Aniko joined the lab in the Winter of 2023 and is currently a third year undergraduate student pursuing a degree in psychology with a biological emphasis. She is interested in abnormal and social psychology. More specifically, she hopes to study industrial organizational psychology. In the future, she plans on attending graduate school to gain more knowledge and experience to build a career in the field of psychology. In her free time, she enjoys making jewelry, crocheting, exploring music and fashion, reading, and spending time with her friends.

Ishika joined the lab in the winter of 2023 and is pursuing a Psychology (Biology emphasis) degree. Ishika is interested in the sociocultural effects on cognitive processes, as well as children’s psychological development. More specifically, she wants to gain more knowledge on babies’ self awareness and how they attach to their caregivers in different cultural contexts. She wants to attend graduate school for clinical psychology and hopefully work in hospital settings. Outside of her academic life, Ishika is a dedicated competitive hip hop dancer who loves watching TV shows and drinking boba.

Ciel joined the lab in Winter 2023 and is currently pursuing a double major in Cognitive Science and Design. She is particularly interested in social psychology, developmental psychology, and psycholinguistics, and enjoys using the concepts of cognitive science and psychology as the groundwork for empathetic, human-centered design that tackles real-world issues. In the future, she is looking forward to a career in UX or product design. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, songwriting, journaling, and video editing.

Ben joined the lab in Winter of 2023 and is currently pursuing a BS in Cognitive Science with a neuroscience emphasis. He is interested in studying the individual differences that we see in cognition across different ages, and different people. Most specifically he is fascinated by the issue of consciousness, and how the brain gives rise to it. He hopes to continue in research, and potentially conduct his own one day. He spends his free time playing basketball, playing video games, and eating sushi.

Katie joined the lab in Winter 2023 and is currently pursuing a B.A. in Psychology. She is also in the ASPIRE program. She is interested in studying educational psychology, and more specifically the effects of equitable school curriculums on child cognitive development. Additionally, she is interested in studying mindfulness practices and their impact on emotional regulation in children. In the future, she hopes to attend graduate school and pursue a career in educational research or administration. Besides the lab and coursework, she enjoys reading, crocheting, cooking, and spending time with friends.

Zoya joined the lab in Fall 2022 and is currently working towards her degree in Biopsychology. Her past experience working with preschool children at a Montessori School and previous psychology coursework is what inspired her to join the lab and learn more about developmental psychology and cognitive control. In the future, she hopes to attend graduate school to get her PhD in Human Computer Interactions and start a career in UX research or Marketing UX. In her free time, Zoya enjoys cooking new recipes, playing musical instruments, and spending lots of time with her family and friends.

I am intrigued by Executive Functions of the brain, particularly our thoughts and decision making aspects; I’m fascinated by its ability to make decisions within milliseconds without us realizing it. I’ve worked with the homeless community and have deep empathy for our homeless United States Military Veterans, they inspired me to pursue my education and work in the field of mental health. I aspire to go to grad school and further my studies in Clinical Psychology in hopes of having a career in Mental Health. My ultimate self-care is hiking in remote locations and ending up near water whether it be an ocean or a river. My favorite places to hike are in Kauai, Maui, Lake Tahoe, Auburn, and Pacifica. I love California's heat and especially love it when it gets humid after rains. I delight in spicy Thai and Indian cuisines.

Sam joined the lab in Spring 2022 and is currently pursuing a degree in cognitive science. She is particularly interested in the cognitive development of learning & language, as well as personality and social psychology. In the (near) future, she plans to get her doctorate in psychology, with the hopes of working in therapy settings, academic settings, and possibly in research. Beyond the lab and coursework, Sam enjoys watching movies with her roommate, learning new things, and practicing yoga!

Negar joined the lab in the spring, of 2022. Negar is pursuing her BS and aiming to attend medical school afterward. She is excited to specialize in pediatrics. She is interested in how parenting and parent's behavior can affect and have an influence on children’s executive function and cognitive control. Also, she worked with people who suffered from dementia, and is interested in the relationship between neurological aspects of these patient’s brains with their long-term and short-term memories and executive functions. In her free time, she like to write and read poems and explore different coffee shops.

Jenny joined the lab in the Spring of 2022 after she graduated from UC Davis with a B.A. in Psychology in 2021. She is interested in studying how sociocultural factors influence bilingual language acquisition and production, especially for underrepresented bilingual groups. She raises questions like: how does culture shape the language-learning process and cognition in different-script bilinguals? In her free time, she likes to hip-hop dance, swim, and brew coffee.