Tracy R. Gleason, associate professor of psychology, received a B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1990. She completed her Ph.D. in child psychology, with a minor in interpersonal relationships, at the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota in 1998. She joined the Wellesley College faculty in 1998.

Most of Gleason's research has been concentrated on exploring and describing the relationships that some preschool-aged children have with imaginary companions. The phenomenon of imaginary companions has not received a great deal of attention in the psychological literature and is not well understood, so one goal of her research is to provide a definitive description of pretend friends with an eye toward how they might function in development. Studying the ways in which children talk about, and sometimes interact with, imaginary companions has the potential to illuminate how young children understand and think about social relationships in particular.

At Wellesley, Gleason teaches introductory and research methods courses in developmental psychology, as well as an upper-level seminar on young children's relationships, both real and imaginary. She is particularly interested in emphasizing how psychological principles of development can be applied to real life, including their implications for policies regarding children and families.

Gleason's senior thesis students have worked on projects relating to the development of new methodology for investigating children's theory of mind as well as young children's perceptions of their social relationships.

She has advocated for special requirements for teachers of children in kindergarten and younger. She is also interested in working on policy issues such as passage of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has been ratified by almost every country in the U.N. except the United States. During her leisure time, Gleason plays the oboe in a local orchestra and enjoys swimming.

Profile last updated: 1/07