Dr. Donna F. Thompson

Biography

Dr. Donna F. Thompson joined the Niagara University faculty in September of 1984.

Focus of Teaching

Dr. Thompson teaches Introductory Psychology each fall semester and Animal Behavior each spring. She also teaches either Child Psychology or Life-Span Developmental Psychology each semester. Dr. Thompson uses Comparative Psychology as a theme for student paper topics and discussion materials when teaching Senior Seminar, the department’s capstone course.

Current Research

Dr. Thompson’s research focuses on how young infants learn about the world. She studies behavioral changes occurring during goal-directed tasks, such as by observing what happens when infants discover that they can make a mobile move. Dr. Thompson is also interested in how infants pay attention to and remember unusual or novel visual displays. More information about these research projects can be found by using the website link listed above to visit Niagara’s Infant Learning Lab.

Educational Background

• B.A. from Kansas University in 1978 with a double major in Psychology and in Human Development and Family Life
• Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology in 1984 from the University of Missouri-Columbia with emphasis in developmental psychology and animal behavior