Monica R. Sylvia, Ph.D

Monica R. Sylvia received a B.A. in Psychology from Fairfield University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. As a developmental psychologist, she is particularly intrigued by the processes that children use to learn about the world around them; therefore, a large amount of her teaching and research time is spent in the area of cognitive development. The recipient of the 2014 Rev. Msgr. Robert A. Casey Teacher of the Year Award, Dr. Sylvia teaches courses in Child & Adolescent Development, Growing Through Play, and Infancy, along with Introductory Psychology and Introduction to Research Methods. She also engages students in her own research, including her collaborative research on the impact of shared book reading on the development of childhood literacy skills, and mentors students in the development of their own research projects through our Departmental Honors Program. You can find her most recent publications in journals such as Reading Psychology and Early Childhood Education.