J. Zoe Klemfuss
Associate Professor, Director
Dr. Klemfuss’s research focuses on how children remember and report about their past experiences. She is particularly interested in how social contextual factors and children’s cognitive abilities separately and jointly impact the accuracy and content of their event narratives. She has published in top academic journals including Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Developmental Review, and Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, as well as in books and online resources.
Quincy Miller
Ph.D., Postdoctoral Scholar
Quincy is a postdoctoral scholar in the Child Narratives Lab. She studies reports of child maltreatment and has three primary foci: disclosure of child maltreatment allegations, best practices for interviewing child victims and witnesses, and juror decision making in child maltreatment cases.
Danhua Zhu
Ph.D., Postdoctoral Scholar
Danhua received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Virginia Tech in 2021 and worked with her doctoral advisor Dr. Julie Dunsmore at the University of Houston as a postdoc researcher after graduation until she joined the Child Narratives Lab in August 2023. She has worked with families from the United States and mainland China to study culture, parents’ emotion socialization, and child socioemotional functioning. In the Child Narrative Lab, she is excited to explore the roles of narratives and autobiographical memories in child development under the sociocultural contexts.
Deborah Kamilot
B.A., PBD, Graduate Student
Deborah is a graduate student in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine. She received her B.A. from California State University, Fullerton in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. Her research interests include cognitive development with a focus on sociocultural factors. Deborah started the University of California, Irvine's doctoral program in Fall 2022, continuing in the Child Narratives Lab!
Laura Fulton
M.A., Graduate Student
Laura is a graduate student in the Psychological Science Ph.D. program at the University of California, Irvine. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Virginia, and recently graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with an M.A. in Legal and Forensic Psychology. Her research interests center around how to elicit accurate disclosures from child witnesses and victims, children's memories of adverse experiences, and children's eyewitness capabilities.
Georgia Lundon
Graduate Student
Georgia is a third-year graduate student in the Department of Psychological Science. Her research interests intersect around children's credibility as witnesses, including how to generate truthful and productive narratives about abuse and violence, as well as understanding and improving how laypersons perceive child witnesses in abuse cases. She previously read Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Before joining the University of California, Irvine, Georgia was a Lab Director for Dr. Lyon's Child Interviewing Lab at the University of Southern California.
Marleah Berry
Undergraduate, Lab Manager
Marleah Berry is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in psychology at University Of California Irvine. Her interests include developmental and personality psychology, specifically the mindsets of growing adolescents. Marleah hopes to pursue a career in clinical or school psychology to help children develop and reach their full potential. She joined the Child Narratives Lab to explore more deeply into this field, how aging affects the mind and the connection of Law and Psychology.
Tanner Phillips
Undergraduate, Lab Manager
Tanner is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine. His interests are developmental psychology, social psychology, and cognitive development. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in developmental psychology to become a professor and researcher. During his time at the Child Narratives Lab, Tanner looks forward to gaining further insight into the research process and more experience working with children.
Austin Ashizawa
Undergraduate, Lab Manager
Austin is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology at the University of California, Irvine. His interests include social psychology, developmental psychology, and business economics. He is passionate about helping others thrive in the workplace and aspires to pursue a career in I/O psychology. Through the Child Narratives Lab, he hopes to gain valuable experience with research and data analytics as well as a better understanding of cognitive development in children.
Colleen Quigley
Undergraduate
Colleen is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine. Her interests are clinical psychology, counseling psychology, and abnormal psychology. She hopes to pursue a PsyD in clinical psychology and eventually begin a career as a clinical psychologist. Through the Child Narratives Lab, she hopes to gain important research experience regarding developmental psychology, memory, and the intersection between psychology and law.
Ryan Hansen
Undergraduate
Ryan is a undergraduate student majoring in Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine. His interests include clinical psychology, abnormal psychology, and social psychology. After graduating, he plans on pursuing a career in clinical psychology or in the medical field. Through the Child Narratives Lab, Ryan is looking forward to gaining research experience and insight into child development through a psychological and legal lens.
Noor Dalati
Undergraduate
Noor is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine. She is passionate about clinical psychology, forensic psychology, and social psychology. After graduation, she plans to pursue graduate school in hopes of becoming a licensed therapist. By working in the Child Narratives Lab, she seeks to advance her understanding of the ways children think and interact with the world.
Madeline Macchia
Undergraduate
Madeline is a current undergraduate student majoring in Psychology at University California, Irvine. With interests in neuropsychology, developmental psychology and forensic psychology, she hopes to gain essential research skills and hands-on, real world experience in law psychology through the Child Narratives Lab. Madeline is very passionate about psychology/research and will continue her education with a goal of achieving a PhD in Psychology.
Sheryll Estipona
Undergraduate
Sheryll is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine. Her interests include developmental psychology, social psychology, and abnormal psychology. After graduating, she aims to pursue a career in the child development field. Through her time at the Child Narratives Lab, she looks forward to gaining research experience and enhancing her understanding of children's cognitive development and its influencing factors.
Cassidy Wong
Undergraduate
Cassidy is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine. Her interests include industrial-organizational psychology, occupational health psychology, cognitive psychology, and social psychology. She intends to continue her education with a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology, aspiring to pursue a professional career in the HR field. Through the Child Narratives Lab, she aims to gain valuable research experience that directly connects to real-life applications, specifically focusing on how suggestibility impacts children's memory and storytelling abilities and its implications in legal settings.
Roxana Olivier
Undergraduate
Roxana is an undergraduate student double majoring in Criminology, Law & Society and Music, with a specialty in Piano Performance at the University of California, Irvine. Her interests are clinical and forensic psychology, in hopes of working for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. During after school hours, she tutors children in different languages and teaches them piano as well. Through the Child Narratives Lab, she hopes to further her understanding of how cognitive skills work in encoding memories into people's brains, what aspects of an event people are able to recall, and how they are able to report or talk about it.
Daria Karraby
Postbaccalaureate Student
Daria is a student in the Post-Baccalaureate program in Psychological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. She recently received her BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley. Her interests are cognitive development, clinical psychology, and the development of concepts of identity such as race and gender in children. During her time at the Child Narratives Lab, she hopes to gain valuable research experience with the aim to apply for PhD programs in Educational or Developmental Psychology.
Pragati Muthuselvan
Undergraduate
Pragati, a first-year college student at the University of California, Irvine, is propelled by an unwavering passion for the medical field. She hopes to pursue a degree in Biological Sciences and aims to attend medical school. Enthusiastic about deepening her knowledge and contributing to research, she is thrilled at the opportunity to join the Child Narratives Lab. Through the lab, she hopes to gain research experience and better understand a child's cognition.
Roger Nguyen
Undergraduate
Roger is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology at the University of California, Irvine. His interests include clinical, developmental, and social psychology. After graduating, he hopes to pursue a career in clinical psychology or social work. Through the Child Narratives Lab, Roger hopes to gain invaluable research experience, expand his understanding of the field, and develop skills that would help foster his academic journey.
Dhriti Grover
Undergraduate
Dhriti is a second-year undergraduate student majoring Cognitive Science at the University of California, Irvine. Her interests are in clinical psychology, developmental psychology, and behavioral neuroscience. She hopes to go into neuropsychology after receiving her degree. During her time at Child Narratives Lab, she hopes to gain research-related skills such as coding and a deeper understanding on applying psychology to real world instances.
Doris Deng
Undergraduate
Doris is an undergraduate student double majoring in Psychological Science and Education Science at the University of California, Irvine. Her interests are developmental psychology, educational psychology, positive psychology, and I/O psychology. She hopes to explore her interest fields by gaining hands-on experiences and pursuing a Master's degree. Through the Child Narratives Lab, she hopes to gain valuable research skills and deepen her understanding of child development and how social and emotional factors affect children's well-being
Elena Rubio
Post-Graduate
Elena is a Fall 2023 University of California, Irvine graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychological Science. Her interests revolve around social psychology, evolutionary psychology, and applied psychology. She hopes to pursue a Master's Degree in Applied Psychology once she determines her top psychological interest. After that, she aspires to pursue her Ph.D. to help further her knowledge in psychology. Throughout the Child Narratives Lab, she hopes to learn important research knowledge and gain valuable experience to understand the workings of psychology and research.
Lorena Yanez
Undergraduate
Lorena is an undergraduate student double majoring in Psychological Science and Urban studies. Her interests include developmental psychology, psychopathology, and urban planning. Through the Child Narratives Lab, she hopes to gain research experience, learn from her peers, and a better understanding of thought processes in children.
Elaine Nguyen
Undergraduate
Elaine is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology, B.S. at the University of California, Irvine. Her interests are clinical psychology, counseling, mental health, and working with children. She hopes to pursue a degree in clinical psychology and explore the field of psychology. Through the Child Narratives lab, she hopes to gain research experience and develop further insight in children's cognitive development.
Katherine Waldman
Undergraduate
Katherine is an undergraduate student double majoring in European Studies and Business. She has a background in childcare, having worked in behavioral health and child gymnastics coaching. She hopes to gain valuable research experience under the guidance of Dr. Klemfuss. Katherine hopes to increase her understanding of the connection between social context and childhood memory recollection and expand her understanding of child psychology.
Kiara Kuriakose
Undergraduate
Kiara is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology at the University of California, Irvine. She is interested in developmental and clinical psychology as well as the overlap with the legal system. After graduation, she aims to pursue a career in clinical psychology as a licensed therapist. She hopes to gain hands-on experience and contribute to the important research surrounding child development in the Child Narratives Lab.
Katherine Naveda
Undergraduate
Katherine Naveda is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychological Science with a minor in Education. She is interested in child and adolescent development as well as counseling psychology. After completing her undergraduate studies, she plans to attend graduate school to become a guidance counselor in secondary education. Through the Child Narratives Lab, she hopes to gain practical experience that helps her understand students from a holistic perspective.
Mehak Goel
Undergraduate
Mehak is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology at the University of California, Irvine. Her interests lie in clinical psychology. Through her involvement with the Child Narratives Lab, Mehak aims to gain essential research experience and enhance her understanding of how children's narratives can provide insights into their cognitive and emotional development. She is dedicated to exploring the intersections of psychology and law, hoping to contribute to a deeper understanding of how psychological principles can inform legal practices related to children.
Jasmine Alcaraz
Undergraduate
Jasmine is an undergraduate student double majoring in Psychological Science and Criminology, Law & Society. She is interested in developmental and forensic psychology as well as family law. Upon graduation, she hopes to pursue her masters in Legal and Forensic Psychology, ultimately working with FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. Through the Child Narratives Lab, she hopes to gain valuable experience to further understand how adverse childhood experiences affect their memory encoding and recall process.
Previous Graduate Lab Members
Allison Mugno, Ph.D., Current Assistant Professor, Huntingdon College
Alma Olaguez, Ph.D., Current Assistant Professor, Chapman University
Emily Slonecker, Ph.D., Current Assistant Professor, Cabrini University
Lianet Chao, M.S., Barry University, Current Teacher, Brigeprep Academy
Michelle Pena, M.A., Current Doctoral Student, Florida International University
Patrick J. Villalonga, B.A., Current Ph.D. Student, Florida International Unviersity
Veronica Alavarez, M.A.
Lauren Wyckoff, M.A.
Previous Post-Baccalaureate Lab Members
Daniel Wang, B.S., PBD in Psychological Science, Current Research Assistant, Yale University
Debbie Chung, B.A., PBD in Psychological Science
Deepali Dhruve, B.A., PBD in Psychological Science, Clinical Ph.D. Student Mississippi State
Jessica Barragan, B.A., PBD in Psychological Science, Current Ph.D. Student, Claremont McKenna
Joshua Dea, B.A., PBD in Psychological Science
Kimia Akhavein, B.A., PBD in Psychological Science, Developmental Psychology Ph.D. Student, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Khanam Virjee, B.A., PBD in Psychological Science
Evelyn (Shu Wei) Chang, B.S., PBD in Psychological Science
Previous Undergraduate Lab Members
Abigail Charime, B.A.
Abigail Diaz, B.A.
Aereonna Chea
Akaysia Hill, B.A., Master's Student in UCI's Masters in Legal and Forensic Psychology (MLFP) Program
Alexina Pilo, B.A., Master's Student, Boston College
Alessandra Contreras, B.A.
Alyssa Lewis, B.A.
Amy Bennett, B.A., Social, Health, and Organizational Psychology Graduate Program Student, Utrecht University
An Do, B.A.
Aneesah Akbar, B.S.
Armando Amador, B.A.
Arpita Noor, B.A.
Ashley Cieri, B.A.
Brandon Sanchez, B.A.
Ellis Choi
Caroline Cha, B.A., Lab Manager, Diversity in Development Lab, University of California, Santa Cruz
Cesar Jara, B.A.
Cindy Francesca, B.A.
Eduardo Florez, B.A., Clinical Master's Student, Pacific University
Eric Enriquez, B.A.
Fei Gao, B.A.
Giovanna Pires Dearaujo, B.A., Toddler Assistant Teacher, Spectrum Montessori
Giselle Velazquez, B.A., Counseling, Student Affairs, and College Counseling Master's Student, Fresno State University
Ismael Tijerino, B.A., Law Student, St. Thomas University School of Law
Jackie Cardenas, B.A.
Jennifer Lee Ma, B.A.
Jennifer Lopez, B.A., Social Work Master's Student, California State University Fullerton
Jennifer Mora, B.A.
Joie Annunziato, B.A.
Joseline Velarde, B.A.
Jose Gonzalez, B.A.
Kaitlin Hwangbo, B.A.
Katherine Hoogesteyn, B.A.
Kiari Esquibel, B.A., Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Student, Loma Linda University
Kimberly Karlsen, B.S.
Kristen Hollas, B.A., Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Student, Louisiana State University
Laterika Kelly, B.S.
Laura Acosta, B.A.
Lesley Vallecillos, B.A.
Liliana Vazquez, B.A.
Linda Fayelah Johnson, B.A.
Lisette Juarez, B.A.
Lorena Villegas
Madiana Vivar, B.A.
Maria C. Peñaranda, B.A.
Maria Wilson, B.A.
Marlon Chavez, B.A.
Megan Sabatino, B.A.
Melissa Halici, B.A.
Natasha Bailey, B.A., Full-Time Research Assistant, Chapman University
Neejla Fahimy, B.A.
Neiman Araque
Nicka Fallah, B.A., Social Work Master's Student, University of California Los Angeles
Olivia Mattera, B.A., Master's Student, University of Pittsburgh
Rachel Taffe, B.A., Psychology Ph.D. Student, New York University
Rebecca Cortizo, B.A.
Rebeca Ceballos, B.A.
Rhea Go, B.A.
Roman Dane Romero Sinisi, B.A.
Sarah Coscolluela, B.A.
Serena Nuber, B.A.
Sophia Birriel-Sanchez, B.A.
Sion Shuquor Habtemariam, B.A.
Solace Mills, B.A.
Tatiana Angrino, B.A.
Tina Nafir, B.A.
Victoria Dickerson, B.A.
Xiomara Pena, B.A., Clinical Master's Student, Southern Adventist University
Yelda Falahahwazi, B.A.
Yunhui (Rachel) Chen, B.A., Master's Student, Harvard University
Zara Allen, B.S.
Noelle Tresser, B.A.
Chloe Ford, B.A.
Valeria Porras, B.A.
Angela Huh, B.A.
Rebecca Aaron, B.A.
Nick Casis
Kaitlin Mae Fernanadez, B.A., Psychology Ph.D Student, University of California Berkeley
Leah Lopez, B.A.
Yesenia Garcia, B.A.
McKenna Raymond, B.A.
Jazmin Diaz, B.A.
Christine Shek, B.S.
Nalani Portillo, B.A.
Katherine Pappas, B.S.
Ghazal (Helena) Shamshiri, B.S.
Daisy Ma, B.S.
Vivian Wei
Kara Chizek
Nadia Suarez
You can learn more about the department of Psychological Science at UC Irvine here.
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