She has developed innovative ways of measuring executive function across the lifespan. In 2014, with Phil Zelazo, she co-founded Reflection Sciences, which provides the Minnesota Executive Function Scale and surrounding services to educators. She served as the company’s CEO (2016-2018), Chief Science Officer (2018-2021) and on the Board of Directors (2014-2021). In 2021, she co-founded Reflective Performance to bring insights on executive function to workforce development.
Dr. Carlson has made discoveries about the role of executive function in other important aspects of human development (decision-making, perspective-taking, and imagination). Her current research focuses on ways to help promote executive function through reflective practices in play, parenting, and preschool curricula. Her work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, Institute of Education Sciences, John Templeton Foundation, and the Character Lab. She has conducted cross-cultural research in North and South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe, and has been a Guest Professor of Southwest Normal University in Chongqing, China (2006-2009) and Zhejiang Normal University in Hangzhou, China (2013-2016).
Dr. Carlson received a B.A. with Honors from Bucknell University and a PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oregon. Prior to joining the University of Minnesota, she was an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington. Dr. Carlson is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science. She was selected for the APA Mary Ainsworth Award for Excellence in Developmental Science (2022). She has served on several editorial boards, was Vice President of the Jean Piaget Society (2008-2015), is a member of the Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Global Working Group (University of Chicago), and has advised Frontiers of Innovation (Harvard) and the National Governors’ Association. She has been an Advisor to Sesame Workshop, PBS Kids, Noggin, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Minnesota Children’s Museum, Playworks, and Transforming Education. Dr. Carlson is an invited speaker to national and international organizations (e.g., Aspen Brain Forum, Learning & the Brain, Young Presidents’ Organization, Simms/Mann Think Tank, TEDx Minneapolis). Her research has been featured in several media outlets, including Time, The Atlantic, New York Times Magazine, and National Public Radio.
