Diana Selmeczy, Ph.D. | Psychology Department

Professional Experience

Dr. Selmeczy joined the Psychology Department in Fall of 2019. Her research program focuses on understanding 1.) how individuals introspect on their memory and how these thoughts guide decision-making, 2.) the environmental and contextual factors that influence memory decisions, and 3.) how these abilities develop throughout the lifespan, particularly during childhood. Her research has been funded by federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and published in leading journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America and Child Development.

For additional and up to date information about my research lab please check out my lab website.

Research Opportunities

Dr. Selmeczy is currently accepting both graduate and undergraduate students and invites students to contact her with any questions.

Here are some things you will gain from joining Dr. Selmeczy’s lab:

experience working in a research laboratory including designing research studies, collecting and analyzing data, and opportunities to present your work at academic conferences and in peer reviewed journal publications
experience working with children and families in a professional setting
experience learning computer and programming skills
knowledge about developmental and cognitive psychology
a professional reference and letter of recommendation

Selmeczy Cognitive Development Lab

The Cognitive Development Lab at UCCS explores the development of memory in children and adolescents. For families who are interested in participating, please visit our Participate page to learn more.

https://cogdevlab.uccs.edu/

Areas of Interest

Development, Memory, Decision-Making, Metacognition & Learning

Teaching

PSY 3620 - Developmental Psychology
PSY 4620 - Seminar in Developmental Psychology
PSY 6100 - Developmental Psychology

Education

Ph.D., Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, 2014
M.A., Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, 2011
B.S., University of California, Davis, 2008

Representative Publications

Research Gate Profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Diana_Selmeczy/publications

McLane, E. C., Hatcher, S. K., & Selmeczy, D. (2025). Earning More Points!: The Impact of Value on Children’s Memory and Self-Regulated Learning Strategies. Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.70019

Shields, M.M., Calabro, C., & Selmeczy, D. (2024). Active help-seeking and metacognition interact in supporting children’s retention of science facts. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 237, 105772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105772

Selmeczy, D., Kazemi, A., & Ghetti, S. (2024). Seeking versus receiving help: How children integrate suggestions in memory decisions. Child Development, 95(2), 515–529. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14009

Anquillare, E.*, & Selmeczy, D. (2023). Developmental differences in value-based remembering: The role of feedback and metacognition. Developmental Psychology, 59(7), 1181–1189. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001539

Selmeczy, D., Ghetti, S., Zheng, L. R., Porter, T., & Trzesniewski, K. (2021). Help me understand: Adaptive information-seeking predicts academic achievement in school-aged children. Cognitive Development, 59, 101062. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2021.101062

Curriculum Vitae

Diana Selmeczy, Ph.D.

Student Mentoring Plan

Mentoring Plan - Selmeczy