Research Discipline/Bio
Jessica is a 5th year doctoral student mentored by Dr. Kimberly Noble and Dr. Tyler Watts. Her research examines the effects of poverty and maternal stress on developmental outcomes across the lifespan, and the ability of early life interventions to ameliorate those effects. Jessica is particularly interested in biological mechanisms of early life adversity to explain disparities in health and behavior, leveraging techniques such as EEG, cortisol, and epigenetics.
Prior to coming to TC, Jessica worked as a Project Coordinator at the Bates Social Development Lab at Indiana University. She also worked as a Research Coordinator for ParentCorps at NYU, a large-scale socioemotional intervention for under-resourced preschools across NYC. In 2024, she received the prestigious NRSA F31 from NICHD to fund her dissertation research, which will examine the associations between family SES and maternal stress with epigenetic aging and cognitive/behavioral outcomes across early childhood.
Educational Background
Masters of Arts, Developmental Psychology, Teachers College, 2024
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, Muhlenberg College, 2017
Honors/Awards
National Research Service Fellowship (NRSA) F31 Award, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2024 ($95,388)
Education Policy and Social Analysis Dissertation Research Fellowship, Teachers College, 2024 ($6,000)
Ball-Stick-Bird Fund, Berkshire Taconic Foundation, 2023 ($20,000)
Deans Grant for Student Research, Teachers College, 2022 ($2,000)
Crist Student Research Award, Muhlenberg College, 2017 ($3,000)
Publications/Exhibitions
Sperber JF et al. (2024). Gratification delay and adult outcomes: The Marshmallow Test does not reliably predict adult functioning. Child Development.
Sperber JF et al. (2023). Unconditional cash transfers and maternal assessments of children’s health, nutrition, and sleep: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open.
Sperber JF et al (2023). The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on infant development and maternal mental health in the first two years of life. Infancy
Last Updated: Oct 2, 2024