Megha Nagar is a PhD candidate in the School and Applied Child Psychology program in the department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at McGill University. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Since joining the lab in 2015, Megha’s research has focused on the development of children’s lie-telling behaviour and more recently on addressing cyberbullying behaviours in youth. Her dissertation work examines how teachers can support targets of cyberbullying and mitigate the negative consequences associated with victimization. She is also involved in other research projects that promote positive bystander intervention in youth..
Scholarships
2018-2021 – Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship, SSRC Doctoral
2017 – Graduate Excellence Fellowship, Faculty of Education, McGill University
2016 – Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s SSHRC Award
2015 – Graduate Excellence Fellowship, Faculty of Education, McGill University
Awards
2018 – Graduate Research Enhancement and Travel Award, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University
2018 – Travel Award, Canadian Development Conference 2018, Brock University
2017 – Graduate Research Enhancement and Travel Award, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University
2016 – Graduate Research Enhancement and Travel Award, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University
Publications
Nagar P.M, Caivano, O., Talwar V (2020). The role of empathy in children’s costly prosocial lie-telling behaviour. Infant and Child Development, e2179. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2179
Nagar P.M, Williams, S., & Talwar, V (2019). The influence of an older sibling on preschoolers’ lie‐telling behavior. Social Development, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12367
Talwar, V., Yachison, S., Leduc, K., & Nagar, P.M. (2017). Practice makes perfect? The impact of coaching and moral stories on children’s lie telling. The International Journal of Behavioral Development, 42(4), 416-424. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025417728583
Lavoie, J., Nagar, P.M., & Talwar, V. (2016). From Kantian to Machiavellian deceivers: Development of children’s reasoning and self-reported use of secrets and lies, Childhood, 24(2), 197-211. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568216671179
Recent Conference Presentations
Nagar, P.M., Caivano, C., Leduc, K., & Talwar, V. (2020, July). Gossip as a social tool: The role of valence, topic and school level on parental evaluation of “spilling the tea”. Poster presentation submitted to the International Society for Research on Aggression biennial World Meeting, Ottawa, Canada. [Cancelled due to COVID-19].
Nagar, M., Leduc, K., & Talwar, V (2019, July). It can all end with the click of a button: The influential role of bystanders on conquering cyberbullying. Poster presented at the International Association for School Psychologists, Basel, Switzerland.
Leduc, K., Caivano, O., Nagar, M., & Talwar, V (2019, July). Where is the line between school bullying and cyberbullying? Child and adolescent perspectives. Poster presented at the International Association for School Psychologists, Basel, Switzerland.
Nagar, M., Leduc, K, & Talwar, V (2019, April). If you help, then I will too: The role of positive bystander behaviour on moral responsibility for cyberbullying. Poster presented at Human Development 2019, Montreal, Qc.
Nagar, P.M., Harrington, S., Holden, O., Wang, F., & Talwar, V. (2018, April). The role of empathy in children’s prosocial lie-telling. Poster presented at Human Development 2018, Montreal, QC.
Stril, C., Nagar, P.M., Ohayon, J., & Talwar, V. (2018, April). Children prefer a win-win scenario: The role of mutual-benefit reasoning in children’s prosocial lying and sharing behaviour. Poster presented at Human Development 2018, Montreal, QC.
Carboni Jiménez, A., Inay, N., Nagar, P.M., Talwar, V (2018, June). Examining the motives of prosocial lying: Do children tell a costly lie if they feel bad for you? Poster presented at the International Congress of Applied Psychology, Montreal, QC.
Ohayon, J., Stril, C., Nagar, P.M., Talwar, V (2018, June). The role of moral reasoning on children’s prosocial behaviour: Do children prefer sharing over lying? Poster presented at the International Congress of Applied Psychology, Montreal, QC.
Nagar, P.M., & Talwar, V. (2018, February). Empathetic children lie: Defining the underlying motives of prosocial lie-telling. Poster presented at the National Association for School Psychologists Annual Convention, Chicago, IL.