People

Jessica Pittman

• BA in Psychology from Virginia Wesleyan University
• Current appointment: Instructor of Record - PSY 3318: The Development of Children's Thinking and Emotions.
• My research interests include studying factors that impact academic performance among college students. Thus far I have specifically looked at the impacts of multimedia and text-based instruction on notetaking and recall performance as well as the impact of positive feedback on subsequent math performance. I am currently delving deeper into the impact of course modality on self-regulated learning behaviors. 
• Post-graduation I hope to take a professor position at a small to midsized university where I can continue teaching while exploring my research interests related to cognition and education.

Isabel Meza

• BS in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from University of Rochester
• Current appointment: Teaching Assistant – PSY 2400: Statistical MethodsMy research interests include early reading success in children, including those who are bi-/multi-lingual. 
• I am currently developing a research project that explores how different presentations of rhyming words can affect early readers' abilities to read new words. 
• Post-graduation I hope to either enter academia as a professor or enter the industry as a research coordinator for organizations that focus on reading success. 

Jacob Vaughn

• BA in Psychology from Auburn University 
• Current appointment: Research Assistant for Dr. Phillip Marshall and Dr. Miranda Scolari. 
• My research interests include the role of the rPFC on the process of categorization and the role of metacognition on learning.  I am currently working on a project that explores how metacognition can improve learning and problem-solving capabilities in Chemical Engineering undergraduate students. 
• Post-graduation I hope to enter industry and help coordinate research utilizing fMRIs.  

LeeAnn Whitton

• BS in Psychology from Texas A&M University, MS in Experimental Psychology from Texas A&M University
• My research interests include understanding the role of underlying cognitive mechanisms in language processing to improve learning and memory.
• Post-graduation I want to have a postdoctoral fellowship completed and accept a faculty teaching position in academia. I want to collaborate within the department and create a healthy internal culture by promoting cross-departmental collaboration on research projects to publish academic papers in scientific journals.