Lab Members

AD&D Lab 2023 Summer Social

 

LAB DIRECTOR

Dr. Nichole Lighthall is an Associate Professor of Psychology in the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. program. She also serves as the Associate Director of the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. program and a Faculty Fellow with the UCF Office of Research. She holds a B.A. in psychology from the UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in gerontology from the University of Southern California. Before coming to UCF, Dr. Lighthall completed her postdoctoral training at Duke University in the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, with a postdoctoral fellowship from the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development. The goal of her research program is to develop a neural model of decision processing that can be used to identify age-related vulnerabilities and pathways to compensation. She is particularly interested in how age-related changes to cognitive and affective components of decision making impact decision processing and quality. Dr. Lighthall is also a Co-Director of the Scientific Research Network on Decision Neuroscience & Aging, Executive Committee member for the Florida Consortium on the Neurobiology of Cognition, director of the UCF Learning & Longevity Research Network participant registry for Orlando-area older adults, and member of the Global Young Academy (2023 inductee).

**Dr. Lighthall will be considering PhD student applicants during the 2024-2025 admission cycle.  Applicants must apply to the UCF Human Factors & Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. program. 

Courses Taught:

• Cognitive Psychology (undergraduate): EXP 3604 (formats: F2F, MM, W)
• Motivation & Emotion (undergraduate): EXP 3304 (formats: MM, W)
• Neuroanatomical Basis of Psychological Function (graduate): PSB 6348 (formats: F2F)
• Neuroimaging Design and Analysis Methods (graduate): PSB 6352 (formats: F2F)

phone: 407-823-2216

email: nichole.lighthall@ucf.edu

POSTDOCS

Shensheng Wang is a postdoc in the Adult Development and Decision Lab. Born and raised in Tianjin, China, Shensheng received his B.S. from Nankai University and his Ph.D. from Emory University, where he worked with Dr. Philippe Rochat on infant perceptual development. Shensheng’s research interests broadly lie in humanness perception, which encompasses both attributing human characteristics to nonhuman agents (e.g., anthropomorphism) and denying human traits to others (e.g., dehumanization). In collaboration with Dr. Nichole Lighthall, Shensheng is interested in examining neurocognitive processes that might underpin trust-related decision-making in aging and the extent to which these processes manifest differently in social and nonsocial contexts. Shensheng’s ResearchGate

 

DOCTORAL STUDENTS

Jordan Schotz is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology (HFC) program. He holds an M.A. in HFC from UCF and a B.A. in Psychology from Webster Vienna Private University. He aims to answer the question, “How are perceptions of trustworthiness and trust behavior influenced by the valence of visual cues across varying degres of humanness?” His research uses economic decision games and a set of facial stimuli he co-created (VAFSS) to dissociate the effect of human-like visual cues from human mind perception in social contexts. VAFSS provides visual representations of over 300 UCF students that range from photographs to cartoon-ized virtual representations, as well as accompanying demographic and social characteristics. After graduation, he plans to teach in academia at a liberal arts institution and improve access to research opportunities. Jordan’s LinkedIn

 

PROJECT COORDINATORS

Lindsay Conner is a project coordinator for the Florida consortium to reduce misinformation and exploitation in Alzheimer’s Disease (FL Dept. Health 22A10) and Characterizing and modulating neurocognitive processes of learning to trust and distrust in aging (NIH R01-AG072658) studies. Originally from Florida, she studied neuroscience at University of Miami, followed by a Master’s program in Biomedical Imaging at University of California, San Francisco. Her previous research delved into mapping the influence of age-related changes in functional recruitment and structural brain integrity on episodic memory and value processing across adulthood. In particular, Lindsay is interested in applying neuroimaging methods (e.g., task fMRI, rs-fMRI, MRI, DTI, PET) toward identifying biomarkers of cognitive decline and potential compensatory mechanisms across healthy aging relative to the early development of Alzheimer’s disease.
 Lindsay’s ORCiD Lindsay’s ResearchGate

Grace Casanova is a Post-Bacc Research Project Coordinator for the Deciding Brains study which is focused on examining decision-making across healthy aging. Grace is currently an MBA candidate at the UCF College of Business and has recently graduated summa cum laude from UCF with a B.S. in Psychology and minor in Aging Studies. Her research interests are focused on geropsychology and later-life cognition. She plans for a healthcare administration career focused on serving older adults and enhancing their quality of life.

 

Samantha Tun is a second-year medical student at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. In 2021, she graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Neuroscience and Behavior and a minor in East Asian Languages and Culture. Before matriculating to med school, she worked as a research associate in the Fredericks Lab at Yale University for two years, investigating how advanced neuroimaging techniques can be used to understand how Alzheimer’s disease spreads across brain networks. Her interests at the Adult Developmental and Decision Lab include utilizing multimodal neuroimaging to better understand brain networks and understanding the neurological basis of executive function and emotional modulation.

Liana Santos graduated UCF in the Spring of 2024 with her Bachelors in the Health Sciences Pre-Clinical Track. Her research interests include cognitive decline, disparities in aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and disparities among vulnerable population groups. She plans to go to medical school and become a physician to help address the disparities and build strong, safe, relationships with those in vulnerable groups.

Carla Leinbach holds a B.S. from Illinois State University and an M.B.A. from Wake Forest University. Volunteering as Community Outreach Coordinator, she enjoys connecting with participants and communicating her love of life-long learning. Currently a student at UCF, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology, Neuroscience track. Carla’s research interests include motivation and how neural-net-based Artificial Intelligence adoption impacts intrinsic motivation.

 

Milena Alvarado Giler is a fourth-year student majoring in psychology on the neuroscience track. Her research interest includes behavioral neuroscience, imaging cognitive psychology and neuropsychology related to children. She plans to obtain a post-baccalaureate position before pursuing a PhD program.

Ailliy Garcia is a fourth-year transfer student at UCF pursuing a degree in Biomedical Science with a certificate in Anthropology Global Health. Her research interests include cognitive neuroscience & neurocognitive disorders. She is currently working as a research assistant on the Florida consortium to reduce misinformation and exploitation in Alzheimer’s Disease project. Ailliy has plans on attending medical school to become a neurosurgeon.

Samantha Tyler is a Senior in the Burnett Honors College at UCF. She is majoring in Psychology on the General Track, with a minor in Music. During the 2024 summer semester, she received the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship from UCF and presented a poster at the UCF Summer Poster Showcase. Her interests include social, developmental, personality, and physiological psychology. After graduation in Fall 2024, she hopes to pursue graduate school to further her understanding of the field of psychology and get more hands-on experience.

Jasmine Dave is a junior at UCF. She is currently pursuing a double major in Biology and Psychology. Her research interests include neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. She plans on attending medical school after graduation to specialize in Neurology.

Nicolette Pelchat is a fourth-year student majoring in Clinical Psychology and minoring in Early Childhood Development and Education and Human Services. Her research interests include developmental psychology, personality, cognitive psychology, learning, memory, and aging. After graduating, she plans on pursuing an Ed.S in School Psychology.

Miranda Kraenzlin is a senior majoring in Psychology on the Neuroscience track and minoring in Cognitive Sciences. She works as a registered behavior technician providing therapy to children with autism and has a research interest in behavioral, developmental, and cognitive psychology. After graduation, she plans to work professionally before pursuing a Neuropsychology PhD program.

Zachary Beaujon is a junior at the University of Central Florida. He is majoring in psychology on the clinical track, and is minoring in statistics. He is interested in childhood psychopathology as well as language development. He shows great interest in mentoring, counseling, and professing.  Zach plans on attending graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with hopes of professing at a university level.

Maria Gonzalez is a senior studying psychology and pursuing a minor in biological anthropology at UCF.  Her interests in research relate to bilingualism, language learning, aging, memory, and social cognition, as well as the interactions between environmental factors and cognitive performance.  She is planning on pursuing a Cognitive Sciences Certificate after graduation. In the future, she wishes to obtain her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology.

Leilani Cordoves is a junior at UCF majoring in Human Factors psychology with a minor in Statistics. Her research interests include misinformation and social trust when using new digital technologies such as video calling and artificial intelligence. After graduation, Leilani plans to enter a post-baccalaureate position before pursuing a doctoral degree. She is working under doctoral candidate Maggie Doheny on a project that analyzes decision-making with an in-person partner compared to a virtual partner. Leilani’s LinkedIn.

Hannah Mavres is a senior undergraduate student at UCF majoring in Psychology on the Clinical Track and supplementing her degree with a Behavioral Forensic Certificate. Her research interests include a wide range of clinical elements that deal with PTSD, attachments, anxiety, and forensic psychology. She is currently assisting with the Deciding Brains study. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a psychology doctoral program.

Kat Montgomery is a third-year psychology student. His research interests include the complexities of human connection. Specifically, how individuals interact, build relationships, and influence each other. After graduating, he plans on pursuing a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling and pursuing his research interests by exploring play therapy.

Juweyriyah Khurshid is a freshman in the Burnett Honors College majoring in Biomedical Sciences and minoring in Psychology. Her research interests are developmental, and clinical and cognitive psychology. Juweyriyah plans to go medical school after graduating and eventually work in pediatric neurology.

Anna Hubbard is a third-year psychology major on the neuroscience track with a minor in biology. Her research interests include the impacts of neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic brain injuries on psychological factors, including mood, attention, perception, and memory. After graduation, she plans on pursuing her Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience and going into research.

Macey Murphy is a junior at UCF majoring in psychology on the clinical track. Her research interests include a broad range of topics in psychology such as etiology of human behavior and psychopathology. After graduation, Macey plans to obtain a post-baccalaureate position before pursuing a Ph.D in clinical psychology. She is currently working under doctoral candidate Maggie Doheny on a project that analyzes decision making with an in-person partner versus a virtual partner on Zoom.

Gaby Jimenez is a second-year undergraduate student in the Burnett Honors College majoring in psychology and minoring in cognitive sciences. Her research interests include cognitive psychology and neuroscience, with a focus on how cognitive processes- such as memory and decision-making- evolve across the lifespan and are impacted by neurodegenerative diseases. After graduating, Gaby plans to pursue a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology.

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Christian Yam is a 3rd year psychology student at the University of Central Florida. His research interests include developmental psychology, technology/internet addiction, and the development of preventative measures and interventions for these issues. After graduating, Christian plans to pursue graduate school to gain further research and clinical experience.

Haley Flynn is a third-year psychology major at UCF. Her research interests include psychopharmacology, notably the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of psilocybin on healthy individuals and those with substance use disorders. She plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in psychopharmacology after graduation.