Wendy Ostroff

Wendy Ostroff is a Professor of Cognitive & Developmental Science at Sonoma State University's Hutchins School of Liberal Studies. She holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Psychological Science/Developmental Psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Her research focuses on learning mechanisms across developmental systems, including attention, perception, language processing, socioemotional communication, and metacognition.

Her interdisciplinary interests bridge cognitive science, developmental psychology, and critical pedagogy. Ostroff investigates how metacognition and articulation enhance learning, emphasizing transformative educational practices. Her work integrates empirical studies on infant cognition with classroom applications, advocating for curiosity-driven pedagogies.

Ostroff's publications center on child development, educational equity, and innovative teaching methods. Recent articles explore remote learning adaptations, prosocial development, and phonetic perception plasticity, demonstrating a consistent focus on optimizing learning environments through empirical insights.