MRU Language Development Lab

ABOUT US

Language Development Team

 

Cass Foursha-Stevenson is an associate professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary,
Alberta and teaches courses in Developmental Psychology. Dr. Foursha-Stevenson’s
research interests include bilingual advantages, language interference, learning first and
second languages, and syntactic processing and comprehension in children and adults.
Dr. Foursha-Stevenson has presented her research at a number of conferences and
published research in journals including the International Journal of Psycholinguistic Research and International Journal of Bilingualism.

 

CURRENT RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

 

Bella Davey is a research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson.  She is currently in her fifth year enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts of Psychology program. After graduation Bella hopes to go on to get her MA and PhD in Education and Clinical Psychology specializing in early childhood development.

 

Derek Phung Derek Phung is a research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson. He graduated with a B.A Honours degree in Psychology from Mount Royal University. On August 29th, 2022 Derek began the Masters of Science in School and Applied Child Psychology program at the University of Calgary. His lab duties include: participant recruitment, research assistant training, child language testing, data entry and scoring, video coding, literature reviews, and manuscript editing

 

Kurt Hablado is a research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson.  He completed an honours degree at Mount Royal University. He hopes to obtain his Master’s in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in trauma, and suicide/self-injury behaviours in children.

 

Axel Cuellar was an honours student for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson.  He recently finished his honours thesis in the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program. After graduation Axel will be completing his MA and PhD in Forensic Psychology while attending University of New Brunswick.  He hopes to work with mentally ill offenders and high recidivism offenders.

 

Vanessa Sandoval is a research assistant and former honours student for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson. She recently finished her degree in the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program.  After completing her undergraduate degree and taking a gap year, she hopes to obtain a Master’s in School Psychology.

 

Alex Baranescu is a research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha Stevenson. He graduated with a B.A Honours degree in Psychology from Mount Royal University.

 

Bri Hughes is the current lab manager of the MRU Language Development Lab, working under Cass Foursha-Stevenson. She is in her fourth year of the Bachelor of Arts Psychology program. She is also a member of the Psychology EDI committee and presented with the committee at Mount Royal University’s 2024 Inclusion Week. After graduating from her undergraduate program, she hopes to get a Master’s degree in Child and Adolescent Psychology.

 

Nicole Gallant is a research assistant for Cass Foursha-Stevenson. She is currently enrolled in her second year in the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program at Mount Royal University. Following the completion of her undergraduate degree she hopes to pursue a masters.

 

Martina Barclay is a research assistant for Cass Foursha-Stevenson. She is a fourth year Bachelor of Arts student at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick and is excited to work with Dr. Foursha-Stevenson and other students this summer! She is majoring in Psychology and hopes to complete a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology after graduating from St. Thomas.

 

FORMER STUDENTS

Cindy Santos-Ticas was a research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson. She is involved in literature reviews, implementing studies, and inputting data. Cindy is currently in her 4th year Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Degree at Mount Royal University. After completing her degree, she hopes to attend graduate school in order to obtain a Master’s degree in Counselling.


Caitlin Hummel began volunteering in the lab 2008 as a research assistant and became the Lab Manager. Caitlin completed an individual research project examining the effects of exposure to a new language on executive functioning skills. After completing her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Caitlin was accepted into graduate studies at the University of Kent (Canterbury, England) where she graduated with a Master of Science- Forensic Psychology with distinction. Her thesis was articled in the British Psychological Association- Forensic Update. Since that time, Caitlin has worked for the Correctional Service of Canada and AHS within a forensic population. Responsibilities have included involvement in crisis intervention, suicide prevention, cognitive behavioural therapy and psychological risk assessments evaluating risk of recidivism and recommendations for release.


Thariq Badiudeen was a volunteer research assistant in Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson’s lab in 2006. He recently graduated from UBC with a MSc in Neuroscience, where his research focused on studying working memory deficits in schizophrenia. Currently, he is working on a research study investigating the barriers to accessing healthcare faced by residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, while also applying to medical school.


Carrie Leonard is a former research assistant and lab manager. She graduated from MRU with honours in 2012 and completed her MSc in December of 2013 at the University of Lethbridge. Her thesis was on the individual differences that contribute to poker playing skill. She has continued on with gambling related research for her PhD (also at the U of L), with funding from both the Alberta Gambling Research Institute and SSHRC in addition to a number of other projects and supervisions. Cody Eriksen is a former research assistant and lab manager for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson. He completed his honours degree from MRU. He completed his Masters of Counselling. He is a Provisionally Registered Clinical Psychologist in Urgent Mental Health. Cody plans to pursue his PhD. June Ju Hyun Kang is a former research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson from 2011. She completed B.A. in Language & Literature, and B.A. in Mass Communication in South Korea. June also completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Degree at MRU in 2013. After June received her Master’s degree in Art Therapy in New York City, specializing in addiction, she facilitated clinical interventions with various populations who presented with mental and/or biological health issues in community, school, and medical settings. Currently she has continued her PhD in California. (http://kangjuhyun.com) Jenni Carrier worked as a research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson from 2011 to 2014. Jenni completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Degree in December 2011 at Mount Royal University. Afterwards, Jenni worked as a Youth and Family Counsellor for two years before going on maternity leave. Jenni plans to go on to achieve her Master’s Degree in Counselling and to continue working with children and families. Taylor Schembri is a former honours student of Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson’s, who investigated the role of child-directed-speech on sentence comprehension and syntactic acquisition. Taylor is currently completing her Master of Science in Counselling Psychology at the University of Calgary, where she has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to investigate the age-of-onset of depression in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. After the completion of her Master’s Degree, Taylor plans to complete her Doctoral degree. Taylor eventually hopes to become a registered psychologist working with children suffering from internalizing disorders. Mabel Yu is a former research assistant and lab manager for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson. She completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology in 2015. Mabel plans to obtain a Master’s and a Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. She hopes to eventually become a registered psychologist working with adults suffering from mental disorders. Katie Howell is a recent Mount Royal University Honours Psychology graduate and a former research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson. She is currently enrolled in the MSc Occupational Therapy program at the University of Alberta for September 2015. Jaclyn MacArthur was a research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson in 2014-2015. She was involved in recruiting, implementing the studies, and coding the data. Jaclyn completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in April 2014. She is currently working as a Developmental Aide at a school for children with special needs. She hopes to attend graduate school and achieve a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology to continue working with children. Kymberley Calhoun is a former research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson. She has recently graduated from Mount Royal University with her major in psychology and minor in religious studies. Kymberley is pursuing a masters degree in counselling. Upon completion of her master’s degree, Kymberley will pursue a career as a child psychologist. Currently she is volunteering in the Mental Health Unit at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Emily Lennon was a research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson in 2015-2017. She graduated in 2017 from Mount Royal University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She is currently completing her Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology at the University of Alberta. Emily plans to work with children in her future career. Lauren Muirhead was a research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Mount Royal University. She hopes to obtain her Master’s in Clinical or Counselling Psychology, working with individuals with anxiety. Amy Patterson completed the Bachelor of Applied Child Studies Degree and obtained a Children’s Mental Health Certificate at Mount Royal University in 2013. She completed a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Mount Royal University. Amy presently works as a respite care provider and volunteers with women who have experienced domestic violence. She has previously worked various roles within child/youth development and behavioural therapy in schools, recreation, child care, group homes and early intervention settings. Kaley Dallaire is a former research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha- Stevenson.
She graduated from Mount Royal University with an honours degree in Psychology and a
minor in Spanish in the Spring of 2019. Kaley is enrolled in the Master of Science in
Clinical Psychology Program at Newcastle University (Newcastle Upon Tyne, England).
After completing her Master’s she plans to stay in England to obtain a PhD in Clinical
Psychology and become a registered psychologist. Kaley hopes to have a future career
working with children in a clinical setting with a focus on trauma and attachment. Gagan Kailey is a former research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson.
She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree with a minor in art history in
2018. She is currently enrolled in her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy at the
University of Alberta.


Adam Spenrath is a former research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson. He completed an honours degree at Mount Royal University. Adam intends to pursue a Master’s Degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology and hopes to work with high-level athletes.


Kaycie Hartley Kaycie Hartley is a former research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson. She graduated with a B.A degree in Psychology from Mount Royal University in 2020. She is currently enrolled at the University of Calgary, pursuing her Master’s of Education in School and Applied Child Psychology. She hopes to continue working with children and families post graduation, with a focus on school-based assessment and intervention for mental health issues.


Rene Trombley Rene Trombley is a former lab manager and research assistant for Dr. Cass Foursha-Stevenson. She graduated with a B.A Honours degree in Psychology from Mount Royal University in 2023. She is currently enrolled at the University of Alberta, pursuing her Master’s of Science Speech-Language Pathology.


Kiefer Sikma Kiefer Sikma is going into his second year of his undergraduate BA Psychology degree at Mount Royal University, and is planning to enter an Experimental Psychology graduate school program down the road. * If you were a former student in the lab and would like to be included on this page, please email cfourshastevenson@mtroyal.ca.