lab for early social cognition

Lab Members

*Hover over our pictures to see us as children!*

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Lab Director

Jonathan Beier, Ph.D.    [CV]

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Here at UMD, I'm a member of the Child Studies Consortium, the Field Committee in Developmental Science, and the Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science. I also help to organize the Cognitive Science Colloquium. Prior to arriving at UMD, I received my Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Harvard University and completed my postdoctoral work in the Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

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Lab Manager

Suzanne Woller  

I graduated from the University of Maryland in May 2018 with a B.S. in Psychology. As an undergraduate, I was a research assistant in the LESC and primarily worked on one project that examined children's interpretations of social reputations, and another that examined how children’s social behavior adjusts in response to the social status of other people. In the future, I hope to attend graduate school to study either clinical psychology or medicine. Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding the lab or Dr. Jonathan Beier's research interests.

"If people were rain, I was a drizzle and she was a hurricane." - Looking for Alaska by John Green

Graduate Student

Amanda Woodward  

I am a current graduate student in the psychology program at the University of Maryland. I received my B.S. in Biology/Psychology from Loyola University in 2014. Before entering the Lab for Early Social Cognition, I was a research assistant in the Yassa Learning and Memory Lab as well as a research assistant in Dr. Didonato’s Self and Social Relationships Lab.

“If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good.” - Roald Dahl

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Current Undergraduate RAs

Madi Bryant

Class: 2021
Major: Psychology
Activities: Maryland Images Campus Tour Guide, Sigma Kappa Sorority
Favorite Animal: Elephant

Lexy Costanzo

Class: 2019
Major: Psychology, Minor in Human Development
Activities: Mortar Board Honor Society, The Society of Collegiate Leadership and Achievement
Favorite Animal: Sea otter

Irene Cruz-Umana

Class: 2020
Majors: Letters and Sciences
Activities:
Favorite Animal: Puppies

Cayla Cwerner

Class: 2020
Major: Psychology, Minors in Spanish and Public Leadership
Activities: Terp Thon Ambassador, Sigma Delta Tau Sorority, Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society
Favorite Animal: Sloth

Suzanne Forbes

Class: 2020
Major: Psychology and Criminology/Criminal Justice
Activities: Global Communities living and learning program, the Guide Dog Foundation
Favorite Animal: Red panda

Sydney Forman

Class: 2021
Majors: Biology and Psychology
Activities: College Park Scholars Life Sciences Program, Images Campus Tour Guide
Favorite Animal: Turtle

Jennifer Han

Class: 2020
Majors: Physiology and Neurobiology, Minor in Sustainability
Activities: Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society
Favorite Animal: Giraffe

Lindsay Horen

Class: 2021
Majors: Psychology and Criminology/Criminal Justice
Activities: Terp Thon, Alpha Phi Omega, CHAARG, Psi Chi, The Petey Greene Program
Favorite Animal: Koala

Kate Hedges

Class: 2019
Major: Family Science, Minor in Human Development
Activities: Tau Beta Sigma, Mighty Sound of Maryland Color Guard Alumni
Favorite Animal: Hedgehog

Sarah Knoll

Class: 2021
Major: Psychology
Activities: Maryland Wishes (Treasurer)
"I hate it when I'm weak. But being weak means I have the potential to become strong." - Yuzuru Hanyu

Tara McCurry

Class: 2018
Major: Psychology, LGBT Studies Certificate (Minor in Neuroscience)
Activities: Mortar Board Honors Society, Lavender Leadership Honors Society, Tau Sigma Transfer Honors Society
"The desire to be taken seriously is precisely what compels people to follow the tried and true paths of knowledge production around which I would like to map a few detours." - Jack Halberstam, The Queer Art of Failure

Stephanie Moy

Class: 2021
Major: Psychology and Physiology/Neurobiology
Activities:
Favorite Animal: Chameleon

Clara Reich

Class: 2021
Major: Microbiology
Activities: Sigma Kappa Sorority
Favorite Animal: Jellyfish

Min Hee Song

Class: 2020
Major: Psychology
Activities: Community Assistant, College Park Scholars, Student Dental Advisory Board, American Medical Student Association
Favorite Animal: Doggos and Puppers all the way!

Maddie Wasko

Class: 2019
Major: Psychology
Activities: Sigma Kappa Sorority, Athletic Department's Assistant of Operations, Facilities, and Events
"Replace fear of the unknown with curiosity" -Anonymous

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Colaborators at UMD

Jude Cassidy, Professor, Department of Psychology

Elizabeth Redcay, Professor, Department of Psychology

Lucas Butler, Professor, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology

Melanie Killen, Professor, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology

Alexa Romberg, Assistant Research Scientist, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology

Peter Carruthers, Professor, Department of Philosophy

Bonnie Brett, Graduate Student, Department of Psychology

Jacqueline Gross, Graduate Student, Department of Psychology

Michael Rizzo, Graduate Student, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology

Evan Westra, Graduate Student, Department of Philosophy

Collaborators beyond UMD

Kristen Dunfield, Concordia University

Kristin Shutts, University of Wisconsin

Valerie Kuhlmeier, Queen's University

Malinda Carpenter, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Harriet Over, University of York

Michael Tomasello, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

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Lab Alumni

Former Graduate Students

Mehrnoosh Ahmadi

Brandon Terrizzi

Former Lab Managers

Dana Breakstone Private Industry

Emma Larson Lousiana State University, Doctoral Program in School Psychology

Noor Qasmieh: University of Maryland College Park, Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology

Shirley Duong University of Pittsburgh, Doctoral Program in Cognitive Psychology

Former UMD RAs

Evelyn Xu	Morgan Cohen	Abby Kaye Phillips	Julie Klaber	Casey Trimpin	Tyler Kellerman
Kelly MacDougal	Mike McGovern	LaRae Morris	Susan Roberts	Jody Herron	Louis Marti
Dan Eckler	Ladeja Robinson	Mayumi Rezwan	Olivia Meadowcroft	Kim Greenberg	Sara Schankerman
Chris Cole	Clare Bailey	Hannah Griffith	Caitlyn Miehle	Jenna Sheldon	Priya Shukla
Hallie Burkhard	Rebecca Ellsworth	Selina Williams	Alyssa Irgang	Jessica Yingling	Kaitlin McDermott
Cori Gold	Sam Lipsky	Jorelle Casumbal	Rebecca Pereira	Ellen Levine	Iris Zou
Rachel Blain	Nicole Rodriguez	Elisabeth Trunnell	Sabine Huber	Shivani Raina	Hannah Vanbuiten
Danayt Alem	Jose Lima-Rosas	Nora Pelaez	Maya Pasternak	Elana Israel	Suzanne Woller
Desiree Catalan	Cole Dougherty	Fatou Gaye	Anusha Kallakuri	Julia Leung	Jacob Penrod
Carianne Powers	Lindsay Stenzel	Daniela Weinsweig	Alec Fields	Isaac Betaharon	Umniya Gabbani
Lauren Kinzie	Megan McClure	Rachel McGinnis	Cameron Price	Jonas Ventimiglia

Former Interns

Shonise Flowers: Howard University

Kara Watkins-Chow: Montgomery Blair HS

Carmen Brown: NC State

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