Lindsey Powell 

Principal Investigator  |  ljpowell@ucsd.edu

I study the early development of social cognition and motivation.  How do infants and young children understand others' minds, interactions, and relationships?  What motivates them to attend to and engage with social partners?  How do we develop the abilities to cooperate, communicate, and learn from each other in just the first few years of life? 

Bill Pepe 

Graduate Student  |  wpepe@ucsd.edu

My research examines how children identify people as being affiliated and/or belonging to a group, as well as the resultant attitudes and beliefs they express regarding affiliated dyads, and in/out-group members. 

Kexin (Coxi) Jiang

Graduate Student  |  k3jiang@ucsd.edu

My research examines infants’ ability to track social interactions. I am currently focusing on how past interactions shape their expectations about whether a partner is likely to reciprocate in the future.

Rodney Tompkins

Graduate Student Affiliate  |  rtompkins@ucsd.edu

Website

I am broadly interested in social cognitive development, or how young humans think about and navigate the social world. My current research in the lab aims to characterize children's concepts and evaluations of protectors and protective behaviors.

Tori Hennessy

Graduate Student Affiliate  |  vhennessy@ucsd.edu

My research examines how children actively shape their own learning in social and non-social contexts during early cognitive development. Currently, I’m exploring the influence of children’s individual interests on language production and knowledge.

Katherine Liang

Hi! I'm a second year undergraduate student majoring in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience. I am interested in studying how cognitive and social development in children are affected by their upbringing and environment. In my free time, I love walking along the beach and hiking nature trails, followed by cafe hopping in La Jolla and exploring the city!

Ciara Murman

Hi! My name is Ciara and I am a third-year clinical psychology major. I am interested in child development (specifically how infants and children learn and how their brains develop). I hope to become a licensed psychologist and work with children. In my free time, I go to concerts and the beach with friends and attempt to read.

Elisa Forino

Hello! My name is Elisa and I am a second-year undergraduate majoring in Clinical Psychology. I am super interested in understanding how children come to engage with their environments and learn to navigate social situations. Outside of school, I enjoy watching/playing soccer, trying new cafes, and spending time with friends.

Brianna Hickey

I am a third year undergraduate student majoring in Clinical Psychology and minoring in General Biology. I am interested in studying the ways children create and interpret social relationships. In my free time, I love running and going to the beach!

Perla Sanchez

Hi! I'm a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Developmental Psychology. I am interested in understanding the psychology behind children's behavior, their learning, and their relationships with others. As I hope to work with children in the future, I am eager to deepen my knowledge of child psychology and learn how to create a safe and supportive environment that fosters their growth and development. Outside of school, I enjoy baking, traveling, and spending time with friends and family!

Nisha Shah

Hi! I’m a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience. I’m interested in child development, specifically how they interact and perceive the world and relationships within it. In my free time, I love to read, bake, and explore new coffee shops!

Harleen Dhanda

Hi all! I am a visiting scholar from UC Santa Barbara through the UC LEADS program. I am a fourth-year Psychological and Brain Sciences major and Educational Studies minor. I am interested in child development, specifically early and persistent alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and it’s affects on adolescents’ social cognition. Post-graduation I look forward to working with adolescents in the Fresno County school district and working towards my doctorate to understand how early AOD affects adolescents’ social cognition. Outside of academia, I love to bake, make decorative crafts, and spruce up my plants :)

Katelin Kwan

Hi! I’m Katelin, a transfer student from Boston University majoring in psychology. My research interests center on social cognition, particularly morality and prosociality, and I hope to pursue a PhD after graduation. I am also passionate about education and social justice. In my free time, I enjoy swimming, hiking and exploring new places around town, especially cafes.