Lab Director
Charisse Pickron, PhD
Dr. Pickron earned her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology in 2018 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in Amherst Ma., after having earned her M.S. at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2015 and her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Ma., in 2008. Her research program examines the ways in which social experiences shape how infants perceive and represent people in their environment. During her graduate training under the advisement of Dr. Lisa Scott, she used electrophysiological and eye-tracking measures to explore infants’ face perception. During her dissertation research with Dr. Erik Cheries, she trained in several behavioral measures including infant looking, reaching, and crawling to examine socio-moral judgements and conceptual representations that infants have about people in their environment. In particular her work examines the way early experiences shape the perceptions and representations of people that vary along race and gender. Her work as a President’s Postdoctoral Fellow examined attentional processes sensitive to facial expressions using electrophysiological measures (EEG/ERPs) as well as eye tracking. Her goal is to actively work with families of diverse backgrounds to build a collaborative bridge between communities in the Minneapolis area and her work in child development. She also has a 15lb cat named Jackie Chan and one of her favorite books is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. & John Archambault.
Lab Manager
Emmy Higgs Matzner
Emmy has a background in youth development, community engagement, and program management. She holds a B.A. from Macalester College in Psychology and Spanish and supports the research of the CBP Lab in a myriad of ways. In addition to supervising undergraduate research assistants, Emmy manages the organizational aspects of the lab, oversees participant visits and data collection, and assists in the approval-process for new research projects. Emmy’s previous roles include Career Pathways Coordinator with Step Up of Achieve Twin Cities, a work-readiness and paid internship program for high school students; Program Coordinator with ACES, an out-of-school-time tutoring/mentoring program for elementary and middle school students; Customer Service Representative with UCare, a non-profit health plan company; and English Language Learner Assistant Teacher at Cedar Manor Intermediate School. Emmy loves gardening, biking, and watching movies. Two of her favorite books to read with her kids are Julián is a Mermaid, by Jessica Love, and Mae Among the Stars, by Roda Ahmed.
Graduate Students
Norwood Glaspie
Norwood is a fourth-year doctoral student at the Institute of Child Development. His interest encompasses topics such as Cognitive Development, Social Cognition, and Early Learning in children. Specifically, the role language and perception plays in children’s understanding of bias and social categories. Norwood is from North Carolina, where he received his Bachelors in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 2018. In his free time he likes to watch sports games (i.e. basketball, football, and boxing) and going to the gym. His favorite children’s book growing up was Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne.
Beyza Kazan
Beyza is a second-year doctoral student on the developmental science track at ICD. She graduated from Bahcesehir University with a dual degree, earning a B.A. in both Psychological Counseling and Guidance, as well as Psychology. Before starting graduate school, she worked as a research assistant at Harvard University under the supervision of Dr. Ashley Thomas and Dr. Elizabeth Spelke. Her research focused on understanding how infants and toddlers connect multiple cues to infer social relationships. More broadly, she is interested in social cognition. Specifically, she wants to explore how less perceptual social categories, such as culture and religion, influence infants’ and children’s perceptions of the world and those around them. Beyza is from Turkiye and loves walking, trying traditional recipes, discovering new coffee shops, and spending time outdoors in nature.
Shi Xin Ooi
Shi Xin is a second-year doctoral student on the developmental science track at the Institute of Child Development. She completed her B.S. degree in Psychology in 2022 and M.S. degree in Developmental Psychology in 2023 at the University of Michigan. Her interests are broadly surrounding how social group indicators, such as language, culture, and race, can inform young children’s development of social categories. She is currently working on a project in the CBP lab that examines the early development of race-based associations in young children’s understanding of familial labels. Shi Xin is from Malaysia and has also spent her childhood living in China, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates. In her free time, she enjoys karaoke, gaming, poetry, and exploring new cafes and dessert shops with friends. Her favorite books growing up included the Geronimo Stilton series and the Series of Unfortunate Events books.
Yeonju Suh
Yeonju is a third-year doctoral student on the developmental science track at ICD. She graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Psychology in 2020 and worked as a lab manager for Dr. Tamar Kushnir at Cornell University and Duke University before coming to ICD. As a first-year student, Yeonju is actively exploring her academic interests, but she is broadly interested in children’s intergroup social cognition. Specifically, she wants to know how children perceive social groups, how group membership relates to self-identity, and how children learn of stereotypes. In the CBP Lab, Yeonju is working on a project that involves eye tracking for infants and their helping behavior.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Nadia Abukhadra
Nadia is an undergraduate senior from Orono, Minnesota, majoring in Psychology B.S. and minoring in Family Social Science. She hopes to continue her education and become a children’s therapist, with a particular interest in working with children who have experienced trauma. Nadia loves to travel and studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain, in the spring of 2024. She believes traveling enriches her understanding of different cultures and broadens her global perspective. She also works as a Children’s Therapeutic Support Services Mental Health Practitioner at Nystrom & Associates, Ltd. In her free time, Nadia enjoys shopping, baking, playing with her three puppies, and making memories with friends and family. Her favorite children’s book growing up was “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” by Laura Numeroff, a timeless story that continues to bring her joy.
Irene Bensus
Irene is a senior studying Developmental Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience and Social Justice. She is interested in research about biracial and multicultural children and their upbringings. Irene wants to change the field and open it up for more people like her. In her free time she likes to make bracelets, play video games, and be with friends. Irene’s favorite book when she was little was Where the Wild Things Are.
Haley Bromenschenkel
Haley is a senior from Saint Cloud, MN, majoring in developmental psychology and minoring in psychology. Upon graduation, she will be staying in the area to work and explore different career paths of developmental psychology before pursuing graduate school to ultimately earn licensure in the realm of therapy. Haley enjoys spending most of her freetime time with her dog, Ernie, finding various creative projects to become engulfed in, and being active outdoors by running or hiking. Her favorite childhood book was “Corduroy” by Don Freeman.
Anuk Dias
Anuk is a sophomore earning a B.S. in Psychology at the University of Minnesota and minoring in neuroscience and math. After graduating, he plans to enter medical school in hopes of becoming a psychiatrist. Anuk is very interested in racial biases and how they form, and what can be done to prevent prejudices from forming. Outside of school, he enjoys rock climbing, reading, listening to music, and hanging out with friends. His favorite children’s book is Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
Vandita Gupta
Vandita is a sophomore majoring in Developmental Psychology. She is an international student from Lucknow, India. In the future, she plans on attending graduate school and continuing in research. In her free time, Vandita likes to read and spend time with family and friends. Her favorite childhood book is The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton.
Reise Jones
Reise is a junior from Chaska, Minnesota, pursuing a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Biology at the University of Minnesota. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to continue her education and become a physician assistant. In her free time she enjoys reading, going on walks, finding new coffee shops, and traveling. Her favorite children’s book is Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann.
Maryam Mohamed
Maryam is a senior from St. Paul, majoring in Psychology. She hopes to continue her education and become a researcher in the field. Her research interests include cognitive psychology and neurology. In her free time she enjoys reading and painting. She likes getting outdoors and enjoying nature. her favorite children’s book series is A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.
Marissa Moldo
Marissa is a junior from Minneapolis, majoring in Developmental Psychology. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend graduate school for Psychology. In her free time she enjoys going on walks, finding new coffee shops, and spending time with family and friends. Her favorite children’s book is Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.
Claire Radtke
Claire is a senior from Brookfield, Wisconsin majoring in Psychology with minors in Biology and Applied Psychology in Education and Community Settings. She spends her time outside of class running, baking, and getting coffee with friends. After graduation she plans on taking a gap year to travel and eventually go to graduate school and pursue a career in the field of school or educational psychology. Her favorite childhood book was The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister.
Danny Reinschmidt
Danny is a senior pursuing a B.S. in Developmental Psychology with a minor in Family Therapy. Born and raised in the Twin Cities, Danny enjoys spending his free time in the gym, playing guitar, cooking, and being with his family and friends. His favorite childhood book was “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch.
Evelyn Stephens
Evelyn is a freshman from Madison, Wisconsin and is majoring in Psychology. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans on attending graduate school for Psychology, and hopes to become a Social or Developmental Psychology researcher. In her free time, Evelyn enjoys reading, running, and playing the piano. Her favorite childhood book was “Fancy Nancy” by Jane O’Connor.
Arina Valitova
Arina Valitova is a junior majoring in Developmental Psychology at the University of Minnesota. Originally from Russia, Arina moved to Slovakia seven years ago and is now working towards her dream of attending medical school to eventually become a pediatrician. Outside of her academic pursuits, Arina is a dedicated D-1 tennis athlete at UMN. Tennis keeps her busy and energized, and she loves the challenge and teamwork involved in the sport. She’s also a passionate volunteer, especially when it comes to working with kids, and is an active member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Fun fact: Arina is a huge Potter fan-Harry Potter is her all-time favorite book series. Every Christmas, she makes it a tradition to reread the books and dive back into the magical world of Hogwarts
Ashley Zamora
Ashley is a senior from Minneapolis, majoring in Developmental Psychology. She hopes to continue her education and become a child therapist who focuses on medical trauma. Her interests in developmental psychology include trauma informed care, cognitive psychology, and social-emotional learning. In her free time she enjoys spending time with friends and family. She also enjoys finding new restaurants. Her favorite children’s book was “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein.
Ricardo Vazquez Montero
Ricardo is a sophomore studying Developmental Psychology and minoring in Family Social Science. He is originally from Central Florida and is interested in the social and emotional aspects of developmental psychology. After graduating, he plans to attend graduate school to become a clinical psychologist and work in a children’s hospital. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games, pool, watching movies, and listening to music. His favorite book as a child was James and the Giant Peach.
Abby West
Abby is from Phoenix, Arizona and is a senior studying psychology at the University of Minnesota (with a minor in genetics). After graduating with her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend graduate school for behavioral biology or biological anthropology (specifically with a focus on primatology). When not in school, she likes to spend her free time watching movies, drawing, and playing instruments. Her favorite book as a child was Goodnight Moon.