNC Greensboro. Before attending graduate school, she worked as an elementary school teacher. Her research interests center on the socialization of cognition during the early elementary school years. She is specifically interested in how parents and teachers can support children’s cognitive development in areas such as memory, metacognition, and academic skills.
Miranda Denham Sanford, PhD (She/Her/Hers)
Miranda is a former doctoral student in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at UNC Greensboro. She worked for three years as an early interventionist, conducting home visits with families of children ages 0-3 with developmental delays or disabilities. Miranda's research interests are centered on children's play and informal learning in the first years of life and how these experiences change across contexts, such as outdoors and in museums. She is passionate about creating opportunities for children of all backgrounds and abilities to have access to high-quality spaces for play.
Amanda Buchanan, MS, MEd (She/Her/Hers)
Graduate Student & Research Assistant
Amanda taught the NC Pre-K program with Guilford County Schools for seven years before branching out to the world of educational research as a research assistant while completing the Early Childhood Intervention and Family Support Master of Education program at UNC-Chapel Hill. As a doctoral student at UNC-Greensboro Amanda’s goals are to further explore the roles of language and literacy development in young children as they expand their abilities to engage in episodic forethought. Additionally, Amanda aims to find ways to further incorporate evidence-based practice from the fields of language and literacy into curriculum development and teacher preparation programs in the hopes of more broadly providing the availability of nurturing and inclusive early childhood classroom environments.
Salma Negri Rodriguez (She/Her/Hers)
Undergraduate Research Assistant​
Salma Negri Rodriguez is an undergraduate student in the Human Development and Family Studies Department and is expected to graduate Spring 2026, with a minor in Sociology. She is an honors student and is pursuing disciplinary honors through the Lloyd International Honors College. Salma previously earned an associate’s degree in psychology and has gained experience working in advocacy settings supporting women and children. Her research interests include children’s cognitive development and family dynamics. She hopes to continue her education in graduate school.
Charlotte Vaughn (She/Her/They/Them)
Postbac Research Assistant
Charlotte graduated from UNCG in May 2025 with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies Department and a minor in Philosophy. Charlotte is fascinated by children's learning methods and emotional development, as well as the role of caregivers and teachers during childhood. They continue to be involved in research and look forward to graduate work.
Future Lab Member
Undergraduate or Graduate Research Assistant​
The Cognition in Context Lab recruits undergraduate research assistants on a rolling basis. Please reach out to Dr. Jennifer Coffman if you are interested in working in our lab!
Prospective Graduate Students: Please refer to the UNCG Department of Human Development and Family Studies webpage for more information. Please feel free to reach out to Dr. Jennifer Coffman with any questions you may have at jennifer.coffman@uncg.edu
