Hello! I am a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Kent State University, working with Dr. Dana Miller-Cotto. I received my Ph.D. in Human Development at University of Maryland, where I was advised by Dr. Richard Prather

I study how certain skills contribute to math and STEM performance, like executive functions and spatial skills. Understanding these relationships is important because early STEM skills affect later academic achievement, career, and daily life. My research also aims to find ways to promote STEM learning. This work sits at the intersection of developmental science, educational psychology, and cognitive psychology.

Email me at jmedran5@kent.edu.

See my CV here.

News

Publications

Medrano, J., & Prather, R.W. (2023). Rethinking executive functions in mathematical cognition. Journal of Cognition and Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2023.2172414 

Medrano, J., Crnosija, N., Prather, R. W., & Payne-Sturges, D. (2022). Bridging the environment and neurodevelopment for children’s health: Associations between real-time air pollutant exposures and cognitive outcomes. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.933327 

Prather, R.W., Benitez, V.L., Kendall Brooks, L., Dancy, C.L., Dilworth-Bart. J., Dutra, N.B., Faison, M.O., Figueroa, M., Holden, L.T.R., Johnson, C., Medrano, J., Miller- Cotto, D. Matthews, P.G., Manly, J.J., Thomas, A.K. (2022). What can cognitive science do for people? Cognitive Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.13167 

Medrano, J.*, Jaffe, J.,* Lombardi, D., Holzer, M.A., & Roemmele, C. (2020). Students’ scientific evaluations of water resources. Water. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12072048 

*Co-first authors