Ethan McCormick, a graduate student in Developmental Psychology, is the recipient of the 2017 Ernest C. Davenport Award for Outstanding Psychological Research by a Student Who Enhances Diversity.
The purpose of the Ernest C. Davenport Award for Outstanding Psychological Research by a Student Who Enhances Diversity is to encourage and honor students from under-represented groups who make a contribution to the advancement of knowledge of psychological science.
Ethan, a fourth year doctoral student, is receiving this recognition for his work with Dr. Eva Telzer. Ethan’s research focus is interdisciplinary as he is integrating developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience to understand how neural plasticity and learning change across development. For instance, Ethan re-conceptualized a widely used paradigm to ask a new question: how do children and adolescents change their behavior in response to feedback on the task, and how does the brain support this learning across time? Ethan has disseminated and published his findings in several top-tier journals (e.g., Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience) and presented at national and international conferences. As an LGBT student, Ethan enhances diversity in the department and works to increase awareness and inclusion of diverse individuals.