Come Explore The WILD Lab!

Participate in our Studies! Click here to sign up or scroll down for more information.

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The WILD Lab is a developmental psychology lab at Davidson College. We study language and cognitive development by inviting children from the community to come into our lab. In our studies children play games, solve puzzles, and describe everyday events. Our studies take 20-30 minutes to complete and are fun for both children and lab members alike!

Who We Are

Dr. Molly Flaherty

Molly Flaherty is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Davidson College and the director of the WILD Lab. In her work she seeks to better understand how children learn language and how language itself comes to be structured by the child learning processes. She also examines the ways in which children learn number words and number concepts.

Flaherty received her PhD from the University of Chicago, her MSc in The Evolution of Language and Cognition at The University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and her BA at Columbia University.

In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, travel, reading, and hanging out with her family.

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Current Lab Members

Jess Villiger'22

Hi everyone! My name is Jess and I am a Senior Psychology major and Educational Studies minor from Baltimore Maryland. My interests include child psychology as well as educational research. Prior to joining the WILD lab, I worked for the Food for Thought Lab with Dr. Leyva in 2019. I also conduct higher educational research with the College Crisis Initiative. Outside of the lab, I am involved with the Student Government Association, the Davidson College Admissions Office, as well as serving on the COVID-19 committee for Davidson College. I am very excited to join the WILD lab and further my interests in children and language. See you soon!

Bernice Saladin'24

Hi there! My name is Bernice Saladin (she/her) and I am from New Jersey. I have just finished my first year at Davidson College and I am happily working in the WILD Lab this summer. I am an intended psychology major and my interest in child/developmental psychology stems from my previous volunteer work at youth mentoring programs and daycares. I have a strong desire to understand how children learn along with the similarities and differences they have. Outside of the lab, I am the secretary of the Black Student Coalition and a Chidsey Fellowship Leader. I’m excited to meet you all and your children through the wonderful WILD Lab!