Sandra Wiebe, PhD

---

Availability

On Sabbatical July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026

Area of Study / Keywords

Child Development Cognitive Neuroscience Executive Function

---

About

I joined the University of Alberta in 2009, as a member of the Developmental Science area in Psychology. After receiving my B.A. (Honours) in Psychology from the University of Winnipeg, I went on to complete a Ph.D at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Child Development, minoring in Neuroscience, and several postdoctoral research positions at Southern Illinois University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

---

Research

My research examines how children develop the ability to regulate their behaviour, attention, cognition, and emotions, how these abilities emerge and develop in the infant, toddler, and preschool years, how changes in behaviour relate to brain development, and what factors put children at risk for developing problems with self-regulation. To study these questions, I use methods drawn from Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, including game-like tasks adapted from adult neuropsychological tests and behavioral neuroscience measures, sometimes in conjunction with neuroimaging methods like event-related potentials (ERPs), in which small ongoing changes in voltage at the scalp that reflects underlying brain activity are recorded. In addition, I am interested in how contextual and genetic factors (nature and nurture) interact to influence children's developing self-regulatory skills, including prenatal risk factors such as smoking during pregnancy, postnatal factors such as physical activity, and genetic factors related to the dopamine system.

---

Teaching

I regularly teach PSYCH 323 (Infant & Child Development), PSYCH 425/622 (Develomental Cognitive Neuroscience), PSYCH 523 (Developmental Methods: Application), and a Special Topics seminar (PSYCH 421/622) on the Lifespan Development of Executive Function. I also supervise students in individual research through the Psychology and Neuroscience Honours programs, PSYCH 299 (Research Opportunities in Psychology), and PSYCH 396/398/496/498 (Independent Study).

PSYCH 405 - Special Topics in Psychology II

Review and discussion of special theoretical or methodological topics, or a novel or emerging research areas in contemporary psychology. Prerequisites: PSYCH 104, PSYCH 105, PSYCH 213 or STAT 151 or STAT 161, and one 300-level PSYCH course. Note: Consult the Department of Psychology website for the topics offered and any additional prerequisites. [Faculty of Arts]

---

PSYCH 425 - Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

An in-depth review and analysis of developmental cognitive neuroscience methods and principles of brain development and neuroplasticity, and their application to particular domains of development (e.g., attention, language, emotion). Prerequisites: PSYCH 212, PSYCH 213 or STAT 151 or 161, and PSYCH 323 or 327 or 329 or 371 or 375 or 377. [Faculty of Science]

---

PSYCH 523 - Developmental Methods: Application

Examination of best practices in the analysis of longitudinal data. Developmental research often involves longitudinal and multivariate study designs that require analytic strategies to examine change over time (e.g., latent growth modeling) and relations among predictors and outcomes over time. This course typically includes the completion of analysis assignments using statistical software. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students. PSYCH 522 or permission of the instructor. Experience with linear regression is recommended. [Faculty of Science]

---

PSYCH 622 - Topics in Developmental Psychology

Review and discussion of advanced theoretical or methodological topics or emerging research areas in Developmental Science. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students. Note: Consult the Department of Psychology website for the topics offered and any additional prerequisites. [Faculty of Arts]

---

Browse more courses taught by Sandra Wiebe

Larissa K. Predy, Daphne Vrantsidis, Mahsa Khoei, Naaila Ali, Sandra A. Wiebe

Behavioral Sciences. 2025 June; 10.3390/bs15070845

---

Developmental Review. 2025 January; 10.1016/j.dr.2025.101201

---

Journal of Family Psychology. 2024 January; 10.1037/fam0001261

---

Development and Psychopathology. 2023 January; 10.1017/S0954579421001061

---

Zhiguang Zhang, Sandra A. Wiebe, Aishah Abdul Rahman, Valerie Carson

Mental Health and Physical Activity. 2022 March; 10.1016/j.mhpa.2022.100447

---

Developmental Psychobiology. 2019 January; 10.1002/dev.21813

---

Sawa Senzaki, Sandra A. Wiebe, Takahiko Masuda, Yuki Shimizu

Cognitive Development. 2018 October; 10.1016/j.cogdev.2018.06.005

---

Executive Function: Development Across the Life Span. 2017 January; 10.4324/9781315160719

---

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 2011 January; 10.1016/j.jecp.2010.08.008

---

Developmental Neuropsychology. 2008 January; 10.1080/87565640801982312

---

Developmental Psychology. 2008 January; 10.1037/0012-1649.44.2.575

---

View additional publications