Early Childhood Research Lab
Research Staff
Dr. Thibodeau-Nielsen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at the University of Missouri. She completed her undergraduate degree in 2013 at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX and received her MA and PhD in Developmental Science and Cognitive Psychology with a minor in statistics from the University of Alabama.
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Parents, educators, researchers, and policymakers have long considered how to best prepare children for success in a 21st century world. Pretend play has been suggested as an equitable, accessible, strengths-based approach to support early development and school readiness. As such, Dr. Thibodeau-Nielsen examines the impact of imaginative play on children's developing cognitive and social-emotional skills. Dr. Thibodeau-Nielsen's research shows that imaginative or pretend play — which involves cooperation, flexible thinking, shared emotions and support among peers and adults — can lay the foundation for the skills children need to be successful in school, work, and life.
Dr. Thibodeau-Nielsen shares her expertise with students at the University of Missouri, teaching courses in child development and offering graduate and undergraduate research experiences.
Lab Director
DR. RACHEL THIBODEAU-NIELSEN
Graduate Advisees
Shannon Dier
Shannon primarily grew up in Michigan and completed her BA in Psychology and Sociology at Alma College in 2008. She graduated from the University of North Texas with an MS in Development and Family Studies in 2010, and worked for ten years as a Certified Child Life Specialist, supporting patients and families to cope with the challenges of healthcare experiences. As a doctoral student, she is interested in studying how play influences children's behavior, self-regulation and development as well as in exploring issues of professional resiliency and burnout for child life specialists.
Alaina Wilson
Alaina is a doctoral student from Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Psychology in 2020. Alaina is excited to continue her education at Mizzou by studying how preschoolers’ imaginative play in their classrooms and at home can help with their emotional development.
María Fernanda Reuda Posada
María Fernanda is from Colombia, from a city called Chía, near the capital. She is a psychologist (2017), and has a master’s degree in psychology (2019) from Universidad de la Sabana. She is interested in the early onset of executive function and self-regulation and wants to learn how daily life interactions support these developmental building blocks, in order to make a good transfer to family and school environments.
Current Research Assistants
Alexia Vollmer
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Cami Marteeny
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Jordan Hill
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Amanda Betz
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Dylan Zamler
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Kally Horn
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Averi Myrick
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Jasmine Tucker
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Kiera Gonzales
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Marina McGreevy
Graduate Research Assistant
If you are a prospective graduate student or undergraduate student interested in working with Dr. Thibodeau-Nielsen in the MU Early Childhood Research Lab, please click the button below.
Former Lab Members
Graduate Research Assistants
Vida Bonney
Sarah Armknecht
Ashley Shahan
Seung-Hee Han
Danielle Turley
Liz Etling
Beth Stoddard
James Larsen
Rahmet Akpolat
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Alex Hawkins
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Maggie Bielicke
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Rachel Guse
Dawson Quinn
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Amanda Bennett
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Chloe Maltagliati
Katarina Esser
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Morgan McCart
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Rebecca Golden
Abby Quatmann
Mikayla McKinney
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Caitlin Niendick
Kristen Gruenwald
Zoe Bowman
Sarah Kusnitz
Catherine Mormino
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Kaylee Hance
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Zachary Fedor
