National Scientific Advisory Board

Heather Kirkorian, PhD

Laura M. Secord Chair in Early Childhood Development, Associate Professor and Chair, Human Development & Family Studies
School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Dr. Heather Kirkorian is an Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She received her Ph.D. (2007) in Developmental Psychology from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst where she also completed three years of postdoctoral training. Her research interests include the development of attention and learning, young children’s attention to and comprehension of video, and the impact of screen media on cognitive development. Her current projects address whether and how toddlers learn from interactive and non-interactive video as well as the impact of background television on the quantity and quality of infants’ solitary toy play and social interactions. Dr. Kirkorian’s research incorporates experimental research design, observational methods, and physiological measures such as eye tracking and heart rate.