Heather Henderson PhD
University of Miami
Director of Social Development Lab
Dr. Heather Henderson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Miami where she is the Director of the Social Development Laboratory. Dr. Henderson completed her BS in Psychology at McMaster University and her PhD in Human Development at the University of Maryland-College Park. Her research program focuses on social and emotional development in typically-developing children, children with extreme temperaments (e.g., extreme shyness), and children with autism. She uses multiple methods to study individual differences including psychophysiology (EEG/ERP), standardized marker tasks, and behavioral observations of children’s interactions with adults and peers. She is particularly interested in the role of self-processes, including self-monitoring and self-referenced memory, in relation to variations in social adaptation. Using both concurrent and longitudinal designs, Dr. Henderson studies the bidirectional relations between attention, information processing and social behavior. She serves on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Behavioral Development and Emotion, and serves as a reviewer for numerous other professional journals and granting agencies. In addition, she is the recipient of several awards for her outstanding teaching and mentorship at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.