Every spring, research assistants at the PPFCFL apply to present their individual inquiry projects at the Undergraduate Research Forum. In 2024, Cara Tao and Rachel Chiang won the CNS Award for Excellence in Human Development and Psychology for their poster, The Impact of Screen Time on the Behavioral Health of Toddlers and Preschoolers. In 2024, Aveen Jafari won a $1000 Undergraduate Research Fellowship and Honorable Mention in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences category of the Texas Research Showdown. In 2023, Janna Cao won the CNS Award for Excellence in Human Development and Psychology for her poster, Impact of Adult-Oriented vs Child-Oriented Approaches to Toilet Training on Toileting Accidents in Young Children.
Current Honors Thesis Projects
Deckard, D., Bryan, A. & Tillman, K. (2025). Available toys and materials: Their influence on young children’s play behaviors and peer interactions.
Han, S., Bryan, A. & Byrd-Williams, C. (2025). The impact of ambient heat on preschoolers’ social behaviors during self-directed outdoor play.
Jafari, A., Bryan, A., Heise, D. & Hurwitz, C. (2025). The impact of regular arts exposure on the health and well-being of children with chronic illnesses and their siblings.
Moynihan, C., Bryan, A. & Lockman, J. (2025). Kindergartners’ fine motor skill development: The role of classroom materials and adult scaffolding.
Past Honors Thesis Projects
Agrawal, A. & Bryan, A. & Benner, A. (2021). School attachment and anxiety in early childhood. https://utexas.box.com/s/ba7t4xhijvtwxle6pv7rc3i2hypa4r3s
Kunde, M., Bryan, A. & Byrd-Williams, C. (2021). Early childhood professionals’ attitudes, beliefs, and intentions before and after Growing Up Wild (GUW) training. https://utexas.box.com/s/f2xityc08y2frifhpp1vun3gqb41qhq2
Mantel, K., Bryan, A. & Tillman, K. (2020). Inside, outside, alone, and with friends: Characteristics of preschoolers’ pretend play in the classroom and on the playground. https://utexas.box.com/s/az6oawrzd86m64o3zl621iajdqsyh7wi
Nguyen, A. & Bryan, A, & Hazen-Swann, N. (2019). Nature calls: Children’s play and social behaviors across the transition from a traditional to a natural playground. https://utexas.box.com/s/wowcp7zqc00haifl52rjre8kyla8zpx3
Poster Projects
2023-2024
The Impact of Screen Time on the Behavioral Health of Toddlers and Preschoolers
Cara Tao and Rachel Chiang – Examining associations between the number of minutes toddlers and preschoolers used screens daily and their behavioral health.
Length of Breastfeeding and Weaning Reluctance
Daniela Salazar and Sara Hashim – Examining associations between duration of breastfeeding and weaning reluctance.
Family Meals: Examining Changes in Problematic Mealtime Behaviors in Children
Emily Tran – Evaluating the influence of consistent family meals on problematic behaviors in young children during mealtimes.
Baby-led Weaning and Children’s Dressing Independence
Hannah Janson and Janna Cao – Examining associations between type of weaning and an important marker of autonomy in young children: whether or not they dress and undress themselves.
Impact of Pets on Empathy by Gender in Young Children
Joy Ting and Sarah Qi – Exploring relationships among empathetic characteristics, gender, and pet ownership.
Relationships between Temperature and Children’s Social Behaviors
Sharon Han – Exploring associations between heat and young children’s social behaviors with peers on a school playground.
Consistent Family Meals as a Buffer of Negative Caregiver Emotions
Anna Caroline McCormick and Shea Sturdevant – Exploring associations between implementing family meals routinely and caregivers’ feelings of anxiety and anger during mealtimes.
Accessory Use by Gender as a Predictor of Block Play Duration in Young Children
Ysabella Santellan and Giovanna Navarrete – Examining the influence of children’s use of accessories for the duration of their block play.
2022-2023
Co-Sleeping and Anxiety by Gender in Young Children
Joy Ting and Ashley Nguyen – Understanding associations between children’s anxiety symptoms and co-sleeping, by gender.
Age and Peer Interaction as Predictors of Play Duration with Loose Parts
Dakota Deckard and Christy Nguyen – Understanding how age and peer interaction affects the duration of play with outdoor loose parts.
How Does Adding New Parts to a Loose Parts Area Influence the Nature of Children’s Play?
Kylie Cohen – Examining the nature of young children’s loose parts play (frequency, duration, intensity, and diversity) across three conditions: old parts, new parts, and a combined set.
Loose Parts Play: Associations Between Children’s Interactions with Peers and Adults and Building and Pretending by Gender
Erin Soward – Understanding the relationships between young children’s interactions with adults and peers and their building/pretending with loose parts in a natural outdoor learning environment.
Young Children’s Loose Parts Play: Associations Among Discrete Behaviors, Physical Activity, Pretend Play, and Social Interaction
Copeland Wyatt Peters – Understanding how peer interactions and adult scaffolding impact pretend play in loose parts.
Impact of Adult-Oriented vs Child-Oriented Approaches to Toilet Training on Toileting Accidents in Young Children
Janna Cao – Understanding associations between toilet training methods (adult-oriented or child-oriented) and adverse toileting events (bedwetting and daytime accidents) for boys and girls.
Pretend Play Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Minnah Shafi, Erin Soward, and Dr. Amy Bryan – Understanding discrete aspects of children’s pretend play (play theme, use of props, abstractness, richness, and social complexity) across three observation periods: one before and two during the COVID-19 pandemic.
