Research Projects

Memory Strategies in Rhesus Macaques

Laboratory of Comparative Primate Cognition, Dr. Robert R. Hampton · Emory National Primate Research Center

Research project examining how rhesus macaques adapt working memory strategies to task demands. Investigating the conditions under which animals can and will flexibly shift between different memory encoding strategies.

• Designed and implemented touchscreen-based cognitive paradigms for nonhuman primates.
• Personally trained rhesus macaques on tasks and managed daily data collection sessions.
• Programmed behavioral testing software and analyzed performance data using Python and R.
• Presented at the Georgia Southern Psychological Society Conference, April 2026.

Conference Poster · PDF

Do Task Cues Influence Memory Strategy Use in Rhesus Macaques?

Georgia Southern Psychological Society Conference · April 2026

Open poster

Cognitive Flexibility Across Species & Cultures

ADAPT Lab, Dr. Sarah Pope-Caldwell · Georgia State University

As an incoming PhD student, I will join the Adaptive Decision-Making, Problem-Solving, and Thinking (ADAPT) Lab to study how cognitive flexibility varies across species, developmental stages, and cultural contexts.

• Comparative cognition research with rhesus macaques and capuchin monkeys at GSU’s Language Research Center.
• Cross-cultural fieldwork with Bandongo and BaYaka communities in the Likouala region, Republic of the Congo.
• Human behavioral research with participants in Georgia, contributing to a broad comparative framework.

Break Quality & Attentional Restoration

Department of Psychology · Emory University

Investigated how the quality and duration of work breaks affect attentional restoration. We hypothesized that break quality would determine the degree of cognitive restoration experienced.

Rebello, A., Cordish, B., Womack, J., & Piramal, N. (2024). An experiment on attention: how break quality and length impact attentional restoration. Poster presented at the Psychology Department Research Symposium, Emory University.

Sustainable Erosion Control

Environmental Science · Oxford College of Emory University

Field research optimizing sustainable land management practices for the Oxford Organic Farm, focusing on soil erosion measurement and intervention.

• Collaborated with faculty to design and implement soil erosion measurement techniques.
• Analyzed erosion data to produce evidence-based recommendations for farm management practices.
• Presented at the Oxford College Undergraduate Research Symposium, April 2024.