Rachel F Barr

Rachel F. Barr is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Georgetown University. Her research focuses on developmental psychology, particularly learning and memory mechanisms in infancy and early childhood. She directs the Georgetown Early Learning Project (ELP), examining how children under five learn from multiple sources, including bilingual exposure, parent-child interactions, and media engagement. Dr. Barr holds a Ph.D. and B.Sc. in Psychology from the University of Otago.

Her work emphasizes the cognitive and social impacts of digital media on young children, including sleep patterns, language development, and emotional regulation. She has pioneered studies on video chat interactions between grandparents and grandchildren during the pandemic, highlighting technology’s role in maintaining family connections. Key areas of interest include problematic media use, technoference in parenting, and the validation of tools like the Joint Media Engagement Scale (JMES).

Dr. Barr’s research spans cross-cultural studies, analyzing media exposure across countries such as Canada, the U.S., Israel, Sweden, and New Zealand. She explores how policy and parental resources influence child development in digital contexts. Recent projects address parental burnout, screen time motivations, and the interplay between media use and child temperamental traits.

Her contributions include over 150 publications on media effects, bilingualism, and early learning. She actively advocates for equitable access to digital tools and evidence-based guidelines for families and policymakers.

Labs/Teams: Georgetown Early Learning Project (ELP). Mentoring: No specific advisees listed in provided text.