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

Shayna Soares is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology program. She obtained her B.S. in Psychology on the Neuroscience track from UCF in 2019 while working with Dr. Corey Bohil in the Classification and Decision Laboratory. Her primary research interests are in applying decision making and categorization theories to topics of a more political nature to provide a deeper understanding of political cognition issues (i.e., misinformation spread, increased polarization, and party label bias) as well as involving the use of neuroimaging techniques (fNIRS) to better understand the underlying neural correlates associated. Shayna’s LinkedInShayna’s ORCID

Maggie Doheny is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology program at UCF. In 2021, she graduated from the University of Alabama with a B.S. in Psychology and Neuroscience, and worked in Dr. Laura Morett’s N.E.R.D. Lab as an undergraduate research assistant. She then worked as a post-baccalaureate research assistant in Dr. Heather Risser’s Family CARE and Parenting Lab in the Psychiatry Department at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Here at the Adult Development and Decision Lab, her research examines the cognitive and neural mechanisms that explain differences in social decision-making between remote and face-to-face interactions. Maggie’s LinkedInMaggie’s ORCID

 

LAB MANAGER

Lake Miller is a senior in the Burnett Honors College, majoring in Neuropsychology. He is currently working on his Honors in the Major Thesis: Adverse Childhood Experiences and Working Memory. His interests include neuroscience, neuropsychology, cognitive and behavioral psychology. He plans on pursuing a PhD in Neuroscience to explore the long-term effects of trauma and its influence on brain development.

Zounaira Shahzad recently graduated summa cum laude from UCF with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences. She is currently working on the Florida consortium to reduce misinformation and exploitation in Alzheimer’s Disease project. Additionally, her research interests also include healthcare disparities, and clinical psychology. She plans on attending medical school after graduation.

 

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.

 

POST-BACCALAUREATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

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.

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

Haily Follese is a senior at UCF majoring in Experimental Psychology with a minor in Cognitive Sciences. Her research interests include: decision-making, human-computer interaction (HCI), and the use of virtual avatars in these areas. She plans on pursuing a post-baccalaureate position as a researcher at a university before pursuing a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology. Currently, Haily is heading a project titled “Virtual Avatar Facial Stimuli Set (VAFSS)”. For this project, Haily and fellow lab members are creating a valid facial stimuli set of college-aged students with photos that vary in the degree of humanness to be utilized in future research. This research has been funded by both the UCF Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) and the UCF Learning Institute for Elders (LIFE). Additionally, Haily has been an active contributor to an interdisciplinary study called “Digital Twins”, which aims to explore how learning and decision making is impacted when betrayal is committed by a close social partner. Haily’s LinkedIn

Bhargav Vyas is a third-year majoring in Biomedical Sciences and a student in the Burnett Honors College. His research interests are in human behaviors and human decision making. He is currently conducting research involving the use of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Systems (fNIRS) and ambiguous decision making.

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.

Joseph Fadhli is a sophomore at UCF majoring in Health Sciences Pre-Clinical Track. Joseph is currently working as a research assistant on the NIH project which will study trust-based decision making as we age. After graduating, he plans on attending Medical School and further contributing to advancements in medical practices and patient care.

Ayna Ghulldu is a junior at UCF majoring in Biomedical Sciences and minoring in Psychology. Her research interests include decision-making, memory, learning, and aging. She previously worked as a research assistant on the Dictating Decisions project, and is now assisting with the Deciding Brains project. After graduating, she plans to go to medical school.

Michael Burnham is a Master’s student at UCF majoring in Mechanical Engineering. His interests include biomedical devices, CAD, Python, data analysis, & digital signal processing. He is currently working with the Biomedical Acoustics Research Laboratory, the Biomolecular Research Annex, and the Adult Development & Decision Lab (under Shayna Soares for the AFRL funded fNIRS project). Michael plans on pursuing a career in engineering and bioinformatics during graduate school. 

Sipho Langa is a third-year student majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies: Economics and Computational Science with a minor in Cognitive Science. His research interests lie at the confluence of technology, economics, and psychology, with a specific focus on mechanism design for social good. He is assisting with the Digital Twins study (Enhancing controlled social feedback manipulations in cognition and health research with Digital Twins). After graduation, Sipho wants to attend graduate school.

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.

Kazi Salsabil is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology. Her research interests include biological and psychological processes of stress, trauma, psychological and mental debilitation associated with sleep, psychological and biological factors of aging, and more. After graduation, she plans to further her knowledge in the clinical and research field. Then, she plans to pursue a career in the medical field. Kazi’s LinkedIn.

Tavisha Singh is a second-year student majoring in psychology and anthropology. Her research interests include decision-making, memory, language acquisition, and human factors. After graduating, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology.

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.

 

 

 

LAB ALUMNI

Doctoral Students

  1. Xiaoqing Wan (graduated 2022, Human Factors & Cognitive Psychology PhD; Manager, AI & Data Science, )
  2. Kylie Fernandez-Lee (graduated 2021, Human Factors & Cognitive Psychology PhD; Engineering Psychologist, Naval Air Warfare Center Training Simulation Division)

Graduate Certificate Students

  1. Christina Griep (completed 2020, Cognitive Science Certificate Program; PhD Student, Developmental Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience PhD Program, University of Houston)
  2. Ian Dalton (completed 2016, Cognitive Science Certificate Program;

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Advisees

  1. Grace Casanova (graduated 2024, Psychology; Aging Studies and Theater Minor; MBA Student, UCF Business School)
  2. Alyssa Hayes (graduated 2024, Psychology Major; Lab Manager, Social-Cognitive and Affective Development Lab, University of Florida)
  3. Trenton Lam (graduated 2023, Biomedical Sciences & Psychology Double Major; Medical Student, University of Chicago)
  4. Krupali Patel (graduated 2021, Psychology Major; Master of Education Student, Child Studies, Vanderbilt University)
  5. Melissa Merz (graduated 2017, Psychology Major; Associate Director, Educational Development, HMP Education)

Undergraduate Research Assistants

  1.  Kait Tolley 05/24-09/24
  2. Sophia Capello 05/24-08/24
  3. Louis Achillea 11/23-07/24
  4. Sydney Gillis 10/23-04/24
  5. Justin Barolette 09/23-05/24
  6. Teodora Anica 06/23-08/23
  7. Christopher Zizzo 08/23-07/24
  8. Sarah Velez-Osorio 08/23-12/23
  9. Isabella Lima 04/23-07/24
  10. Parker Sawyer 02/23-07/24
  11. Grace Casanova 01/23-05/24
  12. Andrei Nesterenko 11/22-05/23
  13. Alyssa Hayes 08/22-05/24
  14. Aidan Ray 04/22-05/23
  15. Katina Chris 04/22-05/23
  16. Sadie Hughey 04/22-07/22
  17. Yogita Venkata 04/22-08/23
  18. Amber Blount 05/21-08/24
  19. Zounaira Shahzad 05/21-10/24
  20. Trenton Lam 01/21-05/23
  21. Adriana Seda 01/21-12/21
  22. Ishara Jean-Francois 01/20-05/21
  23. Yolirys Aponte-Lopez 01/20-05/21
  24. Dalia El-Shafie 01/20-12/20
  25. Alexander Avdellas 01/20-08/21
  26. Krupali Patel  06/19-08/21
  27. Ramis Mukhtar 06/19-11/19
  28. Breanna Thomas 06/19-04/20
  29. Salim Mouloua 02/19-06/19
  30. Samuel Naranjo Rincon 01/19-04/20
  31. Natalie Verdiguel 01/19-12/19
  32. Breanna Davey 06/18-07/19
  33. Michael Gordon 05/18-12/18
  34. Lara Suarez 01/18-08/19
  35. Kipras Varkala 01/18-08/19
  36. Deborah Amburgey 01/18-08/19
  37. Yerika Germosen 01/18-05/19
  38. Madelaine Guernsey 01/18-06/18
  39. Melissa Vargas 05/17-08/17
  40. Jessalyn Landeta 05/17-12/17
  41. Karina Garcia  06/16-04/17
  42. Isabella Tripoli 06/16-12/16
  43. Adrian Torres 06/16-12/16
  44. Erin Doucet 06/16-12/17
  45. Amber Goerner 06/16-12/17
  46. Richard Bowen 01/16-12/16
  47. Alison Bell 01/16-05/16
  48. Andressa Faria 01/16-05/16
  49. Alexa Abitabilo 01/16-12/16
  50. James Ross 08/15-12/16
  51. Melissa Merz /15-05/17
  52. Drew Doyle 08/15-12/15