Dr. Nancy Garon B.A., M.A. (University of New Brunswick) Ph.D. (Dalhousie University) Postdoctoral Training (IWK Health Centre) Assistant Professor Office: Crabtree 211 Telephone: (506) 364-2457 Email: ngaron@mta.ca

Courses taught:
PSYC 2601 A: Abnormal Psychology
PSYC 4421 A: Advanced Topics in Social Development
PSYC 1011 A: Introduction to Psychology II
PSYC 3601 A: Intro to Clinical Psychology

Research interests:
My research focuses on the early development of executive function and temperament and how they are associated with social adjustment. 

Having good executive functions means you have the ability to be flexible and have good control over your behavior. While we know a lot about executive functions in adults, less is known in children, especially preschoolers. For a number of years, I have been interested in the development of decision making (a type of executive function) in preschoolers. I have looked at different variables that help preschoolers make better choices. This line of research suggests that even 4-year-olds can use their “emotions” to guide them to make good decisions.

In collaboration with Drs. Bryson and Smith at the Autism Research Centre (ARC), IWK Health Centre, I have also developed a battery of preschool executive function tasks. Using this battery, we have found interesting developmental differences in executive functions between 18 months and 5 years. Moreover, preschoolers with autism show differences in executive function development, particularly in terms of their ability to change a behavior that is well established.

Finally, I am interested in the development of temperament (e.g., extraversion) in children with autism. Temperament differences at 24 months in a population of children at high risk for autism (from Canadian Baby sib project) have revealed two different temperament profiles associated with the autism phenotype. I am continuing my collaboration with ARC on this line of research. We are now exploring different trajectories of two sub groups of children with autism.

Recent publications:

Garon, N., Longard, J., Bryson, S.E. & Moore, C. L. (2012). Making decisions about now and later: Development of future-oriented self-control. Cognitive Development, 27, 314-322.

Garon, N., Johnson, B. & Steeves, A. (2011). Sharing and delaying in preschoolers. Submitted for a special issue on future oriented thinking to Cognitive Development, 26, 383-396.

Garon, N., Bryson, S., Zwaigenbaum, L., Smith, I. Brian, J. Roberts, W., Szatmari, P. (2009). Temperament and its relationship to autistic symptoms in a high-risk infant sib cohort. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 37, 59-78.

Volden, J., Coolican, J., Garon, N., White, J. & Bryson, S. (2009). Brief Report: Pragmatic language in autism spectrum disorder: Relationships to measures of ability and disability. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39, 388-393.

Brian, J., Bryson, S.E., Garon, N., Roberts, W., Smith, I.M., Szatmari, P., Zwaigenbaum, L. (2008). Clinical assessment of autism in high-risk 18-month-olds. Autism, 12, 433-356.

Garon, N., Bryson, S. & Smith, I. (2008). A review of executive function in the preschool period using an integrative framework. Psychological Bulletin, 134, 31-60.

Garon, N. & Moore, C. (2007). Negative affectivity predicts individual differences in decision-making for preschoolers. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 167, 443-462.

Garon, N. & Moore, C. (2007).  Developmental and gender differences in future-oriented decision-making during the preschool period. Child Neuropsychology, 13, 46-63.

Garon, N. & Moore, C. (2007).  Awareness and symbol use improves future-oriented decision-making in preschoolers. Developmental Neuropsychology, 31, 39-59.

Moore, C., Mealiea, J., Garon, N., & Povinelli, D. J. (2007). The development of the bodily self. Infancy, 11, 157-174.