The MiSo Lab Team
Principal Investigator (PI)
Dr. Isobel A. Heck (she/her)
isobel.a.heck@rochester.edu
Dr. Heck is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Rochester and the PI of the MiSo Lab. Her research focuses on how young children come to think about the structure of the social world and how they themselves fit into it. Much of her research focuses on children’s reasoning social group hierarchies along lines of power and status, as well as early-life thinking about formalized notions of power and status (e.g., political leadership, occupational hierarchies). In asking these questions, she pays particular attention to how variation in lived experience shapes differences in social thinking across individuals and contexts.
She is an alum of Brown University, where she concentrated in Cognitive Science with a focus in developmental science and education. After receiving her Bachelor’s, she completed her PhD at Cornell and the University of Chicago working with Dr. Katherine Kinzler.
Isobel’s Seasonal Treat: chaider
Lab Manager
Bryanna Boone (she/her)
Bryanna received a B.S. in Psychology and a B.S.I. in Informatics from the University of Texas at Austin in May 2025 and was a research assistant in the Social Cognition Lab before joining the MiSo lab. She is interested in studying how mental processes become automatic as opposed to controlled. Specifically, she studies the dichotomy of automatic/controlled processes in the development of moral decision making and social categorization.
Bryanna’s Seasonal Treat: London Fog!
Graduate Students
Nicole Park (she/her)
nicole.park@rochester.edu
Nicole is a first-year Ph.D. student in Developmental Psychology at the University of Rochester. Her research explores how children think about societal leadership and change, as well as how they use emotional cues to learn about the social world.
She completed her B.A. in Psychology with Honors from Yale University, where she first became involved in research as an assistant at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Her work on early childhood socioemotional and cultural research inspired a curiosity in children’s underlying cognitive representations of the social world. Following this interest, she moved to Rochester to serve as the Lab Manager for the MiSo Lab for two years prior to her graduate studies.
Nicole’s Seasonal Treat: London fogs & crochet
Ellen Kneeskern (she/her)
ellen.kneeskern@rochester.edu
Ellen is a fifth year PhD student at the University of Rochester. Her research focuses on how children learn and think about social inequalities, with a specific focus on how different sources of information (like parents, teachers, peers, and media) influence the development of their thoughts.
She holds a B.A. in Psychological Science with Honors and a B.A. in English from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN, and a M.A. in Psychology from the University of Rochester. Ellen also worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for two years prior to beginning graduate school.
Ellen’s Seasonal Treat: going on picnics in Rochester parks
Candelas Distefano (she/her)
cdistef2@ur.rochester.edu
Candelas is a first year PhD student in Developmental Psychology at the University of Rochester. Her research explores the early emergence of sociopolitical ideas and preferences, particularly how children think about the relationship between individuals and systems of power/governance.
She completed her B.A. in Psychology with Honors from the University of Chicago, where she was a research assistant at the Development of Social Cognition Lab prior to starting her graduate studies.
Candy’s Seasonal Treat: hot chocolate (with a dash of cinnamon, because why not)
Meet our RAs!
Princess Aniagboso (she/her)
paniagbo@u.rochester.edu
Princess is a senior majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience on a pre-medical track. Her hometown is Lagos, Nigeria, and she is interested in how children of varying backgrounds are influenced by their social environment. She is also keen on exploring the early onset of psychological disorders in children.
Princess’ Seasonal Treat: candles and movie marathons
Emily Aron (she/her)
earon@u.rochester.edu
Emily is a senior majoring in Psychology and American Sign Language at the University of Rochester. She is from Massachusetts, and is interested in researching how children come to understand inequality and incarceration.
Emily’s Seasonal Treat: caramel apples and Gilmore Girls
Liliya Bogdanova (she/her)
lbogdano@u.rochester.edu
Liliya is a senior majoring in Psychology and Religion, Politics and Society with a minor in Statistics. She is from Varna, Bulgaria and the Sunshine State Florida, and her interests are in holistic wellness and healing as well as Child Health Psychology and Neuropsychology.
Liliya’s Seasonal Treat: Chai latte and Lofthouse cookies
Yuliahnna Mendiola (she/her)
ymendiol@u.rochester.edu
Yuliahnna is a senior double majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology. She is from San Antonio, Texas, and her interest surrounds how children from minority groups develop socially when faced with learning disabilities or being academically accelerated.
Yuliahnna’s Seasonal Treat: fresh fruit cups + time in the sun!
Daniela Sanchez (she/her)
dsanche8@u.rochester.edu
Daniela is a junior at the University of Rochester majoring in Psychology and Brain and cognitive sciences. She is from Brooklyn, New York and she is interested in how children of immigrant parents develop an understanding of their social identity and intersectionality and how they navigate multiple cultural influences.
Daniela’s Seasonal Treat: apple crisp macchiato
Liany Bran Fortunato
lfortun3@u.rochester.edu
Liany is a senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. She is from the Bronx, New York. Her psychological research interests are mainly ethno-racial socialization and how it affects children of multiple cultures, especially within the United States.
Liany’s Seasonal Treat: Twilight Marathons
Kate Kim
nkim32@u.rochester.edu
Kate is a sophomore majoring in Data Science and Brain and Cognitive Science.She is interested in Human–Computer Interaction and the ways AI techniques can be applied to improve early childhood care systems and accessibility. She is originally from Seoul, Korea, and I attended high school in Cleveland, Ohio.
Kate’s Seasonal Treat: Cinnamon Rolls
Lab Affiliates
Maddy Ephraim (she/her)
mephraim@psych.rochester.edu
Maddy graduated from the University of Iowa in 2025 with her B.S. in psychology and a minor in statistics. While in Iowa, she was a lab manager for the Hank Virtual Environments Lab and a research assistant in the Developmental Psychopathology Lab. Maddy plans to pursue a PhD in Developmental Psychology. Her previous research has focused on the role the home environment plays in the development of children’s executive functioning and parenting.
Maddy’s Seasonal Treat: peppermint lattes
Past RAs
Kristen Lipp (she/her)
Kristen is a junior majoring in Psychology and Dance/Movement. Her hometown is Buffalo, NY (go bills), and she is interested in child and adolescents development as well as human movement psychology.
Kiley Appleby (she/her)
Kiley was an RA in the MiSo Lab in summer 2025, when she visited as a UROC scholar from California State University in Monterey Bay.
Manny Eribo (he/him)
Manny was an inaugural RA in the MiSo Lab, working in the lab from Winter 2024 through Spring 2025. Manny is currently a lab manager for the NICE and interACT labs at the University of Indiana.
Jezreel Krupka (she/her)
Jessie was an RA in the MiSo Lab from Fall 2024 to Spring 2025.
Jaydee Ortez (she/her)
Jaydee was an RA in the MiSo Lab from Summer 2024 to Spring 2025.
Connie Yeo (she/her)
Connie was an RA in the MiSo Lab in Spring 2025.