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Faculty Elyssa A. Geer

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Elyssa A. Geer 

Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Studies

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Elyssa A. Geer

Email

ea.geer@coe.ufl.edu

Address

Norman Hall
P.O. Box 117050

Connect

@GeerPsych

About

Elyssa A. Geer, PhD earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Spanish from Rhodes College in 2016. Following this, she pursued her Master's and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at Florida State University. There she established the foundation of her research interests which center on the connection between spatial skills and math achievement in young children with particular focus on factors that may impact this relation such as cognitive anxieties (i.e., math and spatial anxiety), sex differences, executive function, and other cognitive/environmental factors. Dr. Geer has developed this research program across a variety of departments, emphasizing the need for an interdisciplinary approach to research. Dr. Geer is now an Assistant Professor in the School of SESPECS and a member of the Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies.

Affiliations

  • School of Special Education School Psychology and Early Childhood Studies

Research Interests

Achievement, Child and Adolescent, Cognition, Data Collection and Analysis, Developmental Trajectories, Early Childhood, Early Childhood Assessment and Measurement, Early Intervention, Executive Functioning, Mathematics Education

Education

  • Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL August 2021 Doctor of Philosophy in Developmental Psychology
  • Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL December 2019 Master of Science in Developmental Psychology
  • Rhodes College, Memphis, TN May 2016, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Spanish

Professional Appointments

  • University of Oregon, Eugene, OR August 2022 - present Postdoctoral Researcher Prevention Science Institute, College of Education Postdoctoral Advisor: Dr. Sara A. Schmitt
  • Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN August 2021 – August 2022 Postdoctoral Researcher Department of Human Development and Family Studies Postdoctoral Advisor: Dr. Sara A. Schmitt
  • Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) 2017 – present
  • Math Cognition and Learning Society (MCLS) 2017 – present
  • International Society for Intelligence Research (ISIR) 2019 – present

Activities and Honors

  • Grant Reviewer Panel Member 2023 National Science Foundation, Education and Human Resources Directorate, ECR: Core
  • Reviewer for Conference Presentations American Educational Research Association 2023 – present
  • USATF Track and Field Official

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Publications
  • Devlin, B. L., Paes, T. M., Geer, E. A., Bryant, L. M., Zehner, T. M., Korucu, I., Morse, K., Duncan, R. J., Purpura, D. J., & Schmitt, S. A. (2023). Moving beyond dosage and adherence: A four-step protocol for capturing dimensions of active child engagement as a measure of implementation fidelity of social-emotional learning interventions. Frontiers in Psychology 13, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1014713
  • Geer, E. A. & Ganley, C. M. (2023). Sex differences in social and spatial perspective taking: A replication and extension of Tarampi et al. (2016). Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. doi:17470218221085117.
  • Atit, K., Power, J. R., Pigott, T., Lee, J., Geer, E. A., Uttal, D., Ganley, C. M. & Sorby, S. (2021). Examining the relations between spatial skills and mathematics performance: A meta-analysis. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-021- 02012-w
  • Ganley, C. M., Conlon, R. A., McGraw, A. L., Barroso, C., & Geer, E. A. (2021). The effect of brief anxiety interventions on reported anxiety and math test performance. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 7(1), 4-19. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.6065
  • Barroso, C., Ganley, C. M., McGraw, A. L., Geer, E. A., Hart, S. A., & Daucourt, M. (2021). A meta-analysis of the relation between math anxiety and math achievement. Psychological Bulletin, 147(2), 134-168. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000307
  • Geer, E. A., Quinn, J. M., & Ganley, C. M. (2019). Relations between spatial skills and math performance in elementary school children: A longitudinal investigation. Developmental Psychology, 55(3), 637-652. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0000649.
Articles
  • Geer, E. A., Barroso, C., Conlon, R. A., Dasher, J. M., & Ganley, C. M. (under review after revisions). A meta-analysis of the relation between spatial anxiety and spatial skills.
  • Zehner, T.*, Paes, T. M., Devlin, B. L., Geer, E. A., Posada, G. E., Duncan, R. J., Purpura, D. J., & Schmitt, S. A. (under review after revisions). Social emotional competence as a predictor of early math skills.
  • Bryant, L.*, Westerberg, L.*, Devlin, B. L., Paes, T. M., Geer, E. A., Katyayan, A., Morse, K., O’Brien, G., Duncan, R. J., Purpura, D. J., & Schmitt, S. A. (in revision after review). Spatial and quantitative mathematical language use during block play in preschoolers.
  • Schmitt, S. A., Purpura, D. J., Duncan, R. J., Bryant, L. M., Zehner, T., Devlin, B. L., Geer, E. A., & Paes, T. M. (under review). Testing Block Play as an Effective Mechanism for Promoting Early Math and Executive Function.
Presentations
  • Devlin, B. L., Bryant, L. M., Westerberg, L. M., White, A. M., Geer, E. A., Zehner, T. M., Paes, T. M., Duncan, R. J., Purpura, D. J., & Schmitt, S. A. (2023, June). Coding preschoolers’ quantitative and spatial mathematical language-use during block play. In L. Westerberg (Chair), How much and where: Conceptualizing and measuring different types of children’s mathematical language. Paper presented at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Mathematical Cognition and Learning Society, Loughborough, U.K.
  • Geer, E. A., Devlin, B. L., Korucu, I., Bryant, L., Purpura, D. J., Duncan, R. J., & Schmitt, S. A. (2023, June). Does Executive Function Moderate and/or Mediate the Spatial-Math Link? Poster presented at the 2023 Meeting of the Mathematical Cognition and Learning Society, Loughborough, U.K.
  • Ganley, C. M., Maghami Sharif, Z., Burrell, N., Conlon, R. A., Geer, E. A., & Barroso, C. (2023, June). Measuring and correlating math anxiety, interest, and confidence in primary school children. Paper presented at the 2023 Meeting of the Mathematical Cognition and Learning Society, Loughborough, U.K.
  • Westerberg, L. M.*, Devlin, B. L., Ellis, A. E., Zippert, E. I., Bryant, L., King, Y., Geer, E.A., Duncan, R. J., Schmitt, S. A., & Purpura, D. J. (2023, June). Examining the factor structure of mathematical language. In L. Westerberg (Chair), How much and where: Conceptualizing and measuring different types of children’s mathematical language. Paper presented at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Mathematical Cognition and Learning Society, Loughborough, U.K.
  • Hart, S. A., Barroso, C., Geer, E. A., Conlon, R. A., & Ganley, C. M. (2023, May). Relations between parent math anxiety and child math learning and the role of homework help. Presentation at Annual Meeting, American Educational Research Association, Virtual.
  • Devlin, B. L., Paes, T. M., Geer, E. A., Bryant, L. M., Zehner, T. M., Korucu, I., Morse, K., Duncan, R. J., Purpura, D. J., & Schmitt, S. A. (2023, March). Applying a protocol for capturing young children’s engagement as a measure of implementation fidelity of a semi-structured block play intervention. In B. Devlin (Chair), Unpacking the black box of early interventions through broadened measurement of implementation fidelity. Paper presented at the 2023 Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  • Schmitt, S.A., Purpura, D. J., Duncan, R. J., Bryant L. M., Zehner, T. M., Devlin, B. L., Geer, E.A., & Paes, T. M. (2023, March). Examining causal connections between block play, mathematics, and executive function. In I. Patwardhan (Chair), Evaluating preschool and school-age interventions that promote self-regulation and executive function skills in 5 children. Paper presented at the 2023 Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Zehner, T. M.*, Paes, T. M., Devlin, B. L, Geer, E. A., Posada, G., Duncan, R.J., Purpura, D. J., Schmitt, S.A. (2023, March). Social skills subscales and preschool math skills. Poster presented at the 2023 Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  • Zehner, T. M.*, Devlin, B. L., Paes, T. M., Geer, E. A., Duncan, R. J., Purpura, D. J., & Schmitt, S. A. (2023, March). Teacher and parent burnout associations with preschool social and self-regulatory development. Poster presented at the 2023 Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  • Geer, E. A., Devlin, B. L., Korucu, I., Bryant, L., Purpura, D., Duncan, R., & Schmitt, S. A. (2022, June). Predictors of Mathematical Skill in Preschoolers: Does executive function impact the spatial-math link? Paper presented in symposium organized by I. Coolen (Chair), Understanding Cognitive Foundations of Mathematics across Development. Symposium presented at the Math Cognition and Learning Society Conference, Antwerp, Belgium
  • Geer, E. A. & Ganley, C. M. (2021, October). Relations between Spatial and Math Skills in Elementary School Children: The Role of Domain-Specific Anxieties. Paper presented in a symposium organized by M. DePascale (Chair), Math Anxiety: Examining Child Outcomes and Contextual Factors in Early and Middle Childhood. Symposium conducted at a Virtual Meeting of the Math Cognition and Learning Society Conference.
  • Geer, E. A., Conlon, R., Barroso, C., Dasher, J. M., & Ganley, C. M. (2021, April). A Metaanalysis of the Relation Between Spatial Anxiety and Spatial Skills. [Poster Presentation] Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Conference, Online.
  • Burrell, N., Conlon, R. A., Geer, E. A., Ganley, C. M., & Hart, S. A. (2020, October). Examining the home math environment as a mediator of the relation between parent and child math anxiety. Home Mathematics Environment Virtual Conference: Poster Session.
  • Ganley, C. M., Barroso Garcia, C., Geer, E. A., Conlon, R. A., Schoen, R. & Schatschneider, C. (2020, April). Teacher math knowledge, anxiety, and mind-sets as predictors of instructional practices and student math learning [Symposium]. AERA Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA http://tinyurl.com/qsw529g (Conference Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic)
  • Geer, E.A., Ganley, C. M., Barroso, C., Schoen, R. C., & Schatschneider, C. (2020, June). Examining predictors of math achievement in elementary aged children. Accepted for poster session at the Math Cognition and Learning Society (MCLS) Conference, Dublin, Ireland [Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic].
  • Geer, E. A. & Ganley, C. M. (2019, July). Sex differences in social and spatial perspective taking: A replication and extension of Tarampi et al. (2016). Presented as a talk at International Society for Intelligence Research, Minneapolis, MN.
  • Ganley, C. M., Barroso, C., Geer, E. A., Conlon, R., McGraw, A. L., Schoen, R. C., & Schatschneider, C. (2019, March). Mathematics anxiety in kindergarten students: Relations with mathematics performance. Presentation presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Baltimore, MD.
  • Geer, E. A., Ganley, C. M., Barroso, C., Schoen, R. C., & Schatschneider, C. (2019, March). The Relation between Mathematics and Spatial Reasoning: Examining Anxiety and Performance in Children. Presentation presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Baltimore, MD.
  • Ganley, C. M., McGraw, A. L., Barroso, C. & Geer, E. A. (2018, April). Examining potential bidirectional relations between math anxiety and performance in elementary school. Presentation presented at the conference of the Mathematical Cognition and Learning Society, Oxford, UK.
  • Geer, E. A., Quinn, J. M., & Ganley, C. M. (2018, April). A longitudinal investigation of the relations between spatial skills and math performance in elementary school children. Presentation presented at the conference of the Mathematical Cognition and Learning Society, Oxford, UK.
  • Ganley, C. M., McGraw, A., Barroso, C., & Geer, E. A. (2017, April). Testing for bidirectional relations between math anxiety and math performance in elementary school. Poster presented at SRCD Biennial Meeting, Austin, TX.
  • Geer, E. A. & Ganley, C. M. (2017, April). The development of spatial thinking and relations between spatial skills and math. Poster presented at SRCD Biennial Meeting, Austin, TX.