Current Lab Members

Tyler Warner is completing his predoctoral internship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. His research interests focus on how differences in top-down cognitive control mechanisms manifest as behavioral differences in children with ADHD. Tyler received his undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Chicago, where he worked with Dr. Lindsey E. Richland to investigate how differences in visual presentation and non-verbal teacher communication affect the learning of math concepts in the elementary classroom.

Christina Hlutkowsky is completing her predoctoral internship at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital. She received a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh in 2015, where she worked with Dr. Timothy Nokes-Malach and Dr. Cristina Zepeda studying teacher-led cognitive skills in urban classrooms. After graduating, she worked with Dr. Susan Perlman at the Laboratory for Child Brain Development at UPMC investigating child emotion regulation, focusing on irritability, and executive function development during the preschool years using fNIRS, fMRI, and behavioral measures. The focus of Christina’s research centers around improving how the field classifies and measures psychological processes (cognitive, emotional, neuropsychological) to accurately assess, and therefore treat, of childhood disorders like ADHD.

Elsie is a fifth-year student in the Child-Clinical Psychology doctoral program. She is interested in understanding individual differences in cognitive and affective processes that can explain difficulties with attentional control as seen in ADHD and other neuropsychiatric conditions. She received her B.A. in Psychology from McGill University where she worked with Dr. Ross Otto on a project examining individual differences in decisions involving cognitive effort. After graduation, she worked with Dr. Madeleine Sharp studying how alterations in the dopaminergic system affect learning and motivation in Parkinson’s patients, and with Dr. Xiaoqian Chai exploring brain cognitive development and the effects of early-life language-learning experience on intrinsic brain connectivity.

Kat is a third-year student in the Child-Clinical Psychology doctoral program. She is interested in the development and assessment of externalizing disorders. She completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she worked with Dr. Rebecca Waller studying callous-emotional traits in children. After graduating, she worked in the Social and Affective Neuroscience of Autism Lab at the Yale Child Study Center researching the studying the socioemotional development of children with neurodevelopmental disorders

Caden Carter is a second-year student in the Child Clinical Psychology doctoral program under the mentorship of Dr. Cynthia Huang-Pollock. He received his B.A. in psychology and Russian at Vanderbilt University in 2022. Following graduation, Caden worked at the Education and Brain Sciences Research Lab at Vanderbilt University under Laurie Cutting. His work there involved the role of executive function in reading development and on assessment of executive function, academic achievement, and cognitive abilities. Caden‘s current research focuses on learning differences (primarily reading and spelling) in children with ADHD. When he is not in the lab, Caden loves lacrosse, running, reading fantasy/sci-fi, and learning about sharks (especially shortfin makos).

Melica is a senior from State College, PA pursuing a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a B.A. in French and Francophone Literature. Melica has an interest in Neuropsychology, specifically concerning children and mental health disorders. She plans on attending graduate school to pursue research in Neuropsychology after receiving her bachelor’s degree. Melica is on the Executive Board of Minorities in the College of the Liberal Arts and is passionate about making experiences in higher education more accessible. She is also on Penn State’s Club Rowing Team. Melica has spent five years volunteering at Discovery Space, her local children’s science center, and enjoys helping with their programs throughout the semester. In her free time, she enjoys reading, rowing, running, and spending time with friends and family.

Rachel is a Senior from Nashville, TN, pursuing a B.S. in Psychology and minoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Rachel is interested in gender studies and human sexuality and how that intersects with different subsets of psychology. She plans on attending graduate school to further dive into psychology with a focus on clinical/research. Rachel is a member of Psi Chi and a proctor for the psychology department. She also holds a position at the PSU Psychological Clinic as a part-time receptionist. She is involved in THON and a part of the organization Hershey Kisses. In her free time, she enjoys reading, listening to music, watching movies/shows/anime, and spending time with her friends.