Peggy A. De Cooke holds a doctorate in Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.  Her research focuses on children's social and social-cognitive development.  She has published/presented over 50 papers on factors influencing children's learning and performance behaviors: children's academic help-seeking, their knowledge of social norms, and how children integrate homework into the increasing complex fabric of daily life.

Dr. De Cooke has extensive teaching experience at the graduate, undergraduate and high school levels, offering a broad array of courses in introductory and developmental psychology, with an emphasis on the incorporation of methodology that focuses on the assessment and observation of children's behavior, particularly in the socio-emotional and behavioral domains.  Dr. De Cooke has served as an instructional curriculum development consultant and regularly offers seminars to teachers.