Heidi McLaughlin

Associate Professor of Psychology

Heidi McLaughlin

Phone: 253-535-7640

Email: mclaughd@plu.edu

Office Location: Ramstad Hall - 110

Office Hours: (On Campus) Wed: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm (On Campus) Mon - Fri: By Appointment

  • Professional
  • Biography

Education

  • Ph.D., Developmental Psychology, University of California (Riverside), 2013
  • M.A., Developmental Psychology, University of California (Riverside), 2009
  • B.A., Russian Language and Literature, University of Illinois (Chicago), 2006

Areas of Emphasis or Expertise

  • Cognitive Development
  • Sociocultural Contribution to Cognitive Processes
  • Development of Contamination Sensitivity and Biological Concepts

Selected Presentations

  • Global Health Center-Conversations in Global Health, Germs attack white blood cells: Health knowledge in a rural Maasai village, Oregon Health & Science University (2015)

Biography

I am interested in how children learn about health behaviors and concepts, especially in developing countries and economically disadvantaged areas of the US. My research is both field and lab based. Internationally I have conducted research in rural Uganda and Tanzania where I studied children’s involvement in Aid Projects, assessed contamination sensitivity and health knowledge of children from ages 4 – 16 years old, and examined the transmission of health knowledge in a Maasai community. Domestically I have studied how interactions between mothers and children contribute to children’s understanding of biological concepts and contamination sensitivity.