Taylor Heffer
PhD
Assistant Professor
General Psychology
Faculty of Social Science and Humanities
Contact information
2 Simcoe Street
- Room DTC 614-1B
Downtown Oshawa
2000 Simcoe Street North
Oshawa, ON L1G 0C5
905.721.8668
Background
Dr. Taylor Heffer received her MA and PhD in Lifespan Development Psychology from Brock University. After completing her PhD, Dr. Heffer completed an NSERC-funded postdoctoral fellowship working with Prof. Leah Somerville at Harvard University.
Dr. Heffer is a developmental psychologist interested in adolescent development, with a focus on understanding factors related to poor adjustment during this phase of life. Her research is focused on identifying cognitive and affective processes that contribute to elevated risk for mental health problems during adolescence. She is interested in how these factors interact to predict individual differences as well as stability and change in adolescent wellbeing over time. She uses a variety of methods, including self-report surveys, EEG, longitudinal analyses, and multiple indicators of development (pubertal status, age) to assess vulnerability during adolescence.
Dr. Heffer will be accepting graduate students starting in the fall of 2024. Please contact her directly with inquiries.
Education
- PhD, Developmental Psychology Brock University, St. Catharines
- MA, Developmental Psychology Brock University, St. Catharines
Courses taught
- Adolescence
Research and expertise
- Adolescent mental health
- Cognitive and Affective mechanisms
- Sensitivity to threats and reward
- Individual differences and stability/change in wellbeing over time
Involvement
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Selected publications
Heffer, T., van Noordt, S., & Willoughby, T. (2023). Developmental trajectories of sensitivity to threat in children and adolescents predict larger medial frontal theta differentiation during response inhibition. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsad009
Heffer, T., & Willoughby, T. (2022). Investigating the consistency of ERPs across threatening situations among children and adolescents. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-021-00957-y
Willoughby, T., Heffer, T., van Noordt, S., Desjardins, J., Segalowitz, S., & Schmidt, L. (2021). An ERP investigation of children and adolescents’ sensitivity to wins and losses during a peer observation manipulation. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 51, 100995. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100995
Heffer, T., & Willoughby, T. (2021). A person-centered examination of emotion dysregulation, sensitivity to threat, and impulsivity among children and adolescents: An ERP study. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100900
Heffer, T., Lundale, C., Wylie, B. E., & Willoughby, T. (2021). Investigating sensitivity to threat with the Behavioral Inhibition Scale (BIS) among children, adolescents and university students: The role of negatively-phrased questions. Personality and individual differences, 170, 110416.
Heffer, T., & Willoughby, T. (2020). A longitudinal study investigating trajectories of sensitivity to threat over time and their association with alpha asymmetry among children and adolescents. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 46, 100863.
Heffer, T., & Willoughby, T. (2020). Sensitivity to negative feedback among children and adolescents: an ERP study comparing developmental differences between high-worriers and low-worriers. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 20, 624-635. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-020-00791-8
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Presentations
Heffer, T., van Noordt, S., & Willoughby, T. (2023). Developmental trajectories of sensitivity to threat in children and adolescents predict larger medial frontal theta differentiation during response inhibition. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsad009
Heffer, T., & Willoughby, T. (2022). Investigating the consistency of ERPs across threatening situations among children and adolescents. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-021-00957-y
Willoughby, T., Heffer, T., van Noordt, S., Desjardins, J., Segalowitz, S., & Schmidt, L. (2021). An ERP investigation of children and adolescents’ sensitivity to wins and losses during a peer observation manipulation. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 51, 100995. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100995
Heffer, T., & Willoughby, T. (2021). A person-centered examination of emotion dysregulation, sensitivity to threat, and impulsivity among children and adolescents: An ERP study. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100900
Heffer, T., Lundale, C., Wylie, B. E., & Willoughby, T. (2021). Investigating sensitivity to threat with the Behavioral Inhibition Scale (BIS) among children, adolescents and university students: The role of negatively-phrased questions. Personality and individual differences, 170, 110416.
Heffer, T., & Willoughby, T. (2020). A longitudinal study investigating trajectories of sensitivity to threat over time and their association with alpha asymmetry among children and adolescents. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 46, 100863.
Heffer, T., & Willoughby, T. (2020). Sensitivity to negative feedback among children and adolescents: an ERP study comparing developmental differences between high-worriers and low-worriers. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 20, 624-635. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-020-00791-8
