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Candace Lapan
Contact Information
Education
MA, Developmental Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro 2012
BA, Psychology & Communication Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro 2009
Biography
Candace Lapan grew up in Rhode Island and North Carolina. She attended UNC Greensboro for all of her higher education including a BA in Psychology & Communication Studies, an MA in Developmental Psychology and a PhD in Developmental Psychology. Her research merges social, cognitive, and educational psychology examined through a developmental lens. Her main line of research examines how social comparison affects children's self-perceptions. The goal of her research is to uncover developmental changes in self-perceptions and the underlying causes responsible for these changes. Her interests extend to the development of emotion more broadly, including basic processes (e.g., emotional experiences implicated in cognitive functioning and social cognition) as well as applied issues (e.g., academic success; Social Emotional Learning curriculum development). Her current projects include examining the effectiveness of service learning curriculum, as well as mentorship programs.
Dr. Lapan is currently looking for students who are interested in conducting research on children's social perceptions, stereotyping & prejudice, as well as service-learning. If you would like to learn more or be involved, just get in touch via email!
Publications
- Boseovski, J. J., & Lapan, C. (2021). Trait or situation? Children’s use of social categories, biology, and emotions to explain the causes of behavior. Cognitive Development, 58. doi: 10.1016/j.
cogdev.2021.101019 - Rimm-Kaufman, S., Merritt, E., Lapan, C., Decoster, J., Hunt, A., Bowers, N. (2021). Can service-learning boost science achievement, civic engagement, and social skills? A randomized controlled trial of Connect Science. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 74. doi: 10.1016/j.
appdev.2020.101236 - Lapan, C., & Boseovski, J. J. (2017). When peer performance matters: Effect of expertise and traits on children’s self-evaluations after social comparison, Child Development, 88(6), 1860-1872. doi: 10.1111/cdev.12941
- Lapan, C., & Boseovski, J. J. (2017). The effects of guilt on preschoolers’ cognitive flexibility and inhibition, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 41, 95-102. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2017.06.004
- Lapan, C., & Boseovski, J. J. (2016). Theory of mind and children's trait attributions about average and typically stigmatized peers. Infant and Child Development, 25(2), 158-178. doi: 10.1002/icd.1923
- Lapan, C., Boseovski, J. J., & Blincoe, S. (2016). “Can I believe my eyes?” Three- to six-year-olds’ willingness to accept contradictory trait labels. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: Journal of Developmental Psychology, 62(1), 24-47. doi: 10.13110/merrpalmquar1982.62.1.0022
Courses I Teach
- General Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Adult and Aging Psychology
- Psychological Statistics
- Social Development
Interesting Fact About Me
FUN FACT: I love spending time with my animals and helping to rescue others.
What I Love About Wingate
The ability to get to know all of my students and mentor them.