I'm a fourth year doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland, College Park studying Human Development and working in the Early Childhood Interaction Lab. Currently,  I study how children's early math knowledge relates to their use of and exposure to gesture, as well as other domain-general factors (such as executive function). Additionally, I'm interested in how each of these may vary based on context, such as in a playful, game-based math environment, or more formal, school-based educational setting. My work is currently funded by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. 

You can click here to read more about my research interests and active studies.

  • 2020 – 2025 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship - DGE 1840340
  • 2021 - 2022 Bruce W. Sorter Endowed Fellowship - University of Maryland, Department of Human Development & Quantitative Methodology
  • 2018 – 2020 Dean’s Fellowship - University of Maryland College of Education

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  • 2021 - 2022 Social Development and Learning Scholarship - University of Maryland College of Education
  • 2020 – 2021 Richard L. Matteson Endowed Scholarship - University of Maryland College of Education
  • 2019 – 2020 William C. & William J. Graham Endowed Scholarship - University of Maryland College of Education
  • 2019 Departmental Travel Award - University of Maryland, Department of Human Development & Quantitative Methodology

Gordon, R. & Ramani, G. B. (2021). Integrating embodied cognition and information processing: A combined model of the role of gesture in children’s mathematical environments. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 999. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.650286

Gordon, R., Scalise, N. R., & Ramani, G. B. (2021). Give yourself a hand: The role of gesture and working memory in preschoolers’ numerical knowledge. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 208, 105145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105145

Hurst, M. A., Wong, A., Gordon, R., Alam, A., & Cordes, S. (2021). Children’s gesture use provides insight into proportional reasoning strategies. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 214, 105277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105277

Chernyak, N., Turnbull V., Gordon, R., Harris P., & Cordes, S. (2020). Counting promotes proportional moral evaluation in preschool-aged children. Cognitive Development, 56, 100969. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2020.100969

Gordon, R., Chernyak, N., & Cordes, S. (2019). Get to the point: Preschoolers’ spontaneous gesture use during a cardinality task. Cognitive Development, 52, 100818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2019.100818

  • 2021-2022 Support for Advancing Research and Collaboration Dissertation Grant - University of Maryland College of Education
  • 2020 Graduate Student Government Research Grant - University of Maryland, College Park
  • 2015 – 2016 Senior Thesis Scholarship Recipient - Museum of Science - Boston, Living Laboratory®
  • 2015 – 2016 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Grant - Boston University

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Early Childhood Interaction Lab