Cognition & Aging Lab Members at San Francisco State University
(2014-2018) and at Georgia State University (2018-present)
M.A. Students & Lab Managers
Sabrina Bhangal (Fall 2016 - Summer 2017): Sabrina earned her M.A. in the Mind, Brain, and Behavior program at SFSU under the advisement of Dr. Morsella. In addition to her thesis research, Sabrina also completed a project in the Cognition & Aging Lab. This project examined whether younger and older adults differ in their metacognition of working memory performance. After leaving SFSU, Sabrina joined the Ph.D. program in Cognition and Neuroscience at the University of Missouri. In her Ph.D. program she will continue to conduct research related to aging and cognition.
Aumyo Hassan (Fall 2017 - present): Aumyo is a second-year graduate student at SFSU in the Mind, Brain, and Behavior program. He graduated from Rutgers University, New Brunswick in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. His research interests center around how memory affects perception and behavior. He is co-advised by Dr. Rav Suri.
Noelle Lopez (Fall 2016 - Summer 2018): Noelle was a graduate student at SFSU in the Mind, Brain, and Behavior program. She was also the lab manager from 2017-2018. Prior to coming to SFSU, she earned her Bachelors of Science in Psychology at Southern Oregon University (Ashland, Oregon) in June of 2016. Her research interests include how memory changes as a person ages, and how memory can be influenced and manipulated. She is also interested in how Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia affects the brain and memory. In the future she hopes to obtain a Ph.D in cognitive neuroscience.
Kristy Lui (Fall 2017 - Spring 2018): Kristy earned her B.A. in Psychology and her M.A. in Gerontology from SFSU. As part of her graduate work, she volunteered in the Cognition & Aging Lab. Her current areas of interest include exploring bereavement as an expected life event in the aging process, and examining the impact of death and dying on decision making throughout the life course. She is also interested in studying the relationship between ageism and terror management theory.
Sierra Niblett (Fall 2015): Sierra was the first lab manager in the Cognition & Aging Lab at SFSU. Prior to this, Sierra received her M.A. in psychological research with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience from SFSU . Her thesis, entitled Your brain on stereotypes: Social context biases early cortical attention, integrated her passion for cognitive neuroscience and her interest in understanding how contextual factors influence basic processes. After leaving the Cognition & Aging Lab, Sierra obtained a full-time research position at the University of San Francisco.
Jordan Seliger (Spring 2016 - Spring 2017): Jordan was the second lab manager of the Cognition & Aging Lab at SFSU. Prior to joining the lab, Jordan received his M.A. in psychological research with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience from SFSU. His graduate research primarily examined the influence of social status on categorization, stereotype formation, and group permeability. After leaving the Cognition & Aging Lab, Jordan obtained a full-time research position at Stanford University.
Shyuan Ching Tan (Fall 2015 - Summer 2017): Shyuan was a graduate student in the gerontology program at SFSU who completed her culminating experience in the Cognition & Aging Lab. She is interested in the multifaceted interaction between aging and culture, and particularly how this interaction affects older adults' memory and cognition. After graduating, Shyuan entered the Human Development and Family Studies Ph.D. program at Penn State.
Sara White (Fall 2015 - Summer 2018): Sara completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at SFSU in 2016. As part of this, she was enrolled in the psychology department's honors thesis program. Her study, which was completed in the Cognition & Aging Lab, tested whether decision making styles affect people's choice satisfaction and memory of their choices. After completing her undergraduate degree, Sara then began graduate training in the Mind, Brain, and Behavior program at SFSU. Her thesis research was also completed in the Cognition & Aging Lab and focused on the illusory truth effect.
Nicholas Yeh (Fall 2015 - Summer 2017): Nick was a graduate student in the Mind, Brain, and Behavior program at SFSU. Prior to this, He earned his B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2009. His research interests include all areas of the brain that take us from ion to intelligence, and he is drawn to the complexities of neuroscience systems that facilitate brain function. Nick's M.A. thesis was completed in the Cognition & Aging Lab, and examined the impact of emotion regulation on memory. After graduating, Nick entered the Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. program at Notre Dame.
Aumyo Hassan (Fall 2017 - present): Aumyo is a second-year graduate student at SFSU in the Mind, Brain, and Behavior program. He graduated from Rutgers University, New Brunswick in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. His research interests center around how memory affects perception and behavior. He is co-advised by Dr. Rav Suri.
Noelle Lopez (Fall 2016 - Summer 2018): Noelle was a graduate student at SFSU in the Mind, Brain, and Behavior program. She was also the lab manager from 2017-2018. Prior to coming to SFSU, she earned her Bachelors of Science in Psychology at Southern Oregon University (Ashland, Oregon) in June of 2016. Her research interests include how memory changes as a person ages, and how memory can be influenced and manipulated. She is also interested in how Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia affects the brain and memory. In the future she hopes to obtain a Ph.D in cognitive neuroscience.
Kristy Lui (Fall 2017 - Spring 2018): Kristy earned her B.A. in Psychology and her M.A. in Gerontology from SFSU. As part of her graduate work, she volunteered in the Cognition & Aging Lab. Her current areas of interest include exploring bereavement as an expected life event in the aging process, and examining the impact of death and dying on decision making throughout the life course. She is also interested in studying the relationship between ageism and terror management theory.
Sierra Niblett (Fall 2015): Sierra was the first lab manager in the Cognition & Aging Lab at SFSU. Prior to this, Sierra received her M.A. in psychological research with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience from SFSU . Her thesis, entitled Your brain on stereotypes: Social context biases early cortical attention, integrated her passion for cognitive neuroscience and her interest in understanding how contextual factors influence basic processes. After leaving the Cognition & Aging Lab, Sierra obtained a full-time research position at the University of San Francisco.
Jordan Seliger (Spring 2016 - Spring 2017): Jordan was the second lab manager of the Cognition & Aging Lab at SFSU. Prior to joining the lab, Jordan received his M.A. in psychological research with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience from SFSU. His graduate research primarily examined the influence of social status on categorization, stereotype formation, and group permeability. After leaving the Cognition & Aging Lab, Jordan obtained a full-time research position at Stanford University.
Shyuan Ching Tan (Fall 2015 - Summer 2017): Shyuan was a graduate student in the gerontology program at SFSU who completed her culminating experience in the Cognition & Aging Lab. She is interested in the multifaceted interaction between aging and culture, and particularly how this interaction affects older adults' memory and cognition. After graduating, Shyuan entered the Human Development and Family Studies Ph.D. program at Penn State.
Sara White (Fall 2015 - Summer 2018): Sara completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at SFSU in 2016. As part of this, she was enrolled in the psychology department's honors thesis program. Her study, which was completed in the Cognition & Aging Lab, tested whether decision making styles affect people's choice satisfaction and memory of their choices. After completing her undergraduate degree, Sara then began graduate training in the Mind, Brain, and Behavior program at SFSU. Her thesis research was also completed in the Cognition & Aging Lab and focused on the illusory truth effect.
Nicholas Yeh (Fall 2015 - Summer 2017): Nick was a graduate student in the Mind, Brain, and Behavior program at SFSU. Prior to this, He earned his B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2009. His research interests include all areas of the brain that take us from ion to intelligence, and he is drawn to the complexities of neuroscience systems that facilitate brain function. Nick's M.A. thesis was completed in the Cognition & Aging Lab, and examined the impact of emotion regulation on memory. After graduating, Nick entered the Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. program at Notre Dame.
Volunteers & Undergraduate RAs
Santos Alferez (Spring 2017 - Summer 2018): Santos graduated from SFSU with a psychology degree in 2017. He is interested in cognitive psychology research and its implications for politics. In the future he hopes to pursue graduate education in political psychology in order to investigate voting behavior, candidate selection, and party affiliation.
Jessica Becerra (Spring 2016 - Summer 2018): Jessica graduated from SFSU with a psychology degree in 2016. As a post-baccalaureate volunteer in the Cognition & Aging Lab she conducted an independent research project on social contagion memory effects. Her general research interests focus on cognition and memory. She is specifically interested in the creation of false memories (particularly through social interactions) and the factors that influence eyewitness memory. After leaving the Cognition & Aging Lab, Jessica entered the Psychology PhD program at the University of Oklahoma.
Kriti Cadambi (Fall 2017- present): Kriti majored in psychology and graduated from SFSU in 2018. In addition to volunteering in the lab, Kriti also worked as a registered behavioral therapist with families in San Francisco. Her research interests focus on cognition and memory. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in clinical psychology in the future.
Megan Chesher (Spring 2017 - Fall 2017): Prior to joining the Cognition & Aging Lab, Megan completed her master's degree in clinical psychology at Loyola University Maryland. She has worked as an intern therapist in community mental health and outpatient substance abuse treatment centers. In addition to volunteering in the lab, Megan also worked as a counselor at an inpatient treatment center for drug and alcohol addiction and she volunteers as a crisis counselor. Megan is interested in neuropsychological assessment and research that focuses on the impact of psychoactive substances on various brain functions. She plans to apply to doctoral programs in the future.
Cristina Colindres (Spring 2016): During her time in the Cognition & Aging Lab, Cristina assisted in projects related to memory and aging. However, her primary research interests are in industrial-organizational psychology. In the future she plans to obtain her Master's Degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology in order to consult and motivate adults in the business field.
Derek Chan (Fall 2017): Derek graduated from SFSU in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in counseling. He is interested in research related to memory and mental health. In addition to volunteering in the lab, Derek also worked at a learning center with students K-8th grade. He is planning to pursue a graduate degree in school-related counseling.
Morgan Crims (Spring 2016 - Fall 2016): Morgan assisted in research examining the impact of emotion regulation on memory. She is generally interested in clinical issues related to older adults and is especially interested in therapy for issues surrounding dying and bereavement. In the future she plans to apply to graduate programs to study these issues. In addition to working in the Cognition & Aging Lab, Morgan also volunteered for the Friendship Line, a crisis line focused on people aged 60 and older through the Institute on Aging.
Tasha Custer (Fall 2016 - Spring 2017): Tasha assisted in the analysis of psycho-physiology recordings and coding of memory recall data. In addition to her work in the lab, Tasha also served as President of Psi Chi and had a job as a behavioral therapist working with children on the autism spectrum. She plans to one day complete a masters degree and earn a BCBA certification.
Sagarika Devarayapuram Ramakrishnan
Sagarika (she/they) is an undergraduate student of Psychology at Georgia State University. She is currently working on her Honor's Thesis in the Cognition & Aging Lab. Her thesis examines age differences in memory for prior emotions. After completing their undergraduate degree, they are interested in pursuing a PhD. Broadly, they are interested in social determinants of health and exploring the intersections of gender, sexuality, and racial and ethnic identities and their interactions with mental health. In her spare time, Sagarika reads and reviews books, and runs a social media account specifically devoted to that!
Alisha Dhanji: Alisha is a pre-med student at GSU working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She is also pursuing a minor in Chemistry. She is interested in cognitive psychology and its application in patient care, in conjunction with both therapy and medication. After completing her undergraduate degree, Alisha hopes to attend medical school, and eventually become a psychiatrist.
Dimitrius Ellisen (Fall 2017): Dimitrius assisted in collecting data for a study on the positivity effect. His research interests are interdisciplinary in nature, mainly concerning ways in which individual differences in cognition/ mindfulness can possess medicinal value and affect overall quality of life. Dimitrius has aspirations of eventually pursuing a Ph.D. in psychology.
Hannah Lee (Fall 2015 & Spring 2016, Undergraduate Honor's student): Hannah's research in the Cognition & Aging Lab was done as part of the SFSU Psychology Department's honor's program. Her project examined how ageist stereotypes vary based upon older adults' physical appearance. While an undergraduate at SFSU, she also volunteered at Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, where she helped older adults adopt senior dogs as companions. After graduating Hannah was accepted to a gerontology graduate program at the University of Southern California. She aims to help older adults remain healthy and socially involved in their communities.
Soohyoung Rain Lee (Spring 2015 - Fall 2015): Rain was the first undergraduate research assistant to work in the Cognition & Aging Lab at SFSU. As an undergraduate at SFSU, he also spent time volunteering at Sutter Hospital in the Hospitalized Elder Life Program. His research interests include understanding how social activity and perspectives about aging influence older adults. He is also interested in end of life issues, including hospice and palliative care. After leaving the Cognition & Aging Lab, Rain was accepted to a graduate program at Yeshiva University.
Cori Harral (Spring 2016 - Fall 2016): Cori assisted in data collection for a project related to attention fluctuations across the lifespan. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in clinical psychology and hopes to become a therapist for children or older adults.
Dina Kireeva (Summer 2017 - present): Dina graduated from SFSU in the fall of 2017 with a degree in psychology. She is interested in both cognitive and clinical psychology and the roles they play in treatment settings. She plans on later pursuing a graduate degree in clinical psychology and hopes to continue working in research.
Vanessa Martinez
Vanessa is working on her B.S in Psychology with a Pre-Med concentration at GSU. She is also completing an Honor's Thesis in the Cognition & Aging Lab. Her thesis examines the effects of awareness of age-related change on physical and cognitive outcomes in older adults. Previously, Vanessa had the opportunity to work alongside a palliative care doctor at a geriatic home in Colombia, and this led to her interest in aging. After graduating, Vanessa plans to pursue a medical degree. Her fields of interest include neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry. Vanessa loves to travel, paint and do yoga.
Melissa Ortiz (Summer -Fall 2017): Melissa graduated from SFSU in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She is interested in research related to memory and aging. In the future she hopes to pursue a graduate degree in clinical psychology, with an emphasis on geropsychology.
Eric Rozell (Spring 2018): Eric is an undergraduate student at SFSU majoring in psychology. His current interest is in ageism and how negative stereotypes impact older adults' medical evaluations, treatment, and end-of-life care. Eric plans to complete a Master of Arts in Gerontology in the future.
Benjamin Safer (Fall 2017- Spring 2018): Ben studied psychology as an undergraduate student at SFSU and graduated in 2018. During this time, we was a member of the Cognition & Aging Lab as well as a member of Dr. Paik's Learning and Development Lab. Within these two labs, he explored emotion regulation in the context of both young children and older adults. After graduating, Ben was accepted to the M.A. in Developmental Psychology program at SFSU.
Ismael Tellez (Summer 2017 - Summer 2018): Ismael was an undergraduate student at SFSU majoring in psychology. His areas of interest included memory and the effects of dementia on cognition. After graduating in 2018, Ismael joined the M.A. in Gerontology program at SFSU.
Megan Thomas (Fall 2016 - Fall 2017): During her time int he lab, Megan assisted in data collection for multiple projects that examined memory and emotion in younger and older adults. She is broadly interested in memory processes. After leaving SFSU, Megan was accepted to the M.A. in Psychology program at Sacramento State University.
Kevin Tiziani (Spring 2017): During his time in the Cognition & Aging Lab, Kevin assisted in data collection for a project related to the positivity effect in memory. Kevin has interests in both cognitive psychology and psycho-physiological psychology. He hopes to one day earn a Ph.D., join the field of research, and make an influential contribution.
Hieu Tran (Fall 2017 - Summer 2018): Hieu received his bachelor's degree in psychology from Michigan State University. He then spent a year as a post-baccalaureate volunteer in the Cognition and Aging Lab at SFSU. After leaving SFSU, Hieu went on to a M.A. program in Applied Cognitive Psychology at Claremont Graduate University. He plans to pursue a career in visual perception research. Ultimately, he wants to become a university professor and broaden students' knowledge.
Jenee Yuen (Spring 2018): Jenee was an undergraduate student at SFSU studying psychology. She is specifically interested in the roles that memory, perception, and consciousness play in cognitive functioning and examining charges in cognition over the lifespan. She is also interested in how this research can be used in educational settings. In the future she plans to pursue a masters degree related to these interests.
Shari Weiser (Spring 2018): Shari majored in psychology and graduated from SFSU in 2018. In addition to volunteering in the Cognition & Aging Lab, she also worked at the Schurig Center for Brain Injury Recovery as an art facilitator, working with adults who have had traumatic brain injuries. She is interested in the intersection of cognition, memory, and adaptation. Shari plans to pursue a career working with older adults.
Other previous lab members include...
Kaylee Dunckel (Fall 2016 to Spring 2017, Undergraduate RA)
Nassa Jumpholwong (Summer 2016, Undergraduate RA)
Hiba Kausar
Nesa Nabavi (Summer 2016, Undergraduate RA)
Carmen Ng (Fall 2016 to Spring 2017, Undergraduate RA)
Nassa Jumpholwong (Summer 2016, Undergraduate RA)
Hiba Kausar
Nesa Nabavi (Summer 2016, Undergraduate RA)
Carmen Ng (Fall 2016 to Spring 2017, Undergraduate RA)