Makeba Wilbourn

American psychologist and professor

Makeba Wilbourn

Wilbourn on Ask a Scientist for the National Science Foundation in 2019

Alma mater| California State University, Fullerton
Cornell University
Awards| PECASE (2016)
Scientific career
Institutions| Duke University
Thesis| Understanding the perceptual and cognitive precursors to the acquisition of language: an examination of infants? Perception and use of manual gestures and signs (2007)

Makeba Parramore Wilbourn (born May 29, 1973) is an American developmental psychologist and professor at Duke University in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. She studies how children acquire knowledge. She was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from President Barack Obama. This is the highest honor bestowed on early career scientists in the US.

## Early life and education

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Wilbourn was born in Long Beach, California. She studied at the California State University, Fullerton, earning a bachelor's degree in 1997 and a master's degree in 2001.[1][2] She was a State University of New York Minority Fellow at Cornell University between 2001 and 2003. She remained at Cornell University for her graduate studies, completing her PhD in developmental psychology in 2008.[1] In 2006 she was awarded the Cornell University Provost's Diversity Fellowship. Her thesis considered language development and early-word learning.[3] She studied how English-learning toddlers acquired new words.[4] She joined Duke University in 2008.[5]

## Research and career

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Wilbourn studies how children learn language and how inputs such as gestures can impact cognitive development.[6][7][8] At Duke University she runs WILD, the Wilbourn Infant Laboratory.[9] They work closely with two nearby elementary schools studying culture, gesture and language.[10] She is funded by a National Science Foundation CAREER Award which supports her exploration of how communication impacts the development of vocabulary.[6] Wilbourn is interested in how race and socioeconomic status impact this development, with a focus on the black - white vocabulary gap.[6] She worked with Allen Gottfried on the Fullerton Longitudinal Study, a program which monitors intellectual giftedness and the relationship with parental involvement and leadership development.[2][11] She has studied the pointing gestures of infants, which can be used to develop early vocabulary.[12] She found that the pointing gestures reflect a readiness to learn.[12] She has also investigated Social Role Theory and children's gender stereotypes, finding that children were more restrictive for males who engaged in counterstereotypic roles.[13]

Her work looks at at-risk students, in particular the language delayed and deaf, as well as autistic and African-American toddlers.[14] She also investigates the relationship between thought and language in monolingual and bilingual children.[14] She has discussed how language development may contribute to racial biases with Frank Stasio on WUNC.[15] In 2017 she took part in the Kavli Frontiers of Science Japanese-American symposium.[16] Wilbourn is involved with community outreach and mentoring programs, and offers summer internships for underrepresented students at Duke University.[17]

### Awards and honours

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* 2021 Academic Advisor of the Year - Duke University
* 2021 Dean's Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring - Duke University
* 2020 National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Award
* 2016 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers[6][18][19]
* 2014 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program[20]
* 2012 Center for Developmental Science Summer Mentored Grant Writing Award[21]
* 2012 International Reading Association Elva Knight Research Grant[22][23]
* 2010 Oak Ridge Associated Universities Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award[24]
* 2009 California State University, Fullerton Outstanding Alumna of the Year[25]
* 2003 Ford Foundation Fellowship[26]

## References

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1. ^ a b "Makeba Parramore Wilbourn | Duke Psychology & Neuroscience". psychandneuro.duke.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
2. ^ a b "CSUF News Center - Alumna Earns Presidential Early Career Award". news.fullerton.edu. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
3. ^ Wilbourn, Makeba (2007). "UNDERSTANDING THE PERCEPTUAL AND COGNITIVE PRECURSORS TO THE ACQUISITION OF LANGUAGE: AN EXAMINATION OF INFANTS? PERCEPTION AND USE OF MANUAL GESTURES AND SIGNS". `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
4. ^ Casasola, M.; Wilbourn, M. P.; Yang, S. (2006). "SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class journal research". First Language. 26 (2): 187–205. doi:10.1177/0142723706060746. PMC 2747792. PMID 19774108.
5. ^ "Makeba Parramore Wilbourn | Scholars@Duke". scholars.duke.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
6. ^ a b c d "Makeba Wilbourn Honored by President Obama, Receives Presidential Early Career Award". today.duke.edu. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
7. ^ "Makeba Parramore Wilbourn, Ph.D. Colloquium Speaker". www.nccu.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
8. ^ "Understanding the development of gesture, language, and learning through a socio-cultural lens | Department of Psychology". psychology.yale.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
9. ^ "People". wild.psych.duke.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
10. ^ "Research". wild.psych.duke.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
11. ^ Kee, Daniel; Gottfried, Allen W.; Wilbourn, Makeba Parramore (2011). "Consistency of hand-preference across the early years: long-term relationship to verbal intelligence and reading achievement in girls". Developmental Psychology. 47 (4): 931–42. doi:10.1037/a0023834. PMID 21574699. S2CID 16269635.
12. ^ a b Lucca, Kelsey; Wilbourn, Makeba Parramore (2018). "Communicating to Learn: Infants' Pointing Gestures Result in Optimal Learning". Child Development. 89 (3): 941–960. doi:10.1111/cdev.12707. ISSN 1467-8624. PMID 28032638.
13. ^ Kee, Daniel W.; Wilbourn, Makeba Parramore (2010-05-01). "Henry the Nurse is a Doctor Too: Implicitly Examining Children's Gender Stereotypes for Male and Female Occupational Roles". Sex Roles. 62 (9–10): 670–683. doi:10.1007/s11199-010-9773-7. ISSN 1573-2762. S2CID 53324400.
14. ^ a b "Makeba Parramore Wilbourn, Ph.D. |". Retrieved 2018-12-22.
15. ^ Stasio, Will Michaels, Frank (4 September 2017). "The Art And Science Of Code-Switching: Meet Makeba Wilbourn". www.wunc.org. Retrieved 2018-12-22.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
16. ^ "Makeba Wilbourn". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
17. ^ "WILD - News". wild.psych.duke.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
18. ^ "The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers: Recipient Details | NSF - National Science Foundation". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
19. ^ "Duke developmental psychologist wins award from President Obama, discusses her research". The Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
20. ^ "Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program. National Science Foundation. | Scholars@Duke". scholars.duke.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
21. ^ "Summer Mentored Grant Writing Award. Center for Developmental Science. | Scholars@Duke". scholars.duke.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
22. ^ "Elva Knight Research Grant. International Reading Association. | Scholars@Duke". scholars.duke.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
23. ^ "Education Researchers: Apply for $8,000 Elva Knight Research Grant". literacyworldwide.org. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
24. ^ "Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award. Oak Ridge Associated Universities. | Scholars@Duke". scholars.duke.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
25. ^ "Fullerton. Outstanding Alumna of the Year – Psychology. California State University | Scholars@Duke". scholars.duke.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
26. ^ "The. Ford Foundation Fellowships/ Predoctoral. National Academies | Scholars@Duke". scholars.duke.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-22.