Read up on our lab's researchers, some of whom you'll meet during a visit.
LAB DIRECTOR & PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Viridiana Benitez, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Email
Faculty website
My research focuses on understanding how cognitive mechanisms and language experience shape word learning across development.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Crystal Brucato
Graduate Student
B.S., 202, Arizona State University (Psychology)
Hello, my name is Crystal Brucato. I’m a first-year master’s student in the Auditory Language Neuroscience program. I earned my BS in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from Arizona State University, where I was a student at Barrett, The Honors College. I’m passionate about helping children from under-recognized populations and hope to become a neuropsychologist and pursue a PhD. My research interests include understanding and supporting children with neurodevelopmental conditions such as ASD and ADHD, especially in ways that connect to auditory and language processing.
RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Luka Smolens
Undergraduate Student
Hello, my name is Luka Smolens. I’m a senior undergraduate student pursuing a BA in Psychology. Within developmental psychology, I’m particularly interested in the effects of language backgrounds and bilingualism on early childhood cognition and growth, which led me to join the Learning and Development Lab. After graduating, I hope to attend graduate school and eventually become part of the Developmental Psychology Ph.D. program at ASU.
Adriana Echevarria-Mejia
Undergraduate Student
Hello my name is Adriana (Ria) Echevarria-Mejia. I am a senior undergraduate student majoring in Psychology. After receiving my BA, I hope to go to graduate school to pursue a degree in Clinical Psychology. Although I hope to pursue a career in the field of Clinical Psychology, I have always been interested in different languages, how they have developed over time, and how individuals learn them so I thought that the Learning and Development Lab would be a great fit for me. In my free time, I like to read, watch video essays, and learn different languages.
Audria Vestal
Undergraduate Student
My name is Audria Vestal and I am a senior undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. I am still not sure exactly what field of Psychology I want to pursue, but I really enjoy Developmental Psychology which is what led me to the Learning and Development Lab. I am excited to explore the field of Developmental Psychology more through this lab because I love working with kids. Getting to see their brains develop in real time is amazing and I can't wait to get more experience with kids through research. I'm so glad I get to be a part of the lab this semester!
Reyan Giron
Undergraduate Student
Hello everyone! My name is Reyan Giron and I’m a junior here at ASU. I’m currently majoring in Psychology while also minoring in Family and Human Development. After my undergraduate studies, I plan to attend medical school or get a PhD and further study the psychological aspects of child learning and development while also focusing on the effects of any damages to the nervous system that could lead to potential risks in how the child behaves in adulthood. By joining the Learning and Development Lab, I hope to gain experience as well as an outlook on expectations for when I delve deeper into my field of interest.
Isabelle Sauerman
Undergraduate Student
Hello, my name is Isabelle Sauerman, and I am a third-year undergraduate student here at ASU. I am pursuing a B.S. in Neuroscience with hopes of attending medical school. Growing up in New Mexico and being of Cuban descent, I was exposed to Spanish-speaking communities from a young age, which sparked my desire to become bilingual. While I am still working to improve my abilities, I am fascinated by the language acquisition process, especially during the formative years. My experience as a Patient Care Technician in a pediatric clinic deepened my love for working with children and strengthened my interest in developmental science. I am excited to be a part of the Learning and Development Lab, as it provides the opportunity to expand my knowledge in a field that is both academically and personally meaningful to me
Anyssia Gomez
Undergraduate Student
Hi, my name is Anyssia Gomez and I am a senior here at ASU. I am double majoring in Psychology and in Family and Human Development. I plan on going to graduate school for clinical psychology, and specialize in adolescents. I love helping with children and hope to have my own practice as a clinical psychologist for adolescents in my local community. I am also currently trying to learn Spanish in my free time. Which led me to find the Learning and Development lab due to their involvement with language development in children. I am so stoked to be a part of the team and further my interest in working with children in the psychology field.
Kiemora Browning
Undergraduate Student
Hello! My name is Kiemora Browning and I am a senior here at ASU. I am currently majoring inPsychology with a minor in Counseling and Applied Psychological Sciences. After I graduate, Iplan on goingto graduate school for school psychology to continue working with children intheir learning environment! I absolutely love working with children and I have experience as aRegistered Behavior Technician doing ABA therapy for children with Autism. My experiencesin ABA led me to pursue the Learning and Development lab to better understand how childrenlearn from their environment. I am super excited to expand my knowledge and skills while growing with this lab!
Delaney Witmer
Undergraduate Student
Hello, my name is Delaney Witmer! I’m a third year undergraduate Psychology major, with a minor in counseling and applied psychological sciences and pursuing a certificate in law and human behavior. After obtaining my BS, I plan to attend graduate school and receive a PhD in Forensic Psychology. After studying French all throughout high school and partially into my undergraduate career, I became fascinated with how language shapes our experiences and learning. This interest, alongside being a summer camp counselor for children, has led me to the Learning and Development Lab. I hope to expand my knowledge on how language affects and interacts with children’s learning, alongside how children interact with novel objects.
Kristyna Navarro
Undergraduate Student
Hello! My name is Kristyna Navarro, I am a senior at ASU pursuing a B.S. Psychology. I plan to attend graduate school for a PhD in clinical psychology. As a first-generation student, Spanish was my first language, so I was very interested in studying how children learn different languages under the Learning and Development Lab. Working in this lab, I hope to further my skills in research and decide whether working with children is something I want to pursue in the future.
LAB ALUMNI
PhD Student Alumni
Marissa Castellana,
Ye Li,
Undergraduate Student Alumni
Beatrice Pasqual, Psychology
Selena De Santiago, Psychology
Nataly Alcala, Psychology
Elianna Aberra, Psychology
Renee Kang, Graduate Student, Auditory and Language Neuroscience (Master’s), Psychology
Jillian Kuo, Graduate Student, Auditory and Language Neuroscience (Master’s), Biology
Mackenzie Kies, Health Sciences, minor in Family & Human Development
Crystal Morrison, Psychology
Mariela Jacinto, Psychology
Skyler Keefer, Psychology
Lia Rocha, Psychology
Rebeca Alvarado Ortega, Psychology, certificate in Evolutionary Medicine
Madeleine Stewart, Psychology and Spanish, minor in Germany
Jordan Kolakowski, Psychology, minor in Criminology & Criminal Justice
Roy Vasquez, Psychology, minor in Structural Engineering
Kevin Redifer, Psychology
Kaitlin Mulvaney, Psychology, minor in Family & Human Development
Cassandra Leedom, Psychology and Biomedical Microbiology
Elaina Corbin, Psychology
Claire Mulholand, Psychology, minor in Sociology
Susan Weber, Neuroscience and Philosophy
Sophia Gerken, Community Health and Spanish
Gabriel Scott, Psychology, minor in Education
Harrison Westerfield, Computer Science
Hanna Lalani, Psychology, minor in Family & Human Development
Sara Quinones, Psychology and Spanish, minor in Business
Dyan Urias, Psychology and Family & Human Development, minor in Social Welfare
Emily Smith, Psychology and Family & Human Development, minor in French
Marianna Kaneris, Psychology and Biochemistry
Ginta Daulys, Biomedical Sciences, minor in Spanish
Sage Esposito, Psychology
Vanessa Ly, Psychology
Kiley Cronin, Psychology
Gillian Bryant, Psychology
Emily Fatula, Forensic Psychology
Kyli Greenhalgh, Psychology
Emily Wescott, Master of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Kaede Hattori, Psychology, minor in Theatre
Alejandra Garcia, Psychology, minor in Family & Human Development
Eliana Stuart, Psychology
Allya Hull, Biological Sciences (Biomedical Sciences), minor in Psychology
Karina Chimal, Psychology, minor in Family & Human Development
Emily Hinsberger, Psychology and Nutrition
Daisy Genzoli, Psychology and Family & Human Development
Chantelle Robinson, Psychology
Diana Stabile, Psychology and Nutrition (Dietetics)
Noemi Rodriguez, Psychology, minor in Family & Human Development
Maria Rodriguez, Psychology and Family & Human Development
Benjamin Kussmann, Computer Science and Psychology
Zixin Hu, Psychology and Business
Imtithal Noor, Neuroscience, minor in Applied Biological Sciences and Human Systems Engineering
Molly Mansker, Psychology
Areli Soria, Psychology, minor in Family & Human Development
Rudy Raffa, Psychology
Marisa Karbowski, Psychology
Mario Soto, Psychology
Edaly Gutierrez, Psychology
Charlene Kweme, Psychology
Amanda Sather, Psychology and Political Science, minor in Childhood Education
Lillian Ramirez Vasquez, Psychology and Family & Human Development, minor in Spanish
Jenna Midgett, Psychology, minor in Biochemistry
Elizabeth Altic, Psychology
Evelyn Cardona, Psychology and Neuroscience
Ema Angulo Rodríguez, Psychology and Spanish Linguistics, certificate in Cross-Sector Leadership & Political Economy
Elana Redfern, Neuroscience and Psychology, with a concentration in Psychological Science
Riley Herrera, Psychology
Echo Lim, Psychology, minor in Family & Human Development
Surbdhi Mendhe, Auditory & Language Neuroscience (Master’s), Chemistry Majors and Clinical Research
Ana Briones, Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology
Jada Randall, Psychology
Yamilet Garcia Velazquez, Psychology, law and human behavior certificate
Faith Keist, Psychology
Sela Zakula, Psychology, minor in Family & Human Development
Valerie Wang, Psychology