Lab Director
Vivian Zayas, Ph.D.
Professor, Cornell University, Department of Psychology
About: I’m a Professor in the Psychology Department at Cornell University. At the broadest level, I’m interested in the “relational mind.” How do we mentally represent the emotional complexity of our closest relationships? Why are we drawn towards some people and not others? How do we make inferences about our social standing from complex and dynamic social interactions? How do we regulate threats to our self-esteem?
Because people are not always aware of why they feel or act as they do, I use a variety of techniques, such as cognitive measures that tap into implicit and nonconscious processes; neural measures, such as electroencephalography and event related potentials (EEG/ERP), and functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) that assess brain structure and functioning; and self-reports and behavioral observation that simply ask people what they think and record what they do.
Post-Doc
Inbal Ravreby, Ph.D.
Post-Doc, Klarman fellow
Education:
2024: PhD, Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science
2019: MSc, Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science
2015: BA, Cognitive Science and Psychology, the Open University of Israel
About: Inbal Ravreby studies the nuanced relationships between the inside world (the embodied self, physiological and neural signals), the outside world (the environment including other entities) and the bridge between the two (our senses). She particularly focuses on self-other blurring and the sense of togetherness. Inbal is a social cognitive neuroscientist, doing her postdoc as a Klarman fellow.
Research Interests: Social-cognitive neuroscience, self-other blurring, synchronization, mimicry, movement, non-verbal behavior, real-life social interaction, olfaction
Outside the Lab: It is likely to find Inbal in nature, enjoying seeing the animals and plants around. Inbal is also a wildlife photographer, with a special focus on birds. She loves percussion, from drumming to playing pantam.
Graduate Students
James Rounds
Ph.D. student (6th year), Human Development
Education:
2022, MA, Developmental Psychology, Cornell University
2006, BS, Science, Minor in Neuroscience, Pennsylvania State University
About: I am currently working with Professor Zayas pursuing my research interest in relationships and “learning readiness.” My research focuses on the development of learning motivation, readiness to learn and its neural underpinnings, and how social and environmental factors can be used to close societal gaps in learning performance.
Research Interests: The development of learning motivation, Readiness to learn and its neural underpinnings, Social and environmental factors in learning performance
Outside the Lab: I am a proud husband, and father of three boys, and love spending time with my family, playing music, playing soccer, and supporting my community. I am a musical contributor to a Grammy-nominated children’s album supporting healthy local school food programs, a recent president of my children’s elementary school PTA, and over the past 10 years have coached or led discussions with thousands of youth across Pennsylvania and New York in the areas of STEM learning, leadership, and healthy physical activity.
Wicia Fang
Ph.D. student (5th year), Psychology Department
Education:
2019, BA, Economics and Cognitive Science, University of California, Berkeley
About: My research examines the pathway between (i) lay individuals’ perceptions of status and (ii) how individuals connect and form relationships with each other. I hope to better understand how to maximize social support in closing inequality gaps; ultimately, I aim for my research to directly inform efforts to create a more equitable society.
Research Interests: Socioeconomic inequality, Social networks, Subjective well-being
Outside the Lab: In my free time, I enjoy painting, hiking, and watching true crime.
Alaa Ibrahim Itani
Ph.D. Student (2nd year), Psychology Department
Education:
2023, BA, Psychology, American University of Sharjah
About: I study how labeling someone as a “friend” shapes our specific interactions with them and our social networks more broadly. Additionally, I am interested in gaining deeper insight into how approach and avoidance commitment goals shape and are shaped by mental representations of the self, partner, and relationship. I hope to expand our understanding of how individuals pursue multiple goals aligning with both approach and avoidance commitment, how individuals prioritize these goals in the short-term and long-term, and how these goals can conflict with each other. Lastly, I study how interpersonal synchrony shapes implicit attitudes toward the self and others.
Research Interests: Social cognition, close relationships, friendships, social networks, synchrony, commitment goals, implicit attitudes
Outside the Lab: In my free time, I enjoy solving mind-bending 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles, curating niche playlists that capture obscure emotions, documenting the different shades of green in nature, and reading classic literature in an attempt to pretend I live in the 1870s.
Lab Managers
Victoria Rivera
Lab Manager
Education:
2024, BA, Psychology, Cornell University
About: I have been involved in the PAC Lab since my sophomore year of undergrad and am excited to return this year as the lab manager. During this time, I was grateful to have the opportunity to complete my honors thesis under the guidance of Dr. Zayas and Randy Lee which explored the implications of social exclusion (specifically the involuntary excluder effect) among close friends in a real life setting. This year I will be focusing my research on exploring the consequences of implicit bivalence on memory and the application of implicit bivalence to the evaluation of public figures. Outside of the lab, I love hosting dinner parties, playing with my Boston Terrier, and going to the movies.
Daniela Graffeo
Undergraduate Lab Manager, Human Development
About: I have worked in the behavioral part of the PAC Lab since the spring of my freshman year under Randy Lee, Wicia Fang, and Dr. Vivian Zayas. I have worked on a number of social exclusion-based studies, along with developing my skills to pilot and implement studies. I am excited to be working on my honors thesis for the ‘24-‘25 school year on feelings of implicit bivalence in relation to celebrities, alongside my work as lab manager this semester. When not in the lab, I love to dance on a variety of different Cornell-based dance groups, puppy-sit future guide dogs with Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and do crafts at home.