What degree are you pursuing?
– Undergraduate degree in Psychological Sciences, Class of 2020

Which lab are you representing?
– C.A.P. Lab

What is your position in the C.A.P. Lab?
– Research Assistant

Can you tell us more about what you do in your lab?
– In the C.A.P. Lab at UConn Waterbury, we study the building blocks of early cognitive development. We play different games to understand how kids learn, remember, and think at different points during development. Our “social brain” games involve copying others, while our “cognitive control” games challenge children to do/say the opposite of a natural tendency. By wearing our EEG & ECG sensors as they play, we gain insight into how brain waves and heart activity are involved in kids’ thinking.

What have you learned from working in the lab?
– Working in the lab has taught me more than I could ever imagine. This experience has taught me how a research lab is run and along the way I have developed many new skills including how to collect, analyze, code and enter data.

Can you tell us more about yourself and your goals?
– My career goals include providing psychotherapy to adolescent and young adult patients to help them learn how to effectively cope with stressors—especially teenagers who struggle with eating disorders and/or drug use problems. To this end, I will be going to The University of New Haven to obtain my Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and potentially continuing my journey with doctoral training.

What is your favorite activity to do at home?
– Pottery, hiking and taking walks with my dog Lucy, puzzles, baking and fishing.

Link to the C.A.P. Lab: https://kidcaplab.uconn.edu/