Meet Our Team

Dr. Victoria Talwar, Lab Director

A member of McGill’s Faculty of Education since 2004, Dr. Talwar is a Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, where she served as Department Chair from 2020 until becoming Interim Dean in 2023 for a one-year appointment. Dr. Talwar is the inaugural Director of the Daniel and Monica Gold Centre for Early Childhood Development as well as an Associate Member of both the Institute for Human Development and Well-Being (IHDW) and the Department of Psychology.

Named as a Canada Research Chair Tier 1 (SSHRC) in Forensic Developmental Psychology in November 2024, she held the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Forensic Developmental Psychology from 2012 to 2022. A former James McGill Professor, she is an accomplished scholar widely recognized for her work in developmental psychology and law. Dr. Talwar’s innovative interdisciplinary research on children’s verbal deception, moral development and child witness competency issues has informed current debates about children’s social-cognitive development and has contributed to legal reform in Canada. Her teaching and supervision have been recognized through several awards including the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools Teaching (Doctoral level) Award and McGill University’s David Thomson Award for Graduate Supervision and Teaching. Prof. Talwar holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology from Queen’s University, and a Master’s degree in Psychology from the University of St. Andrews

Nadia Khalili, PhD Candidate

Nadia Khalili joined the Talwar Research Team in 2016. She is an international graduate student from Iran and a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology with a Human Development concentration at McGill University. Nadia holds a BA in Mathematics and a MA in Educational Psychology (Curriculum Development concentration). She is interested in exploring the mechanism of spiritual-intellectual development through complex interdisciplinary subjects. For her dissertation, she discovers a self-spiritual pattern among youth with advanced ToM ability and the moderation role of spirituality in the association between advanced ToM ability and social, emotional development in emerging adolescents.

Karissa Leduc, PhD Canadidate

Karissa joined the Talwar Research Team in 2011 as an undergraduate student and is currently a PhD candidate in Educational Psychology (Human Development concentration) at McGill University. She has a B.A. in Psychology from McGill University and an M.A. in Learning Sciences from Université de Sherbrooke. Karissa actively participates in lab research focusing on children’s and adolescents’ moral development and behaviors. Her dissertation studies focus on the influence of parent-child conversations about cyberbullying on children’s and adolescents’ beliefs about online aggression and their own behaviors online.

Ipek Isik, PhD Candidate

Ipek Isik is a course lecturer and doctoral candidate in the Human Development program in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at McGill University.  She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Minor in Philosophy from Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey. Ipek is interested in researching children’s and adolescents’ moral development. 

 

Sepideh Yasiniyan, PhD Candidate

Sepideh graduated from York University with an Honour Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. She then completed graduate studies in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Currently, she is a course lecturer and Ph.D. candidate in the Human Development program within the Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology. Her main research interest focuses on guilt and self-conscious emotions. She seeks to develop and standardize new ways of assessing early childhood guilt.

Emilie Bélanger, PhD Student

Emilie is a first-year PhD student in the School/Applied Child Psychology program. She has been a member of the Talwar Research Team since 2022, having previously completed a master’s degree under Dr. Talwar’s supervision in the Human Development program at McGill. Her master’s thesis examined the effects of social information on children’s beliefs and moral evaluations related to honesty and lie-telling. Emilie is interested in further exploring the influence of different social factors on children’s own honesty and lie-telling behaviours in her doctoral studies.

Larbi Benallal, M.A Student

Larbi is a graduate student in the Educational Psychology, Human Development program. He earned his undergraduate degree in Specialization Psychology (with honours thesis) from Concordia University (2023). He has been a laboratory member since the spring of 2021. Larbi is primarily interested in understanding cognitive development, including neurotypical and neurodevelopmental disorders, and supportive measures for alleviating stress and promoting well-being. His research interests also lie in the role of psychology in legal contexts, focusing on eyewitness testimonials. His graduate thesis examines how developmental markers of lie-telling relate to executive functioning, theory of mind, and social interactions in early childhood.

Tz-Yu (Leo) Duan, M.A Student

Leo joined the Talwar Child Development Lab in 2023 and is currently a Master’s student in the School/Applied Child Psychology program. He completed his B.A. in Psychology at the University of British Columbia. His research interest lies in children’s verbal deception and its relation to different types of encouragement. He is also involved in work related to children’s academic integrity and adolescents’ cyberbullying behaviours. 

Sara-Zoe Civita, M.A Student

Sara-Zoe Civita is a second-year Master’s student 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 at McGill University. Her undergraduate thesis focused on enhanced rapport cognitive interviews in children with cognitive delays. Sara-Zoe’s research explores the influence of emotional demeanor, age, gender and type of crime on adult perceptions of child witness testimonies.

Study Coordinators and Undergrad Thesis Students

Thesis Students 2023-2024:

Thera Phillips

Maya Kendall

Maya Kendall is an undergraduate student in psychology with an interest in moral and ethical development. As a research assistant at the Talwar Research Lab, Maya is currently working on a thesis that explores how children perceive different types of feedback—specifically praise and criticism—in relation to honesty. Through this work, they seek to contribute valuable insights into effective strategies for fostering honesty and integrity in children.

Regan Moffit

Regan Moffitt is an undergraduate student majoring in psychology with a minor in behavioral science. As part of her thesis, Regan will be contributing to the Kindness study, which explores the relationship between adolescent self-compassion, well-being, emotional health, and kindness towards others.

Sydney Perkins

Sydney Perkins is an undergraduate honours psychology student with a minor in linguistics. As an undergraduate thesis student at the Talwar Lab, Sydney will be working on the Kindness study, which examines how adolescent self-compassion is related to well-being, emotional health, and kindness towards others. 

Study Coordinators

Nomi Rubin

Nomi Rubin is a study coordinator at the Talwar Research Lab, she currently oversees, the Diary study, which examines lie-telling behaviors over the lifespan. Her undergraduate thesis explored the age-related differences in the frequency of prosocial and antisocial lying; two types of lies.

Sofia Omobono

Sofia is an undergraduate student majoring in psychology and minoring in behavioural science. As a study coordinator at the Talwar Research Lab, she currently oversees, alongside Anh, the Kindness study, which examines the development of adolescent social-cognitive skills, identity, and well-being. She also coordinates the Digital Stories study, which examines children’s perception of cyberbullying. She is also a coordinator for the BRP anti-bullying and digital safety program. Her undergraduate thesis explored the role of humility in friendship formation.

Anh Le

Anh Le is an undergraduate student studying psychology and political science. As a study coordinator at the Talwar Research Lab, she currently oversees, alongside Sofia, the Kindness study, which examines the development of adolescent social-cognitive skills, identity, and well-being. Her undergraduate thesis explored the protective role of self-compassion on perceived stress levels in teenagers.

Alumni School/Applied Child Psychology

  • Manouchak Koulnazarian, PhD 
  • Megan McConnell, PhD
  • Mina Popliger, PhD
  • Sarah-Jane Renaud, PhD
  • Marina Ter-Stepanian, PhD
  • Christine Saykaly, PhD
  • Kelsey Moore, PhD
  • Shanna Williams, PhD
  • Paraskevi Engarhos, PhD
  • Sarah Yachison, PhD
  • Joshua Wyman, PhD
  • Ida Foster, PhD
  • Megha Nagar, PhD
  • Katherine Andrews, PhD
  • Donia Tong, PhD

Alumni Human Development

  • Carlos Gomez-Garibello, PhD
  • Lauryn Conway, MA
  • Cindy Arruda, PhD
  • Kedi Zhao, MA
  • Elissa McCarron, MA
  • Jennifer Lavoie, PhD
  • Atiyeh Shohoudi Mojdehi, PhD 
  • Liliana Lariccia, MA
  • Oksana Caivano, PhD