Graduate Student

WINNIE ZHUANG

  • 5th year, ​Psychology​
Winnie joined the Cognition in Context Lab as a graduate student in Fall 2017. She received her B.S. in Biopsychology from Tufts University, her M.A. in Experimental Psychology from the College of William and Mary, and was most recently the Lab Manager at the NYU Infant Cognition and Communication Lab. Her past research interests included eating behaviors in adults and cognitive development in infancy. Going forward, she seeks to integrate those areas and explore the mechanisms underlying self-regulation and its development. When not in lab, Winnie can be found jogging, biking, drawing, or exploring new cuisines.

RACHEL FOSTER

Rachel joined the lab as a graduate student in 2022. Her research will investigate how children's developing cognitive and attentional control support learning in diverse contexts. Prior to joining the lab, Rachel completed her B.S. in Cognitive Neuroscience at Brown University and a fellowship in Developmental Psychopathology and Social Neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine, where she studied executive function development in neurodiverse preschoolers. Outside of the lab, Rachel loves to be outdoors: hiking, biking or trying new water sports, and is excited to explore California!

DIEGO PLACIDO

  • 3rd year, Psychology
Diego studies the heterogeneity in neurocognitive functioning (i.e., components of executive functions) and associated phenotypic behaviors by incorporating a focus on the dynamic interplay with experiences, environmental influences, and genetic biases. He is using functional and structural MRI techniques to observe adaptations in brain development across the lifespan and plans to apply computational modeling approaches to further delve into the development of certain cognitive processes related to emotional and behavioral regulation. Prior to joining the lab, Diego graduated from Brandeis University in 2015. He then continued research at Brown University to study the development of executive functions and visual attention in children and adolescents. Currently, Diego is being co-advised by Drs. Yuko Munakata and Susan Rivera.Diego studies the heterogeneity in neurocognitive functioning (i.e., components of executive functions) and associated phenotypic behaviors by incorporating a focus on the dynamic interplay with experiences, environmental influences, and genetic biases. He is using functional and structural MRI techniques to observe adaptations in brain development across the lifespan and plans to apply computational modeling approaches to further delve into the development of certain cognitive processes related to emotional and behavioral regulation.  Prior to joining the lab, Diego graduated from Brandeis University in 2015. He then continued research at Brown University to study the development of executive functions and visual attention in children and adolescents. Currently, Diego is being co-advised by Drs. Yuko Munakata and Susan Rivera.

JADE YONEHIRO

  • 4th year, ​Psychology
Jade’s work focuses on understanding how executive functions are influenced by various social and environmental factors. Her current work includes investigations into the role of parent’s scaffolding behaviors in the development of children’s executive functions, methods for supporting children’s inhibitory control across development, and the development and evaluation of social paradigms for measuring cognitive abilities.  Jade received her B.A. in Psychology and her M.S. in Experimental Psychology from Arizona State University. You can learn more about her and her research on her website: http://jadeyonehiro.com/