Dr. Lonigan is a Professor in the Psychology Department at Florida State University. He serves on the Early Literacy Panel of the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) and is nationally known for his work on literacy instruction and assessment for students at the Pre-K level.

Research Interest

Developmental psychopathology: principal focus on emotional and motivational influences on the development of psychopathology; early intervention (language/literacy) and its effects on cognitive, behavioral, and social development.

Other interests

PTSD in children; language acquisition; and language and behavior disorders of children

Dr. Lonigan’s current research includes:

• Preschool Interventions for Children At-Risk of Reading Failure: This research examines the efficacy of various preschool-based emergent literacy interventions on the language and preliteracy skills of children from lower-income families. Current focus is on the efficacy of various sequences of exposure to intervention components.

• Development of Emergent Literacy Skills in Preschool Children: This longitudinal research examines the development and interrelationship of language, phonological awareness, and other preliteracy skills. The project also is designed to investigate the origins of emergent literacy skills (e.g., familial and environmental influences). Current focus is on refining measures of emergent literacy skills for use with younger preschool-aged children and examining developmental and environmental correlates of these abilities.

• Language Development and Social Development: This research, a part of a larger longitudinal project, examines the relation between language, social competence, and behavior problems in preschool populations. Current focus is directed at developing valid measures of social competence and behavior that are sensitive to relatively short-term shifts in children's language skills, and incorporating these measures into evaluations of preschool language interventions.

Selected Publications

Anthony, J.L., Lonigan, C.J., & Hecht, S. (1999). Construct validity of posttraumatic stress disorder in children exposed to disaster: A confirmatory analysis of alternative models. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 108, 326-336.

Burgess, S.R., & Lonigan, C.J. (1998). Bidirectional relations of phonological sensitivity and prereading abilities: Evidence from a preschool sample. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 70, 117-141.

Lonigan, C.J., & Phillips, B.M. (in press). Temperamental basis of anxiety disorders in children. In M.W. Vasey & M.R. Dadds (Eds.), The developmental psychopathology of anxiety. Oxford University Press.

Lonigan, C.J., & Whitehurst, G.J. (1998). Relative efficacy of parent and teacher involvement in a shared-reading intervention for preschool children from low-income backgrounds. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 17, 265-292.

Lonigan, C.J., & Whitehurst, G.J. (in press). Getting ready to read: Emergent literacy and family literacy. In B. Wasik (Ed.), Family literacy programs: Current status and future directions.

Lonigan, C.J., Burgess, S.R., & Anthony, J.L. (2000). Development of emergent literacy and early reading skills in preschool children: Evidence from a latent variable longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 36, 596-613.

Lonigan, C.J., Burgess, S.R., Anthony, J.L., & Barker, T.A. (1998). Development of phonological sensitivity in two- to five-year-old children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 294-311.

Lonigan, C.J., Elbert J.C., & Johnson, S.B. (1998). Empirically supported psychosocial interventions for children: An overview. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 27, 138-145.

Lonigan, C.J., Hooe, E.S., David, C.F., & Kistner, J.A. (1999). Positive and negative affectivity in children: Confirmatory factor analysis of a two-factor model and its relation to symptoms of anxiety and depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 374-386.

Vasey, M. W., & Lonigan, C. J. (in press). The clinical utility of performance-based measures: General issues and application to childhood anxiety, Journal of Clinical Child Psychology.

Whitehurst, G.J. & Lonigan, C.J. (1998). Child development and emergent literacy. Child Development, 69, 848-872.

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