Kristina V
- Research Program Mentor
MS candidate at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Expertise
Anything involving the mind, brain, and behavior
Bio
The human experience is the combination of the physical brain, observable behaviors, and subjective sensations generated by the mind. I find it fascinating that the brain is constantly perceiving and interpreting the world below the radar of conscious awareness. I am intrigued by the ways in which physiological mechanisms that allow each individual to process the same stimuli uniquely and form distinct conclusions, as well as the neural mechanisms underlying cognition and behavior. Broadly, my research interests include social cognition, affective and behavioral neuroscience, genetics, consciousness, individual differences, developmental psychology. Psychopathology in particular has intrigued me due to the nature of its development and social implications. Furthermore, the topic of psychopaths has fascinated me ever since reading literature by Robert James Richard Blair in an undergraduate class.Project ideas
Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.
Social Media Engagement and Attention
The constant influx of fast paced media such as tiktok has led many to question if these platforms will have effects on cognitive processes, such as attention and memory. This experiment will compare social media usage and/or screen time with performance on a cognitive task. One option is the flanker task, which the student can code, for example, in HTML. Demographic measures, or any other behavioral measures the student is interested in, can be added as well.
Coding skills
Python, R studio, HTML (basic), PsychoPy (beginner)Languages I know
Spanish, Limited Working ProficiencyTeaching experience
I was a part of two collaborative labs in my undergraduate career; the human memory and behavioral and developmental disabilities labs. In these labs, students (I) started by helping with group projects, then moved on to starting their own, then eventually mentored new students to begin their own independent research projects. Additionally, as an older and more experienced student in these labs I spoke with newer lab members about narrowing down their project focus and how to begin data collection, manuscript writing, and poster creation/presentation.Credentials
Work experience
Columbia University/ New York State Psychiatric Institute (2022 - 2024)
Research Assistant/Intern- Neurocognitive and Emotion lab (NCEL)Marist College (2019 - 2021)
Research Assistant- Behavioral and Developmental Disabilities LabMarist College (2020 - 2021)
Research Assistant- Human Memory LabNew York University Langone Radiology Department (2023 - 2024)
Translational Brain Imaging LabEducation
Marist College
BA Bachelor of Arts
PsychologyNew York University
MA Master of Arts
PsychologyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
MS Master of Science candidate
Biomedical Data Science