Principal Investigator
I am an Associate Professor in the Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social program in the Psychology Department at USF. I use eye tracking, electroencephalography, and computational modeling to study how visual perception and prior experience lead to the activation of internal representations (e.g., word meanings) and execution of external actions (e.g., eye movements, explicit choices) when people comprehend/produce language, view objects/scenes, and make decisions. I love working with all the talented people on this page and I am proud that they have decided to join this lab! Curriculum Vitae
For additional information, please see: Dr. Schotter
Postdoctoral Researcher
I am a postdoctoral research scholar and graduated in 2024 with my Ph.D. in Psychology from USF. My research interests center around the interplay between linguistic processing and oculomotor control during natural reading. My research uses co-registration of simultaneously recorded EEG and eye tracking to investigate the interdependent nature of eye movement decisions, word recognition, and higher level language comprehension. I am also interested in the role of parafoveal processing and contextually-generated semantic and sub-lexical predictions in determining these brain-behavior relationships.
Curriculum Vitae
Graduate Students
I am a cognitive psychology Ph.D. student in the Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social concentration at the University of South Florida. I joined the lab as a graduate student in August 2023 after graduating from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. My research centers around how properties of written language interact with readers’ ongoing cognitive processing. I am curious about how the visual structure of words and their meaning influence where readers look and when they initiate subsequent eye movements during reading.
I am currently a fourth-year PhD student in the Cognitive, Neuroscience, and Social Psychology program at USF. I graduated from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience. My current research centers around how a readers’ task goals impacts their cognitive processing, both in general and of specific aspects of language.
I am currently a first-year PhD student in the Cognitive, Neuroscience, and Social Psychology program at USF. I went to Kent State University for my undergrad and received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Communication Studies. I am interested in the process of reading and language comprehension, which I use eye tracking methodology to study.
Visiting Graduate Student
I am a second-year master’s student in the Psychological Sciences program at USF St. Pete. I graduated from Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL with majors in Biology and Psychology. I am interested in language and its connection to cognitive processes. I’m hoping to pursue a career in research after graduating. I’m excited to gain more research experience and be a part of this lab!
Lab Manager
I am a recent graduate from USF with a B.A. in Psychology and have also completed the post-baccalaureate coursework in Speech-Language Pathology. My interest in the relationship between language, cognition, and the brain led me to the EMaC Lab, where I am excited to continue expanding my knowledge and experience in psycholinguistics! I plan to persue my master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology, with the goal of becoming a medical speech-language pathologist.
Undergraduate/Post-baccalaureate Research Assistants
Caden Bokor
Hello! My name is Caden and I’m a Third-Year Psychology student with minors in Chemistry and Biomedical Physics. I am a pre-med student with a strong interest in the brain and how it affects our daily lives. When I am not busy with school, I tend to play basketball or workout at the gym. I am very grateful to be a part of this lab with all these super awesome and cool people, and I hope to learn both from them as well as alongside them throughout this journey.
Kaitlyn Dunn
I’m currently a senior majoring in psychology with a concentration in advanced research. I am very interested in psycholinguistics as well as neuropsychology and hope to pursue higher education. I’m so happy to expand my knowledge and developing my research skills further with the EMaC Lab.
Jadyn Goldberg
Hi! I’m Jadyn and I’m a First-Year Psychology student also minoring in Biology and Aging Studies. I want to pursue neuroscience and love learning and seeing how the brain works. Outside of school I also love art and photography! I’m very excited for this opportunity and the skills I will gain from the lab.
Megan Kromschroeder
I am a senior majoring in psychology and double minoring in forensic behavioral health and children’s behavioral healthcare. I plan on furthering my education to later become a child psychologist. In the EMaC lab, I am looking to gain hands-on experience and dive more into cognitive psychology. I am interested in understanding how cognitive processes influence the way individuals learn, think, and interact with the world around them
Elizabeth Rivera Maldonado
I am a sophomore at USF majoring in psychology and behavioral healthcare. I have always been interested in understanding the cognitive processes that influence behavior, mental health, and human decision-making. Through research, I hope to gain hands-on experience that will deepen my understanding of how cognitive science and psychology inform behavioral health outcomes. Because of my passion for innovation and learning, I plan to pursue graduate school and continue developing my research skills. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to and learn from the work being done at the EMaC Lab!
Akankhya Mohanty
I am currently going into my junior year at USF and majoring in psychology, with a double major in English and a minor in children’s behavioral healthcare. I am interested in neuropsychology, psychopathology, and child psychology. I joined the EMaC Lab because it will help me gain more research experience while furthering my knowledge on the neuropsychology and cognitive mechanisms behind visual/language processing. After getting my bachelor’s degrees, I hope to continue my education in grad school and obtain a PhD in clinical psychology. I look forward to gaining new experiences and learning more about the mind in the EMaC Lab!
Paris Ruiz
I am currently a sophomore double-majoring in psychology and behavioral healthcare here at USF. After I graduate, I plan to attend graduate school to pursue a career in clinical psychology. I am extremely excited to be working in the EMaC lab, not only to gain more research experience but to learn about these interesting topics altogether.
External Collaborators (co-PIs)
Dr. Brennan PayneLab Alumni
Postdoctoral Researchers: Frances Cooley (Rochester Institute of Technology/National Technical Institute for the Deaf Faculty Member)
Graduate Students: Martín Antúnez, Ansley Davis (University of Central Florida Postdoctoral Fellow), Mark Lowry (National Cancer Institute Postdoctoral Fellow), Sara Milligan (University of South Florida Postdoctoral Scholar), Jason Schmidt Avendaño, Andrea Tibbetts
Lab Managers: Neslihan Caliskan (also honors student), Emily Johnson (also honors student), Susan Rodriguez (University of South Florida Ph.D. program), Casey Stringer (also honors student), Milca Jaime Brunet
Lab Techs: Ayah Elaboudi, Brain Nestor (Tufts University Medical School), Grace Sinclair (University of Central Florida Ph.D. program), Snezana Trendova (University of Florida Ph.D. program)
Honors Students: Alex Sciuto, Anna Marie Fennell (Columbia University Ed.M. program), Dimitri Brunelle (University of South Florida Ph.D./AuD Program), Hannah Thomas, Jamie Newland (University of Florida Ph.D. Program), Victoria Estevez, Nadija Sulcaj
Research Assistants: Abigail Norris, Adelina Worrell, Alena Johnson, Alexandra Carey, Alexis Wishart, Alyssa Thompson, Bekhzodbek Moydinboyev, Brandon Snyder, Brooklyn Olesen, Caitlin Nethercoat, Cassandra DeGaetano, Courtney Clark, Daniel Alboukrek, Danielle Ferusi, Elene Nguyen, Emily Chorbak, Eva Barton, Evita Garcia, Grayson Nobles, Hailey Stein, Hunter McGuire, Jade McNitt, Sara Mejia Castellón, Jasmine Rosenfield, Jeremiah Adeyemi, Jessica Willard, Jillian Hansen, Jordan Houk, Julianna Kirschner, Kaitlin White, Kaitlyn Hennessy, Kaniz Angel, Karina Ortiz, Katie Pioszak, Kayla Idzior, Magdelin Lopez, Makayla Hodges, Marcellus Howell, Mei Sugawara, Melissa Pierre, Nicole Brown, Nigar Sadigzade, Nitya Thakkar, Rebecca Klarer, Rhea Mancha, Richard Rogers, Shivam Patel, Sierra Juncal, Tamara Kaiser, Tyler Tribe, Vince Gyongyosi, Zoe Grossman
The EMaC Lab 