People

Asst. Prof. Berna A. Uzundağ (Principal Investigator)

Dr. Uzundağ pursued her undergraduate and graduate studies in the Computer Engineering and Cognitive Science departments at Boğaziçi University, followed by her doctoral education in the Psychology department at Koç University. Her research has primarily centered on infancy and early childhood, with a particular focus on the development of skills such as self-regulation, attention, and language. She also investigates the relationship between this development and various factors, including parental behavior, parent-child interaction, and screen media use.

Web site: http://www.bernaarslanuzundag.com

Dilara Keşşafoğlu has successfully completed her Master’s program in Koç University’s Psychology Department, building upon her undergraduate degree obtained from Kadir Has University’s Psychology Department. Her research endeavors revolve around the impact of screen-based device usage on the cognitive development of preschool children. Her primary areas of focus include executive functions, language development, and self-regulation.

Dilara Özalp is currently a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at Kadir Has University. She holds undergraduate degrees in PDR (Psychological Counseling and Guidance) and Psychology, which she earned at MEF University. During her undergraduate years, Dilara undertook internships in the psychological counseling services of several schools and contributed as a volunteer assistant and laboratory coordinator at MEF University’s Social Development Laboratory. Her research interests encompass various aspects of early childhood development, including exploratory behavior, joint attention, causal learning, and the underlying factors contributing to individual differences in these behaviors.

Gülnihal Başpınar is currently pursuing her graduate studies in the Department of Psychology at Kadir Has University. She obtained her undergraduate degree in the Department of Psychology from Boğaziçi University. Gülnihal’s research interests primarily revolve around preschool children’s visual attention skills, screen usage patterns, and communication development within digital environments.

Merve Nur Altundal holds a degree in Psychology from Kadir Has University and has successfully completed the Applied Developmental Psychology Master’s program at Özyeğin University. Her academic focus is centered around critical aspects of social-emotional development, including self-regulation skills, screen usage patterns, and the study of emotional eating behavior in preschool children.

Özce Sıvış is an accomplished graduate with honors from MEF University’s PDR and Psychology departments. Currently, she is pursuing her graduate studies at Kadir Has University in the Department of Psychology. Throughout her undergraduate years, Özce actively contributed as a research assistant in various university laboratories and gained practical experience as an intern in psychological counseling services within school settings. Her academic interests encompass several significant areas, including language and communication development in early childhood and infancy. Additionally, she delves into social-emotional development, with a particular focus on moral development during early childhood.

Ardakaan Sönmez, KHAS Department of Psychology, Undergraduate student

Asena Sayın, Graduate of METU Department of Psychology

Dilara Böke, Graduate of Bilgi University, Department of Psychology

Fatma Betül Şahin, Graduate of Boğaziçi University, Department of Psychology

Günce Uğur, Boğaziçi University, Department of Psychology, Graduate student

Hüseyin Ünlü, Graduate of Boğaziçi University, Department of Psychology (STAR scholarship recipient)

Melike Filiz, Graduate of KHAS Department of Psychology (STAR scholarship recipient)

Sueda Buğur, Graduate of Boğaziçi University, Department of Psychology (TÜBİTAK scholarship recipient)

Yasemin Seran Özyurt, Graduate of Marmara University, Department of Psychology

Our Former Graduate Students 

Ezgi Yıldız, Boğaziçi University, Department of Psychology, PhD Student
Thesis Title: Children’s referential communication skills: The role of early joint attention and caregivers’ language input and feedback (2021)

Gizem Akel
Thesis Title: Young children’s emotion regulation skills: The role of mothers’ parenting stress and reactions to children’s emotions (2023)

Nursena Koç
Thesis Title: From mind to mind: Understanding the role of mothers in the theory of mind development of children (2023)

Şüheda Nur Erdoğan
Thesis Title:
Touchscreen use and its relation to attention development in young children (2023)

Alumni

Asya Kabadayı, Boğaziçi University, Department of Psychology (Bilgi University Clinical Psychology MSc student)

Başak Sayım, KHAS Department of Psychology (Izmir University of Economics Experimental Psychology MSc student)

Ayşe İrem Küçük, Istanbul University Department of Psychology (Boğaziçi University Psychology Master’s student) (TÜBİTAK scholarship recipient)

Büşra Burçak Ferah, KHAS Department of Psychology (Ruhr University Clinical Psychology MSc student)

Büşra Gözde Köşe, KHAS Department of Psychology (STAR scholarship recipient)

Ceyda Katı, KHAS Department of Psychology

Duygu Narin, Üsküdar University, Department of Psychology (Ankara Social Sciences University Clinical Psychology Master’s student)

Ece Bulut, University of British Columbia, Department of Psychology

Ecem Mutlu, Boğaziçi University, Learning Sciences PhD student

Elif Erbin, Istanbul University, Department of Psychology

Elif Sabuncuoğlu, Bahçeşehir University, Department of Psychology

Esra Akkaya, Istanbul University, Department of Psychology

Fatma Memici, KHAS, Communication Sciences

Irmak Kalkan, Yeditepe University Psychology Department

İlayda Ulubaş, Marmara University, Department of Psychology

İlke Nur Güven, Boğaziçi University, Department of Psychology (TÜBİTAK scholarship recipient; Master’s student at Radboud University)

İrem Güngördü, Istanbul University, Psychological Counseling and Guidance Department

Makbule Özer, KHAS Department of Psychology (Ruhr University Cognitive Science Master’s student)

Meryem Altuntaş, Medipol University, Child Development

Nihal Çiftçi, Istanbul University, Psychology Department (Okan University Clinical Psychology MSc student)

Oylum Savlak, Boğaziçi University, Foreign Languages Education English Language Education

Öznur Karahan, Akdeniz University Psychology Department (STAR scholarship recipient)

Rümeysa Erdoğdu, METU Developmental Psychology and Cognitive Science Master’s student

Rümeysa Fatma Çetin, Boğaziçi University, Department of Psychology (TÜBİTAK Scholarship recipient)

Simge Ece Erer, Özyeğin University, Department of Psychology

Sinem Ünüvar, Maltepe University Clinical Psychology/Body Psychotherapy Certified MA student

Tuğçe Solak Gürcan, KHAS Department of Psychology

Yaren Selin Acar, KHAS Department of Psychology

Zeynep Betül Yücesoy, Boğaziçi University, Department of Psychology (Koç University Clinical Psychology MSc student)