Victoria Molfese, Ph.D.

Victoria J. Molfese received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University. She has published journal articles, books, and book chapters in the area of cognitive development in infants, children and adults. Molfese has also written grant proposals in support of research activities, including an NIH-funded longitudinal research grant on electrophysiological and behavioral predictors of language and cognitive development in children. Her work has been funded by grants from National Institutes of Health, March of Dimes, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Kellogg Foundation, and NASA.

Molfese is currently investigating the effectiveness of early intervention to enhance mathematic skills in high-risk preschool children; the relation between early skills in reading and mathematics in preschool and early elementary-aged children; and the role of teacher-student interactions in preschool for cognitive growth. She is also investigating brain processing and the development of executive function skills, along with the impacts of sleep, health status and learning-related behaviors on academic gains by young children.

Recent Publications

Molfese, V., Beswick, J., Jacobi-Vessels, J., Armstrong, N., Culver, B., White, J., Ferguson, M., Rudasill, K., & Molfese, D. (Accepted). Evidence of alphabetic knowledge in writing: Connections to letter and word identification skills in preschool and kindergarten. Reading and Writing: Special Issue on Writing Development: New Interdisciplinary Findings and Models.

Molfese, V.J., Rudasill, K.M., Beswick, J.L., Jacobi-Vessels. J.L, Ferguson, M.C., & White, J.M. (2010). Infant temperament, maternal personality, and parenting stress as contributors to infant developmental outcomes. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 56, 47-79.

Molfese, V., Molfese, P., Molfese, D., Rudasill, K., Armstrong, N., & Starkey, G. (2010). Executive function skills of 6 to 8 year olds: Brain and behavioral evidence and implications for school achievement. Contemporary Educational Psychology: Special Issue on Brain and Academic Development, 30, 116-153.

Jung, E., Molfese, V., Beswick, J., Jacobi-Vessels, J., & Molnar, A. (2009). Growth of cognitive skills in preschoolers: Impacts of sleep habits and learning-related behaviors. Early Education and Development, 20, 713-731.

Molfese, D., Molfese, V., & Beswick, J., Jacobi-Vessels, J., Molfese, P., & Key, A.F. (2008). Dynamic links between emerging cognitive skills and brain processes. Special Issue on Neurobiological and experiential dimensions of dyslexia: Multiple perspectives. Developmental Neuropsychology, 33, 682-706.

Jung, E., Larson, A. E., Molfese, V. J., & Thompson, C. (2008). Research-based teacher candidate dispositions assessment system: Moving forward. Journal of Education for Teaching, 34, 155-156.

Molfese, V., Molfese, D., Beswick, J., Jacobi-Vessels, J., Molfese, P., Molnar, A., Wagner, M., & Haines, B. (2008). Event related potentials to identify language and reading skills. Special Issue on Language and Dyslexia. Topics in Language Disorders, 28, 28-45.

Brown, E. T., Molfese, V., & Molfese, P. (2008). Preschool student learning in literacy and mathematics: Impact of teacher experience, qualifications, and beliefs on an at-risk sample. Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk, 13, 106-126.

Molfese, D., Molfese, V., Ferguson, M., Key, A.P.F., Straub, S., Peach, K., & Pratt, N. (in press). Smoking during pregnancy. In the U.S. Surgeon General's report on how smoking causes disease.

Brown, E.T., Molfese, V., & Wagner, M, C. (2009). Role of teacher practices in implementing research knowledge in early childhood classrooms. In S. Rosenfield & V. Berninger (Eds.), Translating Science-Supported Instruction into Evidence Based Practices: Understanding and Applying the Implementation Process. Oxford University Press.

Molfese, V., & Westberg, L. (2008). Impact of preschool and kindergarten programs on young children's early literacy skills. In National Early Literacy Panel (Eds.), Developing early literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel (pp. 189-200). Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy.

Molfese, D., Molfese, V., Barnes, M., Warren, C., & Molfese, P. (2008). Familial predictors of dyslexia: Evidence from preschool children with and without familial dyslexia risk. In G. Reid, A. Fawcett, F. Manis, & L Siegel (Eds.), Handbook of Dyslexia (pp. 99-120). New York, NY: Sage Publications.

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