Panel 35: Understanding The Human Experience: Social Science Research
For many years, scholars have tried to uncover cognitive and developmental mysteries in the human experience. Our internships investigated various aspects of psychology and neuroscience, ranging from LGBTQ+ motives for alcohol use to memory consolidation in toddlers. Throughout our research, we aimed to fill the gaps in existing literature and expand upon current research. We utilized both qualitative and quantitative research methods, such as coding interviews, recruiting participants, eye tracking, and rat injections. Whether you’re interested in pursuing a career in these fields or just share a curiosity for the complexities of human development, take a seat at our panel!
Moderator: Caedyn Busche, Associate Director, Career Exploration
Sex-specific Neurogenesis and Chronic Unpredictable Stress’ Effects on Negative Cognitive Bias
Manuela Queiroz Ribas ’26, Neuroscience & Behavior major
Developmental and Cognitive Research through UMass Amherst’s Somneuro Lab
Karolena Rafferty ’25, Psychology major, Art Studio minor
My Summer Research: Examining Contributors to Young Sexual Minority Women’s Well-being and Substance Use Behaviors
Mars Bickford ’25, Psychology and Education double major, Environmental Studies minor
Researching Childhood Cognition: A Summer at Tufts’ Cognitive Development Lab
Abi Nguyen ’26, Psychology major and Sociology minor
Speaker name: Mars Bickford
Title: My Summer Research: Examining Contributors to Young Sexual Minority Women’s Well-being and Substance Use Behaviors
This summer I worked in a research lab that is broadly devoted to the development of theoretically-sound and evidence-based mental health resilience-based programming for queer young adults. I served as the primary research assistant. I worked on two projects this summer which examine contributors’ to young sexual minority women’s well-being and substance use behaviors. Specifically, the two projects include a (1) systematic review of theoretical models of sexual minority women’s alcohol use; and (2) in-depth interviews (N = 20) with the purpose of guiding future intervention development through participatory engagement.
Speaker name: Karolena Rafferty
Title: Developmental and Cognitive Research through UMass Amherst’s Somneuro Lab
My internship involved working as a research assistant with UMass Amherst’s Somneuro Lab. The lab focuses on sleep research across different age groups and its impact on memory. I was specifically a part of the Toddler Overnight Sleep Study (TOSS), which is interested in toddlers’ memory consolidation and sleep physiology (overnight and nap frequency) at the ages of 16 to 32 months. I assisted the lab by scoring actigraphy data and Polysomnography (PSG) sleep data for both child and parent participants. Additionally, I administered high-density electroencephalogram (EEG) caps to participants to collect their brain waves for sleep stage analysis. This experience strengthened my interest and passion for child and developmental psychology.
Speaker name: Abi Nguyen
Title: Researching Childhood Cognition: A Summer at Tufts’ Cognitive Development Lab
This summer, I worked as a research assistant in the Cognitive Development Lab at Tufts University, contributing to two graduate-level research studies: Size and Race, and Mechanistic Reasoning. My responsibilities included data collection at the Museum of Science, coding using Datavyu and spreadsheets, and presenting findings at the Verse Program science fair. I actively engaged in weekly meetings to discuss challenges in participant recruitment and analyze relevant journals. This experience deepened my understanding of research methodology and solidified my interest in pursuing similar work in the future. The internship helped me apply skills from my coursework, particularly in data analysis, while also shaping my sense of workplace dynamics and my personal career goals in developmental psychology.
Speaker name: Manuela Queiroz Ribas
Title: Sex-specific Neurogenesis and Chronic Unpredictable Stress’ Effects on Negative Cognitive Bias
Cognitive bias is described as how one interprets ambiguous stimuli. Negative cognitive bias, the interpretation of ambiguous stimuli as negative, is a recurring symptom in major depressive disorders, oftentimes untargeted by medicines, leading to relapses in the condition. MDD also shows significant age and sex differences in symptoms, which can influence treatment outcomes; and yet the neurology behind these factors is not studied often. Neurogenesis, the synthesis of new neuronal cells, has also been implicated in MDD and negative cognitive bias. Additionally, chronic unpredictable stress has also been shown to increase negative cognitive bias and reduce neurogenesis. Here, we examined the effect of inhibiting neurogenesis on negative cognitive bias in stressed male and female adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Based on previous work, we predicted that inhibiting neurogenesis would reduce negative cognitive bias in a sex- specific manner. Through our work, we hope to fill knowledge gaps about cognitive depressive symptoms.