{"id":5,"date":"2017-06-27T21:17:45","date_gmt":"2017-06-28T02:17:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/littlelearnerslab\/cv\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T10:32:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T15:32:59","slug":"lab-members","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/littlelearnerslab\/lab-members\/","title":{"rendered":"Lab Members"},"content":{"rendered":"

Current Lab Members<\/h2>\n

\"Faculty<\/p>\n

Dr. Amy Booth\u2014 Principal Investigator<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Contact<\/strong>:\u00a0amy.booth@vanderbilt.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Curriculum\u00a0Vitae: Amy Booth CV<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

*Dr. Booth is not accepting new graduate students at this time.*<\/p>\n

Dr. Booth’s research focuses broadly on early cognitive development and learning, with a special emphasis on exploring the origins and outcomes associated with individual variability in pre-academic skills.\u00a0Through her work, she aims to better understand and support the development of key foundational skills so that we can help to overcome persistent opportunity gaps and maximize the developmental outcomes of all children in both science and language.<\/p>\n

\n

\"MargaretDotHeadshot\"<\/p>\n

Margaret Shavlik, PhD \u2014 Post-Doctoral Research Scholar<\/h3>\n

Contact<\/strong>:\u00a0margaret.e.shavlik@vanderbilt.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Margaret (Maggie) graduated from Northwestern University in 2016, where she double majored in Psychology and Cognitive Science. She\u00a0has been working with Dr. Booth and the Little Learners Lab since Fall 2016, and received her M.S.\u00a0in Psychology in May 2019 and her PhD in May 2023. Her\u00a0research interests comprise the effects of socioeconomic status on young children\u2019s language learning and literacy skills, as well as on their overall school readiness. When not in the lab or the classroom, Margaret enjoys darkroom photography, ceramics, and very slow walks\u00a0with her dog, Dot.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\"\"Jihye “Erica” Bae\u00a0 \u2014 Graduate Research Assistant<\/h3>\n

Contact<\/strong>: jihye.bae@vanderbilt.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Jihye is a third year doctoral student in Developmental Psychology at Peabody. She received her M.Ed. in Child Studies from Vanderbilt, and her B.A. in International Relations from New York University. Before discovering her passion for child development, she worked in the legal and corporate world for a while. Her research interests are understanding young children’s motivation to learn, as well as the formal and informal environment for optimal learning, particularly in the context of science. Outside of academia, she enjoys visiting trendy coffee shops and exploring outdoor activities with her family.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sean Dick \u2014 Graduate Research Assistant<\/h3>\n

Sean is a second year master\u2019s student in the developmental research track of the Child Studies program. A 2024 graduate of Davidson College, he double majored in Communications and Educational Studies. Raised on Schoolhouse Rock, Sesame Street, and BrainPop, Sean has developed a passion for researching and creating children\u2019s educational media. Outside of the lab, Sean enjoys, writing, playing basketball, and getting too emotionally invested in Vanderbilt sports.<\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

\"Mae\"Mae Gangi \u2014 Undergraduate Research Assistant<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mae is a senior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Neuroscience. She joined the Little Learners Lab because she has always been fascinated by kids, their behavior and interests, and what shapes their development. The lab combines many of her interests in STEM and in child development!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

\"Jelissa\"Jelissa\u00a0Sasraku \u2014 Undergraduate Research Assistant<\/h3>\n

Jelissa is a senior majoring in Biological Sciences and Child Development. She is interested in going to medical school for general pediatrics, yet Little Learners Lab has helped open her attention to more specific avenues of working with children. She has research interest on how children develop, especially psychologically. Outside of the lab, Jelissa enjoys being involved in Vanderbilt’s cultural organizations, dancing, taking care of her niece, and taking lots of naps!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n

\"Taylo\"<\/h3>\n

Taylor\u00a0Ditsworth \u2014 Undergraduate Research Assistant<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

Taylor is a junior majoring in Psychology and Child Development. She joined the Little Learners lab because of her love for kids and interest in early childhood intervention. Outside of the lab, you can find Taylor working as an after-school teacher at a local elementary school, exploring Nashville, or spending time with friends and family.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

\"Ryan\"Ryan Hudacek \u2014 Undergraduate Research Assistant<\/h3>\n

Ryan Hudacek is a junior majoring in Child Development and Medicine, Health, and Society. She joined the Little Learners Lab in 2024 because she wanted to apply the methods she learned in class to a tangible experience. Outside of lab, Ryan is a campus tour guide and tutors elementary school kids.<\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Maya Dobrinsky \u2014 Undergraduate Research Assistant<\/h3>\n

Maya is a junior majoring in Child Development and Medicine, Health, and Society. She joined the Little Learners Lab in 2025 because of her passion for working with kids and her interest in early childhood intervention. Maya hopes to become a pediatric occupational therapist in the future. Outside of the lab, she enjoys running, spending time with family and friends, and trying new recipes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Shakthi Krishna – Undergraduate Research Assistant<\/h3>\n

Shakthi is a sophomore majoring in Human and Organizational Development from Suwanee, Georgia. She has a passion for education policy, research, and teaching. In her free time, she likes to read thrillers, watch comedy shows, and listen to music.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

\"Nicole\"<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Nicole Talledo – Undergraduate Research Assistant<\/h3>\n

Nicole is from Northern Virginia, and a junior studying psychology and neuroscience on the pre-med track. She hopes to become a child psychiatrist in the future, because of her passion for mental health and how it affects recent generations. Some of her hobbies include singing, running, swimming, and solving puzzles any chance she gets!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

CLICK HERE<\/a> TO LEARN ABOUT OUR FORMER LAB MEMBERS<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\n

View Lab Members Based at the University of Texas at Austin<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"LAB<\/p>\n

FALL 2023<\/p>\n

\"Dec19LLLphotoJPG\"<\/p>\n

LLL Holiday Party (December 2019)<\/p>\n

\"labparty\"<\/p>\n

LLL End of Semester Party (April\u00a02019)<\/p>\n

\"labparty3\"<\/p>\n

LLL End of Semester Party (Dec. 2018)<\/p>\n

\"P1150049\"LLL Holiday Party (Dec. 2017)<\/p>\n

\n

<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Current Lab Members Dr. Amy Booth\u2014 Principal Investigator Contact:\u00a0amy.booth@vanderbilt.edu Curriculum\u00a0Vitae: Amy Booth CV *Dr. Booth is not accepting new graduate students at this time.* Dr. Booth’s research focuses broadly on early cognitive development and learning, with a special emphasis on exploring the origins and outcomes associated with individual variability in pre-academic skills.\u00a0Through her work, she…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6776,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/littlelearnerslab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/littlelearnerslab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/littlelearnerslab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/littlelearnerslab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6776"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/littlelearnerslab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5"}],"version-history":[{"count":181,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/littlelearnerslab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":644,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/littlelearnerslab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5\/revisions\/644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/littlelearnerslab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/littlelearnerslab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}