Students

Current Ph.D. Students

  • Craig Bailey, Advisors: Denham and Curby | cbaileyg@gmu.edu
    Craig Bailey is a doctoral student originally from Eastern South Dakota. As an undergraduate, he worked for five years in childcare developing a passion for fostering positive development in children. Having earned a B.S. in Psychology from South Dakota State University, Craig is now happily living in Northern Virginia. With his passion for research, he aspires to investigate preschooler’s development of self-regulation, making a point to focus on caregiver-child interactions and resulting socio-emotional skills.
  • Caroline Boyer Ferhat, Advisor: Pasnak | cboyer1@gmu.edu
    I graduated with my BS in psychology with a minor in education from Ursinus College in 2007. I began the ADP program at GMU in the Fall of 2007. I am currently working on research projects that involve cognitive interventions for at risk preschool children, and body awareness. My research interests also include classroom climates and obesity interventions.
  • Chavaughn Brown, Advisor: Denham | cbrow2@gmu.edu
    Greetings! My name is Chavaughn Brown and I am originally from Orange County, California. I earned a B.A. in Psychology at the University of California, Irvine. After my undergraduate work I relocated to Arlington ,VA. Last spring I graduated from the School Psychology Master's program at George Mason University. While in the School Psychology program I was a member of Dr. Susanne Denham's Child Development Lab. I am currently a Ph.D. student and project manager of Dr. Denham's lab. My research interests include evaluating emotion knowledge, emotion expressiveness, and the emotion regulation of young children.
  • Erica Buchholz, Advisor: Rojahn | ebuchhol@gmu.edu
    I began the Applied Developmental Psychology Ph.D. program in the Fall of 2007. My undergraduate studies were at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, where I majored in Psychology and minored in Neuroscience. My undergraduate research involved Neurolinguistic Programming and Alumni satisfaction. My current research is on Theory of Mind in children with developmental and intellectual disabilities. My main research interests are in child development and developmental disabilities, particularly Autism and Asperger Syndrome.
  • Claire Cole, Advisor: Perez-Edger | ccole9@gmu.edu

    I received my B.A. in psychology from Georgetown University in 2004.  After graduation, I worked as a research assistant in the Georgetown University Pharmacology Department 3 years studying motor disorders relating to
    Parkinson’s disease, and the cognitive effects of early treatment with antiepileptic drugs. I am currently working with Dr. Perez-Edgar, and am interested in the temperamental and neurological factors related to the development of anxiety disorders.

  • Jennifer Crane, Advisor: Winsler | jcrane1@gmu.edu

    Jenny is in her fifth year in the Applied Developmental Psychology Graduate Program at GMU. Her research interests include early childhood special education, school readiness, early intervention, and early screening and detection of developmental disabilities. She is highly interested in policy research and hopes to bring more research based practices to early childhood special education.

  • Katy (Marinka) Gadzichowski, Advisor: Pasnak | marinka101@hotmail.com
  • Deepti Gupta, Advisor: Perez-Edgar
    I received my B.A. and M.A. in Psychology at the University of Delhi and I am currently in my first year of the Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology here at George Mason. I am a research assistant in the Cognition, Affect, and Temperament lab. Over the past 7 years of studying Psychology, I have conducted three research studies namely, Test Anxiety and Parenting Styles: An Indian Perspective; Real-life Moral Dilemmas in Urban Adolescents and The Role of Temperament and Anxiety in Somatization among Young adults. My research interests include temperament and anxiety disorders.
  • Grace Howarth, Advisor: Perez-Edgar | gzoller1@gmu.edu
    I am a first year doctoral student working in the Cognition, Affect, and Temperament Lab.  I graduated from Virginia Tech in 2007 with a B.S. in Psychology and earned my Masters of Teaching in Early Childhood & Developmental Risk from the University of Virginia in 2009.  My research interests include the study of emotion, temperament, and individual differences in learning and memory in early development.
  • Lindsey Hutchison, Advisor: Winsler | lhutchis@gmu.edu

    I originally hail from Jacksonville, FL. I received my undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of North Florida. I am currently a Ph.D. student working in Dr. Winsler’s lab. My research interests include early intervention with at-risk preschool children, and examining interactions between parents and children with ADHD/autism. In my free time (which I don’t have much of these days), I like to read fiction/fantasy novels and hang out with my friends.

  • Jessica Johnson De Feyter, Advisor: Winsler | jjohnsm@gmu.edu
    I completed my undergraduate studies in Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz (go slugs!) where I became interested in human development and culture. Before entering the GMU program, I worked for a local research firm and gained experience with educational program evaluation. My current research focuses on school readiness, particularly for low-income and immigrant children, and in the future I plan to work on applied issues in education and early intervention.
  • Sara Kalb, Advisor: Denham | skalb@gmu.edu
  • Yoon Kyong Kim, Advisor: Winsler | ykig@gmu.edu
    Yoon is from South Korea, Seoul. She got her undergraduate degree from Chung-Ang University in Seoul. Psychology and English literature was her major which led her to the interest, language development. Especially bilingualism and language education is the field she's mostly interested in. Creativity in children and social development in gifted children also grabs her attention.
  • Rebekah LaRacque, Advisor: Winsler | rlarocqu@gmu.edu
    I received my B.A. in psychology with a minor in linguistics in 2009 from the University of Rocheste sity in upstate NY. I am entering the Applied Developmental Psychology Ph.D. program in the fall of 2009. My main research interests include child development and developmental disabilities. My other interests include education and public policy.
  • Carol Morris, Advisor: Denham | cmorris2@gmu.edu
    I enrolled in the doctoral program in ADP in the Fall of 2006, having already completed two Master's degrees: one in Lifespan Human Development from Kansas State University and the second in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire. I have also worked in the early childhood education field for a number of years and my area of interest is in helping early childhood teachers create a more positive emotional environment for the children in their care. I am starting my dissertation research and will be looking at the relations of teacher emotion socialization beliefs and practices with aspects of children's emotional competence.
  • Rebecca Morse, Advisor: Rojahn | rmorse@gmu.edu
    After completing my Bachelor's and Master's at Hood college, I entered the GMU Applied Developmental Psychology Ph.D. program in the Fall of 2008. My previous research included working with children who have genetic conditions and Autism spectrum disorder who have developmental/cognitive deficits and maladaptive behaviors such as self injury and stereotypies. My current research is a collaborative effort between NIH and GMU, in which I continue to work with these populations.
  • Vanessa Olson, Advisor: Lehman | volson1@gmu.edu
  • Alyssa Perna, Advisor: Denham| aperna@gmu.edu

    I earned my BA in neuroscience from Colgate University, a small liberal arts college located in central NY. While at Colgate, I spent a significant amount of time working as a student athletic trainer. Upon graduating from college, I worked for a year at a middle school in a special education classroom before moving to the northern Virginia area. For the last two years, I have been in the school psychology program here at Mason and graduated with my M.A. in May of ’06. I am currently in the Ph.D. program and working in Dr. Denham’s lab. During my free time, which seems limited these days, I enjoy cooking, exploring the D.C. area, and visiting with friends.

  • Yana Segal, Advisor: Denham | ysegal@gmu.edu
    Hi, my name is Yana Segal and I am originally from St. Petersburg, Russia and I grew up in Israel. After my two-year military service, I received the rank of sergeant, and continued on to achieve my undergraduate degree both in Psychology and Communication. I subsequently graduated from the University of Haifa with a Masters in Developmental Psychology, while working in the local psychological service center. I came to George Mason to work with Dr. Denham. This is my third year at the Ph.D. program and I am currently working on my dissertation.
  • Nathan Tatro, Advisor: Winsler | ntatro@gmu.edu
    Nate earned his B.A. in Psychology from Lycoming College (Williamsport, PA) in 2003. He then spent two years working on the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study (PALS) at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. His current research interests focus on early childhood development, with specific domains of interest encompassing kids' school readiness and resilience in at-risk populations.
  • Erin Way, Advisor: Rojahn | eway@gmu.edu
    I was born and raised in Clemmons, North Carolina, where I stayed until I moved to Northern Virginia to attend George Mason. I graduated from Elon College in May of 2001 with a B.A. in Psychology and Human Services. While at GMU, I earned my M.A. in Applied Developmental Psychology. My research interests have morphed from children's cognitive development from a sociocultural perspective to children's emotional development. My dissertation project will invetigate facial emotion recognition in children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome and typically developing children.
  • Beth Warsof | bwarsof@gmu.edu
    Originally from Virginia Beach, I earned my B.A. in Elementary Education at American University and my M.Ed. in Educational Psychology at the University of Virginia. My research interests broadly include educational and assessment practices for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. I hope to pursue a career in clinical diagnosis and service provision for individuals with developmental disabilities. I am a travel enthusiast, a firm believer in the Oxford comma, and will someday complete the Sunday Times crossword.
  • Todd Wyatt, Advisor: Denham | twyatt1@gmu.edu
    Hi there, my name is Todd Wyatt. I originally hail from Dayton, Ohio and I am currently a 5th year (going on my 6th) Ph.D. student working with Dr. Susanne Denham. I recently relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, were I am the Director of Research at Outside The Classroom, Inc., a small prevention research firm focusing on high risk behaviors in youth and young adults. My current research interests are in self regulation and its roll in basic academic and social progress during early childhood, as well as social and emotional competence and their relations with negative, high-risk outcomes in children and adolescencse.
  • Rebecca Zaja, Advisor: Rojahn | rzaja@gmu.edu
    I am currently in the process of completing both the School Psychology M.A. and the ADP Ph.D. programs. I am particularly interested in dual diagnosis (the co-occurrence of mental health and intellectual disability) and in the development of instruments to assess this. For my future career focus, I hope to fuse the influence of the School and Applied Developmental Psychology programs by focusing on the transitional process that helps adolescents and young adults prepare to graduate and begin their adult lives in the community.
  • Daniel Zapp, Advisor: Perez-Edgar | dzapp@gmu.edu
    I earned my B.S. in Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and I am currently in my second year working on my Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology here at George Mason. I am a research assistant in the Cognition, Affect, and Temperament lab where we study attention, temperament, and anxiety (among other factors) in children and adolescents. Our goal is to relate these factors to physiological measures such as EEG and ERP. My personal interests lie in evolutionary developmental psychology, specifically the development of emotion regulation and cognitive ability.

Current M.A. Students

  • Lily Adams, Advisor: Pasnak | ladamsg@gmu.edu
    I graduated from Virginia Tech in 2006 with a BS in psychology. Since then, I have been working in the human service and education fields, most recently as a lead preschool teacher in Centreville. I am excited to be working in Dr. Pasnak's lab. My research interests are a wide range, but include social and emotional development, cognitive development, and teacher/child interactions.
  • Marquita Anatsui, Advisor: Winsler | manatsui@gmu.edu
    I am a first year Master's student in the Applied Developmental Psychology program at George Mason University. I graduated from University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. My research interest include: early childhood education, parent-child interactions in relation to educational development, in addition to language development. I aspire to make a difference in the educational lives of children.
  • Jennifer Bazaz, Advisor: Pasnak | jbazaz@gmu.edu
    I'm excited and honored to be in this program at Mason. I received my BA in Psychology from Mason in 2004, and am returning this fall for my first year of graduate school. Dr. Pasnak is my advisor, and I am looking forward to concentrating on the varying manifestations of atypical child development.
  • Abby Carlson, Advisor: Pasnak | acarlso8@gmu.edu
    I received my B.S. in Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia in 2006. My research interests include early cognitive development, cognitive interventions, and socioemotional perspective taking.
  • Taylor Edwards, Advisor: Curby | tedward6@gmu.edu
    I graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a B.S. in Psychology in 2007. My undergraduate research focused on the field of positive psychology. I am currently working in the Development in School Contexts lab researching child temperament in the classroom.
  • Alejandra Loyola, Advisor: Perez-Edgar | mloyola@gmu.edu
    I have a B.A. in Psychology, with a concentration on Human Services, from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. My research interests include socio-emotional skills, second language acquisition, and private speech. I began the ADP program in the fall of 2008 and I am currently collecting data for my study on the use of bilingual private speech in Head Start classrooms in Alexandria.
  • Amanda Mahoney, Advisor: Denham | amahoney@gmu.edu
    I graduated from George Mason University in December of 2007 with a B.A. in psychology and minor in English. I started the applied developmental psychology program in the Fall of 2008. My current interests are in emotion development and recognition.
  • Cameron Mittelman, Advisor: Winsler | cmittel1@gmu.edu
    I graduated from Virginia Tech in 2007 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in English. While in undergrad I worked as a research assistant in the Child Study Center. I started the Applied Developmental Psychology program in the fall of 2008. My research interests include developmental disabilities and language development.
  • Nadia Mollinedo, Advisor: Perez-Edgar | nmolline@gmu.edu
    I graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from George Mason University. I am a first year M.A. student in the ADP program and currently working in Dr. Perez-Edgar's Cognition, Affect, and Temperament lab. My interests include the biological basis of anxiety, emotional development, and temperament of both young an adolescent children.
  • Siria Rioja, Advisor: Winsler | srioja@gmu.edu
    I am in my first year of the MA program in Applied Developmental Psychology. I received my B.A in Psychology from George Mason University. My research interests include early learning and motivation, language acquisition, bilingualism, and the influences of culture on development.
  • Stephanie Schoenberger, Advisor: Rojhan | sschoenb@gmu.edu
    I am originally from Covington, Louisiana and received my B.S. degree in Psychology from Louisiana State University. I started the Applied Developmental Psychology program in the Fall of 2008. My current research focuses on Theory of Mind and social-emotional awareness of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I am also interested in early interventions for children with autism.
  • Anna Sharber, Advisor: Rojahn | asharber@gmu.edu
    I received a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College in 2000. My current research involves people with developmental disabilities, and I am working in the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Lab on assessments of self-injurious behavior, stereotypy, and aggression in this population.
  • Ashley Simpkins, Advisor: Winsler | asimpki2@gmu.edu
    I graduated from the University of Mary Washington in 2005 with a B.S. in Psychology and en January 2008. I currently work at a research firm in Rockville, MD in education studies. I am interested in research on early childhood education.
  • Ameena Sweeting, Advisor: Pasnak | asweetin@gmu.edu
    Hello! My name is Ameena and I am from the Golden State of California. I earned my BS in Psychology from Howard University in May 2009, and eagerly entered the Applied Developmental Psychology program at George Mason University immediately following my graduation. I am currently conducting research under the guidance of Dr. Pasnak, where my interests in developmental disorders and cognitive and social skill development are being cultivated.
  • Erin Tarpey, Advisor: Denham | etarpey@gmu.edu
    I’m a first year M.A. student, working in Dr. Denham’s lab. I grew up in Northern Virginia and graduated from Virginia Tech in 2008 with a B.A. in Psychology. My research interests include teacher-child interactions and its affect on school achievement, specifically for children with ADHD and Autism. In my free time I enjoy watching football (Go Hokies! and Go Cowboys!) and spending time with family and friends.
  • Nicole Turygin, Advisor: Rojahn| nturygin@gmu.edu
    I graduated from the University of Florida in 2006 with a B.S. in psychology, and a concentration in Czech language. There, my research focused on positive psychology and behavior analysis, and I worked as a rehabilitation therapist with adults dually diagnosed with a developmental disability and mental illness. My current research involves self-injury, aggression, and stereotyped behavior in people with developmental disabilities.
  • Naomi Watanabe, Advisor: Denham| nwatanab@gmu.edu
    I am originally from Tottori, Japan but earned a B.A. in Psychology at the University of South Florida. After graduation, I worked for the Social Skills Workshop for Children with Disabilities at the university. My research interests include children's social-emotional development social skills, peer competence, and self-esteem and the influence of cultural context on social-emotional competence. In my free time, I enjoy training Aikido (a Japanese defensive martial art. I have a first-degree black belt), cooking, reading, and spending time with my cat and friends.
  • William White, Advisor: Winsler | wwhite@gmu.edu
    I earned an undergraduate degree in English Literature; I also studied psychology at the University of the District of Columbia. My most current work experience involves research about early care and education in the District of Columbia. My research interest is cognition, specifically, analogical reasoning capabilities in preschool children.
  • Mike Widerman, Advisor: Curby| mwiderma@gmu.edu
    I graduated from McDaniel College in 2008 with my B.A. in psychology. I worked for a year as a Research Assistant at the Research Institute on Aging before entering the M.A. program in Applied Developmental Psychology in the fall of 2009. My research interests include looking at how s affected by certain situations and in the presence of various external stimuli. Outside of school, I enjoy playing guitar, weightlifting, and spending time with my family and friends.
  • Katherine Zinsser, Advisor: Denham | kzinsser@gmu.edu
    My name is Kate Zinsser and I'm originally from Brooklyn, NY. I received my BA in Psychology from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts in 2005. My research interests include emotional communication and adolescent risky behavior choices. I also work as a Research Associate in Mason's Administration of Justice Department where I'm studying the implementation of drug abuse treatment programs in the criminal justice system. On the weekends, I make time to play with the Northern Virginia Women's Rugby Club.