Emily Slonecker, PhD

Assistant Professor, Psychology

Emily Slonecker, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Cabrini University. She received her PhD in Psychological Science from the University of California, Irvine with a specialization in developmental psychology and quantitative methodology. Previously, Emily earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Maryland and her M.A. in Social Ecology from UC Irvine. She was also awarded a Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award by the National Institutes of Health and spent two years working as a research fellow in the NICHD’s Laboratory of Comparative Ethology.

Dr. Slonecker’s overall goal as an instructor is to ensure students leave the classroom more insightful, confident, and curious than when they first entered. Drawing inspiration from her experience as a cross-cultural research, Dr. Slonecker’s curriculum is designed to help students develop an awareness and appreciation of diverse perspectives and experiences. Her courses are centered around open dialogue and active learning techniques that frame students as dynamic agents in their own learning experience and broader communities. Students are taught how to use a solution-focused mindset to efficiently consolidate information, discuss complex social issues, and apply course materials to the broader world.

As a researcher, Dr. Slonecker uses an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural framework to identify sociocultural variations in autobiographical memory across the lifespan and use this information to improve health and well-being, particularly in disadvantage groups. By combining developmental theory and basic cognitive research with applied ecological questions, Dr. Slonecker’s program of research aims to develop a more nuanced understanding of diversity in autobiographical memory development and introduce equity and inclusivity across multiple levels (e.g., individual, community, culture) and domains (e.g., public health, clinical treatment, legal system) of the ecological system.

Areas of Expertise

Cognitive development, autobiographical memory, parent-child conversations, cross-cultural psychology, child witnesses

Publications

Slonecker, E. M., Klemfuss, J. Z., Kamliot, D. Z., & Wang, Q. (in preparation). Remember when? Childhood amnesia and memory retrieval in White and Black American young adults.

Slonecker, E. M., & Klemfuss, J. Z. (revisions submitted). Yes, no, maybe so: Caregiver autonomy support, conversation goal, and children’s memory performance.

Slonecker, E. M., Olaguez, A., Taffe, R., & Klemfuss, J. Z. (in press). Memory, suggestibility, and disclosure processes: Implications for children in legal settings. In A. D. Redlich & J. A. Quas (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Developmental Psychology and Law.

Klemfuss, J. Z., Slonecker, E. M., *Akhavein, K.*, & *Dhruve, D. (2021). Subcultural, ideological, and valence-based differences in caregiver reminiscing goals. Memory, 29(2), 210-223. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2021.1879153.

Paukner, A., Slonecker, E. M., & Wooddell, L. (2021). Effects of dominance and femal presence on secondary sexual characteristics in male tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus apella). Ecology and Evolution.

Slonecker, E. M., & Klemfuss, J. Z. (2020). Caregiver-child reminiscing and recounting across contexts. Cognitive Development, 56, 100947. doi: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2020.100947.

Lukowski, A. F., Slonecker, E. M., & Milojevich, H. (2020). Sleep problems and recall memory in children with Down syndrome and typically developing controls. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 96, 103512. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2019.103512.

Milojevich, H., Slonecker, E. M., & Lukowski, A. F. (2019). Participation in social skills therapy is associated with enhanced recall memory by children with Down syndrome: An exploratory study. Behavior Modification. doi: 10.1177/0145445519841051.

Slonecker, E. M., Simpson, E. A., Suomi, S. J., & Paukner, A. (2018). Who’s my little monkey? Effects of infant-directed speech on visual retention in infant rhesus macaques. Developmental Science, 21(2), e12519. doi: 10.1111/desc.12519.

Paukner, A., Slonecker, E. M., Murphy, A. M., Wooddell, L. J., & Dettmer, A. M. (2018). Sex and rank affect how infant rhesus macaques look at faces. Developmental Psychobiology, 60(2), 187-193. doi: 10.1002/dev.21579.

Dettmer, A. M., Murphy, A. M., Guitarra, D., Slonecker, E., Suomi, S. J., Rosenberg, K. L., Novak, M. A., Meyer, J. S., & Hinde, K. (2018). Cortisol in neonatal mother’s milk predicts later infant social and cognitive functioning in rhesus monkeys. Child Development, 89(2), 525-538. doi: 10.111/cdev.12783.

Lukowski, A. F., Valentovich, V., Bohanek, J. G., & Slonecker, E. M. (2017). Sleep quality and the subjective experience of autobiographical memory: Differential associations by memory valence and temporality. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 31(6), 604-614. doi: 10.1002/acp.3356.

Lukowski, A. F., & Slonecker, E. M. (2017). Development. In M. Altman & L. Jacobi (Eds.), Introduction to Psychology: An Interactive Text. Toronto, ON: Top Hat.

Slonecker, E. M. (2017). Altricial. In J. Vonk & T. K. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Cham: Springer International Publishing.