Melissa Paquette-Smith

Melissa Paquette-Smith

Principal Investigator

Melissa is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Psychology at UCLA. Prior to teaching at UCLA, she completed her doctorate in Psychology at the University of Toronto. Melissa’s doctorate research looked at how infants process social information in their environment, and how this processing relates to the development of linguistic and social competencies. Before beginning her doctorate work, Melissa received her MA in Psychology as well as a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Biology from the University of Toronto.

Research Collaborators

Dr. Megan Imundo

Research Collaborator

Megan completed her PhD in the Bjork Learning and Forgetting Lab. Her research focuses on investigating the conditions that enhance long-term learning of accurate information and those that increase identification and rejection of inaccurate information. When she isn’t doing research, Megan is trying out her latest cookie recipes.

Dr. Courtney Clark

Dr. Courtney Clark

Research Collaborator

Courtney is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at UCLA, where she also earned her PhD in Cognitive Psychology. Her research interests span topics in the science of learning and include work on the role of tests as learning events and examining how students learn from their mistakes. She currently teaches courses related to general and cognitive psychology and strives to implement evidence-based practices into each class.

Dr. Katie Silaj

Dr. Katie Silaj

Research Collaborator

Kat completed their PhD in the Castel Memory and Lifespan Cognition Lab. Kat’s research focuses on the application of the value-directed remembering paradigm to real-life settings, and investigating ways to improve classroom instruction. More broadly, Kat is interested in how we learn and remember information.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Melody Yuan

Melody Yuan

Undergraduate Research Student

Melody is a second-year undergraduate student studying Psychology and Public Affairs, with a minor in Asian American Studies. After graduation, Melody hopes to attend law school. In her free time, she enjoys reading, kayaking, and spending time with friends and family.

Wanning He

Wanning He

Undergraduate Research Student

Wanning is a 3rd year Psychology major with an Education Studies minor. She is interested in developmental, educational pathways affected by different cultural and social backgrounds. After graduation, she hopes to go to graduate school for developmental/ educational psychology and pursue a PhD degree. In her free time, she enjoys painting, photography, cooking, and watching anime.

Arianna Zamora

Arianna Zamora

Undergraduate Research Student

Arianna is a third-year undergraduate Psychology and Education double major. After graduation, she is interested in going to graduate school in hopes of becoming a school psychologist. Arianna is interested in understanding how students learn and retain knowledge in the classroom, as well as how education influences mental health in students. In her free time, she enjoys reading, running, and doing nails.

Camila Bello

Camila Bello

Undergraduate Research Student

Camila is a first-year pre-psychology undergraduate student. She is passionate about applying psychology to classroom settings to make them constructive and enriching. She is also interested in the thought processes and linguistic behavior of bilingual individuals. She is excited to continue doing research to pursue her passions within the field of psychology. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano, reading, and assembling puzzles.

Ashley Yim

Ashley Yim

Undergraduate Research Student

Ashley is a second-year undergraduate student double majoring in Psychology and Statistics and Data Science. She is interested in the various factors that impact the classroom learning experience, with the goal of empowering underrepresented groups in education. In her free time, she enjoys going to the gym, hanging out with friends, and driving along scenic routes.

Ayse Bakircioglu

Ayse Bakircioglu

Undergraduate Research Student

Ayse is a second year Psychobiology major. She is interested in language comprehension and development as well as learning more about data analytics in a research context. She is passionate about working with and learning about children and hopes to become a child clinical psychologist in the future. She is also involved in the Pediatric Research Organization at UCLA and in her free time, she enjoys baking, spending time with family and friends, and being outdoors.

Ella Donahue

Ella Donahue

Undergraduate Research Student

Ella is a second year psychology major minoring in philosophy. She is passionate about social psychology and hopes to learn more about behavioral tendencies, communication patterns, and social relationships. After graduation, she hopes to go to graduate school for psychology and become a therapist. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends, baking, crocheting, and listening to music.

Julia Zhang

Julia Zhang

Undergraduate Research Student

Julia Zhang is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Cognitive Science, with academic interests broadly spanning the behavioral sciences. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in marketing, consulting, or product management. In her free time, she enjoys art and design, skiing, and spending time with friends.

Mahia Upoma

Mahia Upoma

Undergraduate Research Student

Mahia Upoma is a fourth-year Psychology major at UCLA. She is interested in learning and memory, particularly how developmental and cognitive processes shape the way people acquire and retain information. Mahia plans to pursue graduate study in developmental and cognitive psychology and continue a career in academia. In her free time, she enjoys reading nonfiction books, exploring nature, and watching movies and shows.

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