Concordia's first star
In a university of more than 35,000 students and 175,000 alumni it’s not easy to establish a Concordia first. Post-doctoral psychology fellow Célia Matte-Gagné broke new ground when she was awarded the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) Étudiants-chercheurs étoiles award for the month of April under the category of society and culture.
“My reaction was one of surprise,” says Matte-Gagné. “You apply for these types of awards months in advance and one day you receive an email saying you’ve won. I’m very proud.”
Matte-Gagné was given the award for her article “Stability of Maternal Autonomy Support between Infancy and Preschool Age,” published in the journal Social Development in September 2012.
“My research built on existing studies that examined how mothers encourage their child’s decision-making abilities when they encounter situations that necessitate problem-solving,” explains Matte-Gagné.
“It is well documented that parental autonomy support has a positive effect on childhood development. I became interested in the factors that influence maternal autonomy support and its evolution across time.”
Her findings demonstrate that mothers are more stable in their autonomy-support behaviours when the following conditions are present: the child is a girl, they have a secure representation of the parent-child relationship and they experience few stressful life events.
By adding to the research in this area, Matte-Gagné is helping deepen the understanding of a key area of childhood development.
“On behalf of Concordia, I would like to congratulate Célia on this award,” says Interim Dean of Graduate Studies, Paula Wood-Adams. “Her work exemplifies the important contribution that post-doctoral fellows make to the research mission of the university. And of course, we look forward to more of our graduate students and post-doctoral fellows winning in the future.”
The Étudiants-chercheurs étoiles awards were first handed out in March 2012 by the FRQ to recognize the outstanding research of Quebec college and university students and to promote careers in research. Three $1,000 awards are given out each month in the areas of health, nature and technology, and society and culture.
Matte-Gagné’s current research within the Centre for Research in Human Development (CRDH) focuses on the socio-emotional development of at-risk children whose mothers have a childhood history aggression and social withdrawl.
Related links:
• Department of Psychology
• The Étudiants-chercheurs étoiles awards
• School of Graduate Studies
• Office of Research
• CRDH