Anna Bechner, Research Laboratory Manager
B.S. Ed., Marian College (Early Childhood Education)
My background includes teaching and research experience with families and young children in childcare, preschool, and the elementary school level. As a teacher I became very interested in understanding how children’s emotional experiences affect learning, behavior, and socio-emotional development. In my current role, I manage laboratory projects focused on examining early life stress and poverty, and the effects these emotional experiences have on child development, with the goal in mind of developing intervention strategies for at-risk children and families.
E-mail: ambechner@wisc.edu
Hannah Kramer, Postdoctoral Fellow
B.A., 2013, University of California, Davis (Psychology)
Ph.D., 2021, University of California, Davis (Developmental Psychology)
I am interested in how people think about people with a particular focus on children’s and adults’ reasoning about emotion, mind, time, and social groups. In addition to being part of the Child Emotion Lab, I am also a postdoc working as part of the Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland team of the Developing Belief Network to study the development of children’s religious and scientific beliefs. To learn more about my research please check out my personal website!
Email: hkramer6@wisc.edu
Saideeka Jones, Research Specialist
BA 2022, Rutgers University (Psychology)
I am interested in how children’s upbringing, socio-economic status, and culture play a part in their long-term outcomes in life. Most know that certain circumstances make it harder for some children to succeed than others, but what is less clear is what allows some to reach expected life markers versus others who seem to fail and/or develop mental disorders due to a lack of emotional wellness. I hope to work towards unearthing more information on this subject.
E-mail: srjones6@wisc.edu
Manjeri Senthilmurugan, Research Intern
B.S., 2024, University of Wisconsin – Madison (Psychology)
Through my background working with and researching children, I have developed a keen interest towards researching social media’s impact on children’s socio-emotional development, mental health, and well-being. With social media having such a large influence on children’s current cultural landscape, I am interested more broadly in understanding how it impacts their decision making and emotional well-being. I hope to eventually apply these findings to figure out how to promote a more positive social media landscape and better social media usage for children.
E-mail: msenthilmuru@wisc.edu