This postdoctoral program provided four postdoctoral fellows with extensive training in special education research with a focus on language and literacy interventions. As part of the program, fellows developed individualized training plans with mentors and participated in a variety of training activities, including a distinguished speaker series, a data analysis work group, a university-wide postdoctoral training program, summer training institutes, and courses in methodology and statistics. Fellows were also involved in ongoing research projects; for example, (a) the development of a small-group intervention in decoding and listening/reading comprehension for first grade children at risk for reading difficulties; (b) a randomized trial on the effectiveness of treatments for children with both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and serious reading difficulties; and (c) an investigation of malleable cognitive processes and integrated comprehension interventions for middle and high school students.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Dunlap, Susan
Foster, Matthew (ORCID)
Merz, Emily (ORCID)
Priebe, Sarah
As of 2020, Dr. Foster was an assistant professor at the University of South Florida and Dr. Merz is an assistant professor at Colorado State University.

Products and Publications

Journal article, monograph, or newsletter

Bai, L., Ma, T., Dunlap, S., and Chen, B. (2013). Age of Acquisition Affects the Retrieval of Grammatical Category Information. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 66(4): 786–800. doi:10.1080/17470218.2012.719528

Chen, B., Jia, Y., Wang, Z., Dunlap, S., and Shin, J. (2013). Is Word-Order Similarity Necessary for Cross-Linguistic Structural Priming?. Second Language Research, 29(4): 375–389. doi:10.1177/0267658313491962?

Chen, B., Liang, L., Cui, P., and Dunlap, S. (2014). The Priming Effect of Translation Equivalents Across Languages for Concrete and Abstract Words. Acta Psychologica, 153: 147–152. doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2014.10.004?

Foster, M. E., Anthony, J. L., Clements, D. H., Sarama, J., and Williams, J. J. (2018). Hispanic Dual Language Learning Kindergarten Students' Response to a Numeracy Intervention: A Randomized Control Trial. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 43, 83–95.

Foster, M. E., Anthony, J. L., Zucker, T. A., & Branum-Martin, L. (2019). Prediction of English and Spanish Kindergarten Mathematics from English and Spanish Cognitive and Linguistic Abilities in Hispanic Dual Language Learners. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 46, 213–227.

Foster, M., Anthony, J.L., Clements, D.H., and Sarama, J.H. (2015). Processes in the Development of Mathematics in Kindergarten Children From Title 1 Schools. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 140: 56–73. doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2015.07.004

Foster, M.E., Anthony, J.L., Clements, D.H., Sarama, J.H., and Williams, J.M. (2016). Improving Mathematics Learning of Kindergarten Students Through Computer-Assisted Instruction. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 47(3): 206–232. doi:10.5951/jresematheduc.47.3.0206

Landry, S.H., Zucker, T.A., Williams, J.M., Merz, E.C., Guttentag, C.L., and Taylor, H.B. (2017). Improving the School Readiness of High-Risk Preschoolers: Combining High Quality Instructional Strategies with Responsive Training for Teachers and Parents. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 40: 38–51. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2016.12.001

Merz, E.C., Landry, S.H., Johnson, U.Y., Williams, J.M., and Jung, K (2016). Effects of a Responsiveness-Focused Intervention in Family Child Care Homes on Children's Executive Function. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 34: 128–139. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.10.003

Merz, E.C., Landry, S.H., Montroy, J.J., and Williams, J.M. (2016). Bidirectional Associations Between Parental Responsiveness and Executive Function During Early Childhood. Social Development. doi:10.1111/sode.12204

Merz, E.C., Landry, S.H., Williams, J.M., Barnes, M. A., Eisenberg, N., Spinrad, T.L.,Valiente, C., Assel, M., Taylor, H.B., Lonigan, C.J., Phillips, B.M., Clancy-Menchetti, J. and the School Readiness Research Consortium (2014). Associations Among Parental Education, Home Environment Quality, Effortful Control, and Preacademic Knowledge. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 35(4): 304–315. doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2014.04.002

Merz, E.C., Landry, S.H., Zucker, T.A., Barnes, M.A., Assel, M., Taylor, H.B., Lonigan, C.J., Phillips, B.M., Clancy-Menchetti, J., Eisenberg, N., Spinrad, T.L., Valiente, C., de Villiers, J., and the School Readiness Research Consortium (2016). Parenting Predictors of Delay Inhibition in Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Preschoolers. Infant and Child Development. doi:10.1002/icd.1946

Merz, E.C., Zucker, T.A., Landry, S.H., Williams, J.M., Assel, M., Taylor, H.B., Lonigan, C.J., Phillips, B.M., Clancy-Menchetti, J., Barnes, M.A., Eisenberg, N., de Villiers, J., and the School Readiness Research Consortium (2015). Parenting Predictors of Cognitive Skills and Emotion Knowledge in Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Preschoolers. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 132: 14–31. doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2014.11.010