Active Members: People: Cognition & Learning Laboratory: Indiana University

Principal Investigator

eagunder@iu.edu PBS Directory Curriculum Vitae

Elizabeth Gunderson, PhD., Professor

Elizabeth Gunderson, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Chicago in 2012 and her B.A. in Computer Science & Psychology from Yale University in 2005. Dr. Gunderson’s research focuses on the cognitive and socio-emotional factors that affect young children’s academic achievement, especially in the domain of mathematics.

Lab Managers

Leslie Amarachi Duru

Leslie received her B.S. in Psychobiology from UCLA in 2023. As a research assistant in Dr. Catherine Sandhofer’s Language and Cognitive Development Lab, she examined the acquisition of antonyms in 3–6-year-olds as a result of their learning environments. She hopes to continue to unravel the mechanisms that determine how children develop and learn typically and atypically and utilize neuropsychological findings to implement research-based interventions in the educational and healthcare system.

csoong@iu.edu

Caleb Soong

Caleb received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Virginia in 2025. As a research assistant in Dr. Chris Hulleman’s Motivate Lab, he looked at what factors influence motivation and academic success in STEM learning environments. Looking forward, he hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in developmental or educational psychology to continue research focused on how students learn and what interventions may help promote further learning and engagement.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Hyekyung Park, PhD.

Dr. Hyekyung Park is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington. She completed her Ph.D. in Psychology at Ohio State University, supervised by Dr. John Opfer. Hyekyung is interested in investigateing cognitive factors that are related to children’s numerical skills and exploring strategies that enhance mathematical thinking.

Graduate Students

Mariana Sosa

Mariana Sosa is a third-year graduate student in Dr. Gunderson's Lab. She received her M.Sc. in Cognitive Neuroscience at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She is interested in the development of numerical and spatial skills, with a focus on understanding the ways in which parents and teachers can effectively support learning in these domains.

Talia Halleck

Talia Halleck is a second-year graduate student in Dr. Gunderson's lab. She received her B.S. in Psychology at the University of Iowa. She is interested in how different environmental factors contribute to children's mathematical development. More specifically, she is examining how various parental factors contribute to their child's spatial skill development during parent-child interactions.

Luxin Zhang

Luxin Zhang is a first-year Ph.D. student in Dr. Gunderson’s Lab. I earned my M.A. in Cognitive Science in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and my B.A. in Psychology from the University of Iowa. My research interests include children's mathematical development, parental involvement, math anxiety, motivation, and family influences on learning across cultures.