Cristina Zepeda
Assistant Professor of Psychology and Human Development
Cristina Zepeda is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Human Development and directs the Advancing Learning Lab. Her research explores how metacognition, motivation, and instructional strategies shape student learning, problem solving, and transfer, with an emphasis on helping learners develop the skills needed for long-term success.
Her work has been published in leading journals such as Journal of Educational Psychology, Memory & Cognition, and Child Development, and she is the recipient of numerous honors, including the 2025 Wilbert J. McKeachie Early Career Award for Motivation in Education Research. She currently serves as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on federally funded projects from the National Science Foundation and the Institute of Education Sciences examining how metacognitive supports and classroom practices can enhance STEM learning.
In addition to her research, Dr. Zepeda is a dedicated teacher and mentor. She has advised dozens of undergraduate researchers, graduate students, and post-baccalaureate fellows, many of whom have gone on to pursue advanced degrees. She has also co-led or contributed mentoring and training initiatives, such as the Hot Metal Bridge Post-Baccalaureate Fellowship Program at the University of Pittsburgh and the Leadership Alliance Summer Research Program at Vanderbilt.
She is also active in professional service, holding leadership roles in APA and AERA and serving on editorial boards for top journals in her field.
Representative Publications
Zepeda, C. D., & Nokes-Malach, T. J. (2023). Assessing metacognitive regulation during problem solving: A comparison of three measures. Journal of Intelligence, 11(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence11010016
Martin, R. S., Zepeda, C. D., Lindstadt, C., Love, B. & Butler, A. C. (2022). The cultural career script: College students’ expectations for a typical career. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 11(1), 66–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmac.2021.05.003
Wang, M. T., Zepeda, C. D., Qin, X., Del Toro, J., & Binning, K. R. (2021). More than growth mindset: Individual and interactive links among socioeconomically disadvantage adolescents’ ability mindsets, metacognitive skills, and math engagement. Child Development 92, e957-e976. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13560
Zepeda, C. D., & Nokes-Malach, T. J. (2021). Metacognitive study strategies in a college course and their relation to exam performance. Memory & Cognition. 49, 480-497. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-020-01106-5
Zepeda, C. D., Martin, R. S., & Butler, A. C. (2020). Motivational strategies to engage learners in desirable difficulties. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 9(4), 464-470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmac.2020.08.007
Boden, K. K., Zepeda, C. D., & Nokes-Malach, T. J. (2020). Achievement goals and conceptual learning: An examination of teacher talk. Journal of Educational Psychology, 12(6), 1221-1242. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000421
Zepeda, C. D., Hlutkowsky, C. O., Partika, A. C., & Nokes-Malach, T. J. (2019). Identifying teachers' supports of metacognition through classroom talk and its relation to growth in conceptual learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 111(3), 522-541. http://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000300
Zepeda, C. D., Richey, J. E., Ronevich, P., & Nokes-Malach, T. J. (2015). Direct instruction of metacognition benefits adolescent science learning, transfer, and motivation: An in-vivo study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 107(4), 954-970. http://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000022