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Lab Director


My name is Dr. Dana Miller-Cotto and I am the the director of the Learning and Individual Differences Lab at Kent State University. I aim to understand the role of executive functions in mathematics learning and reasoning, as well as what explains development in each of these respective areas for minoritized students. My hobbies include trying new recipes, painting, reading anything written by Paule Marshall, puzzles, and running after my 1 year old.

Lab Manager 


Hello! My name is Morgan Shingledecker and I am the lab manager for the Miller-Cotto lab. I am a recent graduate of Kent State University (December, 2022) where I majored in Psychology with an Italian Studies minor. In my free time, you can find me reading, working out, napping, watching Netflix, or doing something outside. ​

Research Assistants

Meet Alexandra Flowers

I ​am a current senior psychology major at Kent State University. 
After graduating from Kent in Spring in 2023, I plan on continuing my education and attending graduate school the following Spring. I am hoping to make a positive impact, help, and reach the struggling kids I work with. In my free time, I love being outdoors and enjoy activities such as hiking, camping, and paddle boarding. I also enjoy working out, playing intramural sports and reading.

Meet Amelia "Amy" King

​Hi everyone! My name is Amelia King, and I am a junior Psychology major with a Pre-Medicine concentration. After graduating from Kent State, I hope to attend NEOMED to become a pediatrician. I enjoy drawing, painting, hiking, and spending time with friends and family in my free time.

Meet  Clare Lavelle

​My Name is Clare. I am a psychology major with a business minor with an expected graduation date of May 2024. My long term and short-term goals with research is to see how research is directly correlated to various environments in our society. In other words, I think having this first-hand experience would give me a better idea of the importance and structure of research itself while learning along the way. I love to swim, and I am left handed. 

Meet Erica Cox

​Hello, my name is Erica. I am a junior with a major in psychology and an undergraduate certificate in Addiction’s Counseling. I plan on continuing school and going to graduate school for Clinical Mental Health Counseling. For the long term I want to get my Ph.D. I would like to continue research into mental health disorders and substance abuse. I want to make a positive impact for those who struggle with their mental health, or addiction. I enjoy being outdoors, fishing, playing sports, or hiking. I also love spending time with my dogs.

Meet Finn Mroz-Roakes

​Hi everyone! My name is Finn Mroz-Roakes. I am a junior psychology major concentrating in child psychology. I plan to work as a public school counselor in early or middle childhood education. In my free time I love to play music or get outside and play spikeball with the Kent State Roundnet Club. In addition to volunteering in the lab I also work at the Kent Child Development Center as a teaching assistant in the preschool and kindergarten rooms.

Meet Alexis "Lexi" Kirkbride

​My name is Lexi. I’m a sophomore psychology major, minoring in biology expecting to graduate in May 2025. In the future, I would like to attend a graduate school and continue my studies with relation to human anatomy and psychology. In my free-time I’m usually working out, reading, or relaxing outside!

Meet Logan Ernst

​My name is Logan Ernst, and I am a junior at Kent State University. I am a psychology major. In my free time, I love doing anything to do with soccer, whether it be watching or playing. I also enjoy listening to music. I am looking forward to gathering some first-hand experience and obtaining new knowledge through this lab.

Meet Tierra McClary

​My name is Tierra. I am a senior majoring in psychology with a minor in criminology. I expect to graduate in May of 2023. My short-term goal is to get into a graduate program to study developmental psychology. My long-term goals are to attain my Ph.D. and eventually lead my own lab with research involving and expanding on my interests. Broadly speaking, those interests are currently: adverse childhood experiences + socioeconomic status and their impact on psychological development into adulthood, especially concerning crime and deviant behavior. In my spare time, I enjoy rock climbing, birding, and hiking. 

Meet Naseem Mirhaidari

​Hi everyone! My name is Naseem I am a senior here at Kent State University majoring in child psychology with a minor in HDFS. My expected graduation will be this spring 2023. After graduation I hope to go to a PsyD program for clinical child psychology, I really want to focus on kids with developmental disabilities such ASD as well as more and also focus on mental health illnesses as those would be my main research interests. In my spare time, I love to spend time with my family and friends and I also love to travel and go on adventures such as hiking and taking road trips!

Meet Veronica Anokhina

​My name is Veronica Anokhina! I am a junior psychology major, exploring different options for minors. I’m expected to graduate in May 2024. As of now, I am looking to gain hands on experience in the research and to later continue to grad school in either school psychology or educational psychology. I love running, traveling, reading, being a barista, and am a big fan of the UFC! A fun fact is I am also a first generation American:) 

Lab Alumni

Natalia Frost, Fall 2022
Simone Gest, Fall 2022
Rhomie Stewart, Fall 2022