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, MS (She/Her/Hers)
Graduate Student & Research Assistant​
Amber Westover is a 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 L. Denham, MA, MS (She/Her/Hers)
Graduate Student & Research Assistant​
Miranda is a graduate student in Human Development and Family Studies pursuing her Ph.D. 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, 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.
Jordan Tollison (She/Her/Hers)
Undergraduate Research Assistant/Intern​
Jordan Tollison is an undergraduate student who is set to graduate in the Spring of 2025. Her major is Human Development and Family Studies, concentrating on Child, Youth, and Family Development. Jordan’s goal is to dive deeper into the world of research. She has a history of working with special needs students and has a passion for the field of special education.
Anna Beroth (She/Her/Hers)
Undergraduate Research Assistant/Intern
Anna is a senior at UNCG, majoring in Human Development and Family Studies. She currently works as a lead preschool teacher and is entering her second year in this role. Additionally, Anna teaches science classes at a private school in Guilford County during the school year and summer months. Before pursuing a degree in HDFS, she was interested in education and completed a special education internship with Guilford Country public schools. Her combined educational and professional experiences have inspired her to learn about cognitive development in young children. After graduating, she plans on attending graduate school to advance her professional career and build new skills.
Charlotte Vaughn (She/Her/They/Them)
Undergraduate Research Assistant/Intern
Charlotte is an undergraduate student in the Human Development and Family Studies Department and is expected to graduate in May 2025, with a minor in Philosophy. Charlotte is fascinated by children's learning methods and emotional development, as well as the role of caregivers during childhood. They look forward to pursuing further education after graduation and participating in additional research to gain greater insight into how to support children's growth.
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
Lab Alumni
 Maya HareMaya Hare Bachelor of Science Graduate (2024) |  Lianny Araujo MartinezLianny Araujo Martinez Bachelor of Science Graduate (2024) |  Kylan DavisKylan Davis Bachelor of Science Graduate (2023) |
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 Kaitlyn L. TranKaitlyn L. Tran Bachelor of Science Graduate (2023) Current M.S./Ph.D. HDFS Student at UNC-Greensboro |  Dr. Olivia CookDr. Olivia Cook MS/PhD Graduate (2023) Current Postdoctoral Researcher at Florida State University |  Dr. Keadija WileyDr. Keadija Wiley MS/PhD Graduate (2023) Current Postdoctoral Researcher at UNC-Chapel Hill |
 Sydney RevellSydney Revell Master of Science Graduate (2023) Current Recruitment Coordinator at Duke University's Child Studies Group |  Catherine RicciCatherine Ricci Bachelor of Science Graduate (2023) Current M.A. Speech Language and Pathology student at UNC-Greensboro |  Amarre ReidAmarre Reid Bachelor of Science Graduate (2023) Current Research Assistant, UNC-Chapel Hill |
 KellyAnn BonannoKellyAnn Bonanno Former Project Coordinator Current PhD Student at University of Cincinnati |  Dana ConlinDana Conlin Master of Science Graduate (2019) Current doctoral student at The University of California - Irvine |