Meet our Team

Helena Girgis

Helana Girgis, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Psychology & Director of the Children’s Learning Lab (CLL)

Ph.D., University of Arkansas, 2015
M.A., University of North Carolina Wilmington
B.A., University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

 

I am an assistant professor of psychology and the director of the Children’s Learning Lab (CLL). My research focuses on 3- to 10-year-olds’ cognitive development. I find it both illuminating and rewarding to uncover how and why children learn about the world as they do, especially as it relates to complex concepts. In my five years at Stockton (two of which were during the COVID-19 pandemic!), we completed six studies covering areas like children’s knowledge about where food comes from, their consideration of others’ viewpoints when judging behaviors as right and wrong, and knowledge of contamination about an unfamiliar contagious illness (COVID-19) compared to a familiar one (cold), among others. Our research is dedicated to gaining a comprehensive understanding of how children's concepts evolve with age, including identifying universal thinking patterns and exploring the influence of culture on these patterns

Through this research, we can provide the best environment for children to reach their full potential, which is not possible without the help of our community, specifically our schools, directors, principals, teachers, parents, and children. We are incredibly thankful for your support and dedication to children’s cognitive and social development!

 


Stockton University Research Assistants

 

Camryn Brown

Camryn Brown

Psychology Major, Mental Health
Alex Heltzer

Alex Heltzer

Psychology major, General
Carlita Holloway 

Carlita Holloway 

Psychology major, General
Julianne Johnson

Julianne Johnson

Psychology Major, Mental Health Concentration
Lexi Kripetz

Lexi Kripetz

Psychology Major,  Elementary Education concentration 
Hannah Murphy

Hannah Murphy

Psychology Major, General
Piero Olazabal

Piero Olazabal

Psychology Major, Empirical Research
Jason Schaub 

Jason Schaub 

Psychology Major, Mental Health Concentration
Julia Sykes

Julia Sykes

Psychology Major, Mental Health Concentration
Juan Haro-Vasquez

Juan Haro-Vasquez

Psychology Major, Mental Health Concentration
Annabella Yates

Annabella Yates

Psychology Major, Forensics

Independent Project

Janiya Redfurn

 

Hi my name is Janiya Redfurn. I am a junior here at Stockton and am studying to become a mental health counselor for teens and young adults.

I am doing a research project studying the self-talk habits of children who bully and or have been victims of bullying. The goal is to see if there’s a relationship between these and behavioral outcomes, and develop preventative measures for children and adults who have been bullied or were bullies. 

Project for Distinction

My name is Kasey Nguyen and I'm a senior at Stockton. I plan on obtaining a PhD in clinical or experimental psychology. I am open to most research but my main interest is studying the effect of neurological and psychological disorders and correlations of activities in relation to these disorders.

The lab has helped me gain skills in reviewing data and creating stimuli for experiments, which I plan to use on my Project for Distinction. My Project of Distinction is based on how non-exercise activities such as walking, fidgeting, or computer use can affect cognitive performance, specifically mental rotation, which will help fill the gap in research on other activities considered non-exercise and cognitive performance.

Kasey Nguyen


Lab Alumni

  • Riley Perron
  • Amal Alkhatib
  • Josephine Sykora 
  • Victoria Corless 
  • Bryanna Storck
  • Sam Hoffman               
  • Karly Pratt
  • Eileen Noland
  • Gabrielle Friel
  • Brenna Borgstede         
  • Hanya Abdelbadie
  • Dalia Afifi
  • Fatimah Badawy
  • Claire Berman
  • Gloria Boutro
  • Veronica Campbell
  • Anna Caputo
  • Stephanie Coulman
  • Alivia Elliot
  • Shoruq Elmeligy
  • Allison Fitzsimmons
  • Devon Freed
  • Tania Gafanha
  • Michaela Giaquinto
  • Sherine Hassan
  • Kaylee Heslin
  • Hailey Jones
  • Alexandria Lamoreaux
  • Ethan Mays
  • Reem Naber
  • Alexandra Nicoletti
  • Reet Patel
  • Olivia Roth
  • Abigail Schreder
  • Belgusa Sherifi
  • Sheren Sobeih
  • Sherine Soliman
  • Anthony Staton
  • Justin Supnick
  • Briana Sylejmani
  • Sousana Thabit
  • Cheyanne Wyble
  • Danielle Yaeger
  • Melissa Zou