Position
Academic Background  
Sample Courses  
Teaching Philosophy   
Research & Interests   
Notable Academic Appointments & Awards  
Publication Highlights  
Selected Scholarly Presentations

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Position            

• Assistant Professor of Psychology

Academic Background         

• University of Virginia 
  • Ph.D. in Psychology, 2008
  • M.A. in Psychology, 2006
• University of Texas at Austin - B.A. in Psychology, 2002

Sample Courses Taught at Providence College  

• Child Psychology 
• Experimental Child Lab 

Teaching Philosophy            

      Teaching brings me great joy. I am inspired by the part I play as a teacher in what I believe to be the role of higher education, to help an individual achieve his or her highest potential. When students leave the academic world, they should be in the best position possible to succeed on whatever path they choose. Thus, I believe the teacher's responsibility is to enable students to reach new heights in a variety of areas, namely knowledge acquisition, reasoning, the ability to communicate ideas, discussion and collaboration with others, and personal responsibility.

     To carry out this vision, my teaching philosophy mirrors Vygotsky's principle of scaffolding. That is, I believe the teacher's role is to provide support for students' learning, allowing them to achieve more than they could on their own at that time.
I look forward to spending time with my students, both because it excites me to see their progression and because I am motivated by hearing the different perspectives students bring to class. When students are exposed to a topic for the first time, usually material I feel I know by heart, I learn from their reactions. Students often inspire to find out more about topics through their questions, making the act of teaching also one of learning.

     I take my role as an educator very seriously, and I firmly believe that the best way to educate students is through support: setting challenging, yet attainable goals, encouraging self-discovery, and establishing a positive learning environment.

Research & Interests               

• The role of executive functions in pretend play, imagination, and counterfactual
  reasoning throughout the lifespan
• The relationship between imagination and counterfactual reasoning
• The everyday use of imagination and fantastical reasoning throughout the lifespan
• Factors influencing decisions about the validity/reality status of novel information 
  

Notable Academic Appointments and Awards

• Graduate Teaching Award, University of Virginia, 2007-2008
• Distinguished Teaching Fellowship, University of Virginia, Fall 2007 
• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention, 2005
• Hobbs Undergraduate Research Fellowship, University of Texas, Fall 2002 
• Psi Chi, University of Texas
  

Publication Highlights

• Pinkham, A. M., Van Reet, J., & Lillard, A. S. (in press). Concepts, children's: Concepts 
  of the psychological world. The Chicago Companion to the Child. University of 
  Chicago Press.
• Van Reet, J., Pinkham, A. M., & Lillard, A. S. (2007). The development of the    counterfactual imagination. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 30(5), 468.
• Woolley, J. D. & Van Reet, J. (2006). Effects of context on judgments concerning the 
  reality status of novel entities. Child Development, 77, 1778-1793.
  

Selected Scholarly Presentations and Activities

• Pinkham, A. M., Van Reet, J., & Lillard, A. S. (2007, May). Evidence for Incredulity in Middle Childhood. Poster presented at the meeting of the American Psychological  Society, Washington, DC. 
• Van Reet, J. & Lillard, A. S.  (2007, March).  Preliminary Evidence for the Inhibition/Activation Theory of Pretense Representation. Paper presented at the meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Boston, MA. 
• Van Reet, J. & Lillard, A. S. (2005, October).  The Cognitive Representation of Pretense. Poster presented at the meeting of the Cognitive Development Society,  San Diego, CA. 
• Van Reet, J. (2005, April). Maternal Corrections in Pretense. Poster presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Atlanta, GA. 
• Van Reet, J. & Woolley, J. D.  (2003, October).  Effects of context on children's judgments of the reality status of novel entities.  Paper presented at the meeting   of the Cognitive Development Society, Park City, UT.
  

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