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Dr. Nichole Lighthall<\/strong> is an Associate Professor of Psychology in the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. program. She also serves as the Interim Associate Dean for Research and Facilities<\/a> in the UCF College of Sciences 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<\/em><\/a>, Executive Committee member for the Florida Consortium on the Neurobiology of Cognition<\/a><\/em>, director of the UCF Learning & Longevity Research Network participant registry<\/a> for Orlando-area older adults, and member of the Global Young Academy<\/em><\/a> (2023 inductee).<\/p>\n **Dr. Lighthall will consider PhD student applicants for the Fall 2027 academic cycle (GRE not required).\u00a0 Applicants must apply to the UCF Human Factors & Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. program.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Courses Taught:<\/p>\n phone: 407-823-2216<\/p>\n email: nichole.lighthall@ucf.edu<\/p>\n Dr. Lighthall’s LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\n Dr.\u00a0Shayna Soares<\/strong> is a postdoc working on the Florida Consortium to Reduce Misinformation and Exploitation in Alzheimer\u2019s Disease study (FDOH 22A10). Previously,\u00a0she worked with Dr. Corey Bohil in the Classification and Decision Laboratory at UCF, where she obtained her B.S. in Psychology on the Neuroscience track from UCF in 2019 and her M.A. In Applied Experimental and Human Factors Psychology in\u00a02023. Recently, she obtained her Ph.D. in Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology under Dr. Nichole Lighthall. Her primary research interests are in applying uncertain decision-making\u00a0theories to topics of a more political nature to provide a deeper understanding of political cognition issues (e.g., 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 LinkedIn <\/a><\/span>Shayna’s ORCID<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Jordan Schotz <\/strong>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, \u201cHow are perceptions of trustworthiness and trust behavior influenced by the valence of visual cues across varying degrees of humanness?\u201d 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.\u00a0Jordan’s LinkedIn<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Maggie Doheny<\/strong> is a fourth-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\u2019s N.E.R.D. Lab as an undergraduate research assistant. She then worked as a post-baccalaureate research assistant in Dr. Heather Risser\u2019s Family CARE and Parenting Lab in the Psychiatry Department at Northwestern University\u2019s 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. <\/span>Maggie’s LinkedIn <\/a>Maggie’s ORCID<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Emma Churchill<\/strong> is a third-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology. She graduated from San Diego State University with a B.A. in Psychology and double minors in Gerontology and Counseling and Social Change. As an undergraduate, she worked in the Brain Development Imaging Lab. She subsequently earned an M.A. in Psychology on the Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience track at San Diego State University, where she served as a graduate research assistant at the University of California San Diego Huntington’s Disease Clinical Research Center, investigating the effects of dual-task cognitive impairment on balance among individuals with premanifest, prodromal, and manifest Huntington\u2019s disease. Emma also worked as a graduate research assistant with Salud Tech at University of California San Diego, contributing to research focused on the digital phenotyping of cognitive decline in Latino\/a\/x communities across San Diego. Her primary research interests lie at the intersection of technology and neuropsychology, with a particular focus on identifying cognitive and behavioral markers of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease and subjective cognitive decline. Following her PhD, Emma intends to complete a postdoc in Clinical Neuropsychology with the intent to become a clinical neuropsychologist in an academic medical facility. Emma’s Google Scholar<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Jordan Sammarco <\/b>is a project coordinator for the Florida Consortium to Reduce Misinformation and Exploitation in Alzheimer\u2019s Disease (FDOH 22A10) and UCF Deciding Brains (NIH R01-AG072658) studies. She is a graduate of UCF and the Burnett Honors College with a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Writing and Rhetoric. As an undergraduate, she spent two years in the Classification and Decision Lab as the lab manager and conducted an honors thesis utilizing VR meditation and fNIRS. Her research interests include functional neuroimaging and the development of preventative interventions for neurological disease. Jordan’s LinkedIn<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Lindsay Conner <\/strong>is a project coordinator for the Florida consortium to reduce misinformation and exploitation in Alzheimer\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s disease. Lindsay’s ORCiD<\/a> Lindsay’s ResearchGate<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Samantha Tun<\/strong> 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tavisha Singh<\/strong> is a third-year student majoring in psychology and anthropology. Her research interests include decision-making, memory, language acquisition, and human factors in a virtual environment and with virtual avatars. After graduating, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology\/human factors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kat Montgomery<\/strong> is a fourth-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 to pursue a Master\u2019s degree in Mental Health Counseling and explore his research interests by studying play therapy.<\/p>\n Gaby Jimenez<\/strong> is a third-year undergraduate student in the Burnett Honors College, majoring in psychology and minoring in cognitive sciences. Her research interests include cognitive psychology and neuroscience, specifically how cognitive processes change throughout the lifespan and how they are impacted by neurodegenerative diseases. After graduating, Gaby plans to pursue a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology.<\/p>\n Nanisa Goyal<\/strong> is a senior majoring in Health Sciences on the preclinical track and minoring in Entrepreneurship. Her interests in research include artificial intelligence and its effects on the medical industry and decision-making. After graduation, she aspires to attend medical school and specialize in pediatrics or dermatology. Nanisa’s LinkedIn.<\/a><\/p>\n Matthew McGovern<\/b><\/span>\u00a0is a senior majoring in psychology with a minor in statistics. His interests include computational approaches to modeling human cognitive processes, such as perception, decision-making, and inference. After graduating, he plans to pursue graduate programs in cognitive psychology\/science with a computational focus.<\/p>\n Sydney Edwards<\/strong> is a junior majoring in Psychology on the neuroscience track with a minor in Health Science. Her research interests include cognitive neuroscience, with a focus on memory, language, and behavior in neurodevelopmental disabilities\/disorders. After graduating, she plans to attend medical school to become a psychiatrist and improve mental health accessibility for disabled individuals.<\/p>\n Mykayla Bland<\/strong> is a junior majoring in Biomedical Sciences on the Pre-Medical Track with a minor in sociology. Her research interests include medical decision making as well as adult cognitive development. She plans to further her education post-graduation by getting her master’s degree in the science of anesthesia. In the future she aspires to obtain her CAA and work as a certified anesthesiologist assistant.<\/p>\n Nathan McGovern<\/strong> is a freshman majoring in computer science. His research interests include computational modeling of cognition and computer vision. After graduation, he plans to pursue graduate programs in cognitive science or AI.<\/p>\n Rodolfo (“Rudy”) Cespedes<\/strong> is an honors undergraduate pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a concentration in neuroscience, a minor in Cognitive Sciences, and an Undergraduate Research Certificate. He serves as a research assistant in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience across multiple labs, contributing to human-subject data collection and literature synthesis. His research interests center on clinical neuropsychology and neurocognitive function across neurological conditions, with a focus on biomarkers of neurocognitive decline. He also serves as a teaching assistant for core psychology courses and plans to pursue a career in academic medicine and clinical research.<\/p>\n Madeline Sisto<\/strong> is a senior transfer student at UCF, majoring in Psychology on the clinical track. Her research interests include adolescent psychology and forensic psychology, specifically the impacts of trauma and mental disorders, and the motivation behind behaviors. After graduation, she plans on pursuing graduate school, focusing on clinical psychology.<\/p>\n Madeline Wong<\/strong> is a fourth-year undergraduate student double majoring in Psychology and Spanish. Her research interests include neurodegenerative conditions, bilingual care, and neuroplasticity as it relates to rehabilitation. After graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and become a neuropsychologist.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LAB ALUMNI<\/span><\/p>\n Postdoctoral Scholars<\/strong><\/p>\n Doctoral Students<\/strong><\/p>\n Graduate Certificate Students Community Outreach Coordinator<\/strong><\/p>\n Undergraduate Honors Thesis Advisees<\/strong><\/p>\n Post-Baccalaureate Research Assistants<\/strong><\/p>\n Non-Student Grant Project Coordinators<\/strong><\/p>\n Undergraduate Research Assistants<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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POSTDOCS<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
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DOCTORAL STUDENTS<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
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PROJECT COORDINATORS<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\n\nUNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
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