Mail Code CS
Melissa Burch
Adele Simmons Hall 135
413.559.5465
On sabbatical fall 2025 and spring 2026.
Melissa Burch, associate professor of cognitive development, received her B.A. in psychology from Franklin and Marshall College. She earned her Ph.D. in child development with a minor in interpersonal relationships from the University of Minnesota.
Melissa's research interests center on memory development, particularly memory for personal experiences. She has been exploring how parental verbal support may contribute to children's ability to recall the past.
In addition, she is interested in how emotion may affect reports of past experiences and how parents and children talk about these events.
She is currently examining autobiographical memory from a cross-cultural perspective to study how different socialization experiences may relate to the detail included in memory reports.
The majority of adults are able to read fluently, however, learning to read can be challenging. As children learn to read, the process is dependent on a number of skills and requires a great deal of adult guidance. We will focus on the development of the complex skill of reading, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and higher-order processes that contribute to decoding and text comprehension. Because instruction can play a determining factor in children's acquisition of literacy skills, we will study early reading materials and examine strategies that are employed in the classroom to facilitate the acquisition of these skills. In addition, we will discuss the cultural importance of literacy. We will also consider the importance of multicultural children's literature and explore aspects of critical literacy in the classroom. Evaluation will be based on class participation, a series of short papers, and a longer final project Keywords:Literacy, education, childhood studies, child development
Autobiographical memories for personal past experiences create our life stories. Our memories range from the mundane to the momentous. In this course we will explore psychological research to understand the functions and development of autobiographical memory. What are the basic cognitive processes that contribute to our ability to remember and report the past? How do we interpret past events to inform the development of our self-identity? How do social experiences contribute to the development of memory? We will also discuss how emotions at encoding and retrieval influence our recall of past experience as we make meaning of personal past experiences. Keywords:Psychology, memory, narrative
In this course, we will discuss the processes by which children come to acquire, recall, and use knowledge. This course will focus on development from infancy to middle childhood. Reading primary literature, we will examine the emergence and refinement of children's ability to form concepts, recall the past, and extend knowledge to new situations. We will consider methodological challenges and approaches to studying children's abilities, including naturalistic observations and controlled laboratory studies. We will review literature on the findings and theories of development in each area and discuss how changes in children's representational abilities contribute to these abilities. Students will write short papers in response to class topics, apply course materials to real world settings, and develop a research proposal on a topic of interest discussed in the course Keywords:Psychology, Cognitive Science, Child
This seminar is designed for advanced Division II and Division III students concentrating in psychology. We will begin the semester by considering the assumptions, perspectives, and methodologies involved in study of psychology. Students will be encouraged to hone their skills in reading empirical articles and communicating ideas for both general and academic audiences. In addition to some topics that will be explored as a group, students will also be expected to identify their own topic of interest and complete significant independent research in this area. Students will be responsible for presentations related to their area of interest, participating in peer review, and completing a significant final project. Coursework includes weekly research, reading and writing assignments, class discussions and presentations, and semester-long group or individual projects Keywords:Psychology, Research
What makes people feel like they belong? What are the physical and health benefits of feeling connected to others? How can we build relationships and foster community? How can we foster skills that promote understanding and communication? We will explore these questions primarily through a psychological lens, but we will consider other perspectives as we examine topics in identity, group membership, and a sense of belonging. Students will reflect on their own experiences, consider ways to connect to others and understand different points of view, and learn to engage with the academic literature in these areas. We will also apply ideas to organize a campus event or workshop. Writing may include journals, research articles, and a longer final paper. Keywords:Psychology, Identity, Social groups, Relationships
In this course we will discuss the many types of memory we use daily, from remembering the name of a new friend, a favorite birthday party, or even how to ride a bike. We will explore the constructive nature of memories, some errors of memory, and how memory capabilities develop over the life course. Students will participate in demonstrations of various memory tasks and collect data to explore specific concepts. We will also discuss the neurological underpinnings of different memory systems. In addition to reading scholarly research and writing brief papers in response to the readings, students will be expected to integrate their acquired knowledge through a final paper on a memory-related topic in their own area of interest Keywords:Psychology, memory, brain and behavior, development
