• B.A.,New York University, 2005;
• M.A., University of California, Berkeley, 2010;
• Ph.D.,University of California, Berkeley, 2013.

I have had the opportunity to develop two broad programs of research at Lehman College. The first explores the ways in which people experience romantic relationships and respond in this context. Much of this work revolves around self-esteem as an individual difference that relates to functioning in romantic relationships. I also study how young people come to develop relationship skills through communication with their caregivers, and how external stressors can hurt relationship health. The second program of research explores how children behave in the presence of enticements, including the neural, affective, temperamental, and familial substrates of delay of gratification ability in early childhood. A separate, newer line of research focuses on emotion, specifically the superstitious beliefs and worries people may hold about savoring or enjoying positive emotions.

• Motivation and Emotion (PSY 308)
• Social Psychology (PSY 260)