People

Jessica Pittman

• BA in Psychology from Virginia Wesleyan University; MA in Experimental Psychology from Texas Tech 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; MA in Experimental Psychology from Texas Tech University
• Current appointment: Teaching Assistant – PSY 2400: Statistical Methods
• My 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; MA in Experimental Psychology from Texas Tech 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.  

Nicolasa Villalobos

• BA in Psychology from California State University, Monterey Bay; MA in Experimental Psychology from Texas Tech University
• Current and previous appointments: Research & Teaching Assistant for Dr. Roman Taraban; Teaching Assistant for Statistical Methods (PSY 2400) & Research Methods (PSY 3401)
• My past research explored how different types of mental simulation (process- vs. outcome-focused) influence study motivation, judgments of learning, and recall accuracy—revealing that while process simulations boost motivation, they don’t always improve recall. Currently, I’m examining how integrating ChatGPT into undergraduate courses affects student engagement and metacognitive strategies to develop evidence-based best practices for AI-enhanced teaching.
• Post-graduation I plan to transition into an industry role to develop practical, user-centered solutions that bridge research and real-world applications.

Julia Keiner

• BS in Psychology from the University of Oregon; MA in Experimental Psychology from Texas Tech University
• My research interests include studying the cognitive mechanisms involved in learning and the factors that can impair memory. Previously, I've worked on projects examining potential factors influencing the animacy effect in memory, judgments of learning (JOLs), and the Mandela effect.
• Post-graduation I would like to enter the industry conducting research related to cognitive health and memory impairments.
• Publications:

Serra, M. J., Keiner, J. N., Villalobos, N. C., Kortenhoeven, A., & Scolari, M. (2025). Individual differences in mental imagery do not moderate the animacy advantage in memory. Journal of Memory and Language, 143, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2025.104638

Zehra Haque

• BA in Psychology from Texas State University; MA in Psychological Research from Texas State University
• Current appointment: Teaching Assistant for PSY 1300 (General Psychology), PSY 4301 (Developmental Psychology), and PSY 4324 (Cognition)
• My research interests lie in the cognitive processes involved with learning and memory. In the past, I have completed work related to metacognition, focusing on the effects of mood disorders (such as depression and anxiety) on judgments of learning and confidence judgments. I am currently working on a project involving the use of visual aids on problem-solving using Bayesian probabilities.
• Post-graduation, I hope to complete a post-doctoral fellowship with the goal of eventually teaching and conducting research at an academic institution.
• Poster presentations:

Haque, Z., Taraban, R. (2025, March 28-30). The effect of realistic icons on Bayesian problem-solving [Poster presentation] Southwestern Psychological Association Conference, Little Rock, AR, United States.

Price, M. A., Haque, Z., Garza, L., Westerberg, C. E. (2023, March 17-19). Relationships between metacognition, personality, and the bizarreness of lucid and non-lucid dreams [Poster presentation]. ARMADILLO Conference, San Marcos, TX, United States.