Professor & Chair Psychology
Dawn Melzer, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology in the College of Arts & Sciences at Sacred Heart University. Dr. Melzer encourages an interactive classroom and strives to create an environment in which students feel comfortable expressing their ideas to enhance classroom discussions. She incorporates her research experience with young children into her classes and mentors undergraduate research assistants each semester. Her research students are trained to conduct various developmental and cognitive assessments with young children from local schools and dogs in the Canine Cognition Lab on campus.
Dr. Melzer’s research is focused on cognitive development in young children. Cognitive developmental research explores how children process information to assist them in understanding their environment. Dr. Melzer investigates problem solving, communication, and the relationship between cognitive development and motor abilities. She is also interested in the development of empathy and how young children understand and interpret other people’s thoughts and behaviors.
Dr. Melzer also collaborates with her colleague Dr. Yeater on comparative psychology studies. Comparative psychology provides insight into animal behavior and the differences and similarities of these activities to human behaviors and evolution. They have recently created a Canine Cognition Lab on campus where pet owners and their dogs are invited to participate in studies investigating cognitive abilities in dogs, similar to those studied in young children.
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About Dawn Melzer
Dawn Melzer, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology in the College of Arts & Sciences at Sacred Heart University. Dr. Melzer encourages an interactive classroom and strives to create an environment in which students feel comfortable expressing their ideas to enhance classroom discussions. She incorporates her research experience with young children into her classes and mentors undergraduate research assistants each semester. Her research students are trained to conduct various developmental and cognitive assessments with young children from local schools and dogs in the Canine Cognition Lab on campus.
Dr. Melzer’s research is focused on cognitive development in young children. Cognitive developmental research explores how children process information to assist them in understanding their environment. Dr. Melzer investigates problem solving, communication, and the relationship between cognitive development and motor abilities. She is also interested in the development of empathy and how young children understand and interpret other people’s thoughts and behaviors.
Dr. Melzer also collaborates with her colleague Dr. Yeater on comparative psychology studies. Comparative psychology provides insight into animal behavior and the differences and similarities of these activities to human behaviors and evolution. They have recently created a Canine Cognition Lab on campus where pet owners and their dogs are invited to participate in studies investigating cognitive abilities in dogs, similar to those studied in young children.
| September 2023 - Present | Professor Psychology, Sacred Heart University ‐ Psychology Department, College of Arts & Sciences | |
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| September 2015 - August 2023 | Associate Professor Psychology, Sacred Heart University ‐ Psychology Department, College of Arts & Sciences | |
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| September 2009 - August 2015 | Assistant Professor Psychology, Sacred Heart University ‐ Psychology Department, College of Arts & Sciences | |
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Disciplines
Research Interests
Honors and Awards
- Sacred Heart University Tenure 2015
- SHU Tenure and Promotion 2023
| B.A., State University of New York at Binghamton | ||
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| M.A., University of Massachusetts Amherst | ||
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| Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Amherst | ||
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Contact Information
Psychology
Academic Bldg HC 219L
College of Arts and Sciences
203-365-7514
Email:
