Read up on our lab's researchers, some of whom you'll meet during a visit.

Ye Li

Graduate Student

B.A., 2014, Minzu University of China (English Language and Literature)

M.A., 2017, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Applied English Linguistics)

Hello, my name is Ye (pronounced as "yeah"). I came with a background in literature/linguistics, and I'm now a psychology PhD student in cognitive science. I am interested in how infants and adults learn words (nouns and verbs) from statistics, how language experience shapes cognition across life-span, and how eye-trackers can help address the questions. I love learning from babies, and learning from my mistakes.

Marissa Castellana

Graduate Student

B.A., 2020, Kalamazoo College (Psychology)

M.A., 2023, Arizona State University (Psychology)

My name is Marissa, and I am a second-year graduate student in the Developmental Psychology PhD program. As a bilingual (and aspiring trilingual), I am interested in bilingual language development, particularly how infants and children can simultaneously learn two languages and separate them into distinct representations, how a child's environment can influence their language growth, and how infants use statistical learning to understand cues in language input. These questions inspired me to pursue graduate education and join the Learning and Development Lab.

Tiarra Barnes

Undergraduate Student

My name is Tiarra Barnes, I am a third year undergraduate student studying biomedical sciences. I plan on attending medical school following my undergraduate studies with a specialization in pediatrics or neonatology. In the past year, I began working as a healthcare assistant with newborns and their families in a clinic dedicated to Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). This experience sparked my interest in childhood development which inspired me to discover and join the Learning & Development Lab. I hope to both grow from the lab and further develop the importance of psychological perspective in medical settings.

Tanvi Malhotra

Undergraduate Student

Hello! My name is Tanvi Malhotra and I am a junior here at ASU. I am double majoring in B.S. Human Systems Engineering (User Experience) and B.S. Psychology which partly explains why I am thrilled to be working in this lab and the other reason is "learning". I believe "learning" is ubiquitous and to be able to study this concept by investigating young minds is very intriguing! I have always admired kids because they are not only entertaining, but also, possess a very inquisitive nature! I am extremely excited to be interning in the lab under the Emerging Scholars Summer Internship program and getting mentored by the best minds Dr. Benitez and Ph.d student Ye Li and receive hands-on research knowledge and polish my skills.

Luka Smolens

Undergraduate Student

Hello, my name is Luka Smolens. I’m a second-year 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 second-year 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.

Leslie Quijada

Undergraduate Student

Hello, my name is Leslie Quijada! I am a third-year undergraduate student at ASU pursuing my BA in Psychology. After I graduate with my bachelor’s degree, I plan on attending graduate school and pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology that focuses on children. I have always worked with children at a young age which has inspired me to want to pursue a career focusing on children. In developmental psychology, I am interested in how bilingualism and different language backgrounds affect the cognitive development of children. As a bilingual speaker, I was intrigued to join the Learning and Development Lab to gain experience and knowledge to better understand the development of children.

Cathryn Murella

Undergraduate Student

Hi! My name is Cathryn and I am in my third year as a B.S psychology major at ASU. I plan to go to graduate school in the masters or PhD program to further my education in the psychology field. The psychology field has always fascinated me because of my curiosity to human behavior, hence, my interest lies on various fields, which is why I wanted to participate in the Learning and Development Lab to gain experience and open opportunities for what I want to do with my career in the future. I am very excited for what the lab has to offer in research and professional skills!

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.

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.

Rosie Vargas

Undergraduate Student

Hello, my name is Rosie Vargas! I am a first-generation and third-year undergraduate student earning a BA in Political Science as well as Spanish. As a Political Science student, I am interested in the data collection and analysis aspect of research. However, as a Spanish major, I am fascinated by the role bilingualism plays in development and everyday life such as code-switching. The mixture of my interests have led me to join the Learning and Development Lab. Not only will I be able to have hands-on experience, but I will also be expanding my psychology knowledge!

Aryan Bellani

Undergraduate Student

Hi! My name is Aryan Bellani, and I am a 3rd-year BA Psychology undergraduate student. I am an international student from India. I chose to study psychology because I am fascinated by the idea of understanding how human beings think and behave. The novel nature of the discipline introduces numerous phenomena that we don't fully comprehend, creating potential for questioning and exploration—something I thoroughly enjoy. This curiosity led me to take the first step in the journey of questioning and understanding.

By joining the Learning & Development lab, I aim to be a part of the scientific research process and learn how it is conducted. My future endeavors include conducting research and engaging in therapeutic practices to help people improve their mental health and happiness. Seeing others happy due to my actions is one of my life's driving forces. To achieve this, I aspire to pursue a Ph.D. degree in clinical psychology.

Audria Vestal

Undergraduate Student

My name is Audria Vestal and I am a second year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology. 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!

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.

Virginia Ticay

Undergraduate Student

Hi! My name is Virginia, or V. I am a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. My family has a lot of toddlers and babies, so I am excited to learn through my family as well as learn through the opportunities in the Learning and Language Development Lab. This past semester I have gained interest in the development of children, but more importantly how language is such an important component of a child’s cognitive development. As a bilingual speaker myself, I feel a sense of responsibility to learn how being a dual language speaker shapes and enhances a child’s ability to learn from their environment. Before joining Dr. Benitez Developmental Psychology course, I was not aware of the fact that bilingualism is field of interest in psychology. Because of this, I am trying to pursue more research within the Psychology department as well as get more familiar with linguistics and how that affects early childhood development.