Kathryn O'Toole

Kathryn O’Toole is an Associate Professor of Psychology at North Park University since 2015, emphasizing collaborative teaching methods and experiential learning opportunities for students in Chicago’s nonprofit, healthcare, and educational sectors. She holds a PhD and MA in Developmental Psychology from Loyola University Chicago and a BS in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

• Education:
  • PhD, Developmental Psychology, Loyola University Chicago
  • MA, Developmental Psychology, Loyola University Chicago
  • BS, Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Her research focuses on developmental psychology, particularly how digital media and environmental distractors affect early childhood literacy, attention mechanisms, and learning outcomes. This work bridges cognitive development with modern educational technology.

O’Toole’s recent publications examine differences in story comprehension between print and electronic books, pre-literacy skill development across media contexts, and how televised distractors impact task performance in preschoolers. These studies highlight her interest in understanding how young children process information in evolving technological environments.