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Dr. Wagner is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Music (piano) from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Notre Dame. Prior to her current position, she was an Institute of Education Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow in Field-Based Research Methodology at the Peabody Research Institute at Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Wagner studies cognitive development in young children. Her specific research interests include (1) identifying factors that promote the development of children's executive functioning skills, including child and family protective factors as well as characteristics of early childhood learning environments, and (2) understanding associations between children's executive functioning skills and their acquisition of academic concepts, specifically in the domain of mathematics.

Her current research is supported by the National Institutes of Health R15 AREA program R15HD100936 (Role: PI) “The early development of flexible attention to numerical and spatial magnitudes” [$438,830] (2020-24) and the National Science Foundation ECR-EHR Core Research #2301009 (Role: PI University of Dayton Site) “Collaborative research: Mechanisms for improving flexible attention to magnitudes in young children” (PI Indiana University Site: Elizabeth Gunderson) [Total Cost UD Site, $702,643; Total Cost Overall, $2,489,778] (2023-28).

Please note Dr. Wagner formerly used the name Fuhs professionally.

Development and Learning Lab Mission Statement: Our lab studies early math learning and cognitive development in young children. We are particularly interested in the associations between children’s executive functioning abilities and their acquisition of math skills, as well as the role that early childhood learning environments play in their development. We specifically attend to issues of racial and socioeconomic equity in accessing high-quality early childhood experiences that are culturally relevant for children and families.

Lab Website

Courses taught

• PSY-351: Child Psychology
• PSY-452: Cognitive Development
• PSY-573: Developmental Psychology
• PSY-573: Graduate Developmental Psychology
• SSC-200: Children and Poverty
• SSC-200: Young Children Learning

Selected publications

^*Anderson, K. A., ^*Sheeks, N., ^*Vrabec, A., Nesbitt, K. T., & Fuhs, M. W. (2022). Test of executive functioning skills improvement as a mediator between Conscious Discipline fidelity and children’s kindergarten readiness. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 79, 101393. doi: 10.1016/j.appdev.2022.101393

Fuhs, M. W., ^*Tavassolie, N., Wang, Y., Bartek, V., ^*Sheeks, N., & Gunderson, E. A. (2021). Children’s flexible attention to numerical and spatial magnitudes in early childhood. Journal of Cognition and Development, 22, 22 – 47. doi: 10.1080/15248372.2020.1844712.

Anderson, K.*, Weimer, M.* and Fuhs, M.W. (2020). "Teacher fidelity to Conscious Discipline and children’s executive function skills." Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 51, 14 – 25. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2019.08.003

Wetter, S.*, Fuhs, M.W. and Goodnight, J. (2019). "Examining sleep as a protective mechanism for executive functioning in children from low-income homes." Early Child Development and Care, 1 – 12, doi: 10.1080/03004430.2019.1573226

Fuhs, M.W., Nesbitt, K.T. and O'Rear, C.D.* (2018). "Approximate number system task performance: Associations with domain-general and domain-specific cognitive skills in young children." Journal of Numerical Cognition, 4, 590 – 612. doi: 10.5964/jnc.v4i3.141

Fuhs, M.W., Nesbitt, K.T. and Jackson, H.* (2018). "Chronic absenteeism and preschool children's executive functioning skills development." Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 23, 39 – 52. doi: 10.1080/10824669.2018.1438201

Fuhs, M.W., Hornburg, C.B.* and McNeil, N.M. (2016). "Specific early number skills mediate the association between executive functioning skills and mathematics achievement." Developmental Psychology, 52, 1217 - 1235.

Fuhs, M.W., McNeil, N.M., Kelley, K., O'Rear, C.* and Villano, M. (2016). "The role of non-numerical stimulus features in approximate number system training in preschoolers from low-income homes." Journal of Cognition and Development, 17, 737 - 764. doi: 10.1080/15248372.2015.1105228.

* Student author