
Our Team
Our research team is made up of graduate students, undergraduate students completing theses and independent projects, and many undergraduate volunteers.

Dr. Stanka Fitneva
Lab Director
I direct the Language and Cognition Lab at Queen's University. My interests are in the development of language, communication, and social cognition. Outside the lab, you can catch me hiking, doing yoga, baking or practicing on the piano at home.

Kat Snelling
PhD Student
MA Developmental Psychology, 2021
BAH Psychology, 2018
I am in the third year of my PhD in Developmental Psychology. My research examines the role of prediction in language processing and learning. From infancy, people make predictions while listening to speech. My research evaluates the impact of correct and incorrect predictions on language processing and word learning. One of my favourite things to do in Kingston is watching the sun set over Lake Ontario!

Anisha Imtiaz
Summer Lab Manager
Joint Honours in Psychology and Sociology
Hi! My name is Anisha. I've just completed my second year as a joint honours student in Psychology and Sociology. I love working with children and I am looking forward to administering experiments for the first time! I am particularily interested in how expertise affects cognition, and the learning differences between children who are monolingual and bilingual. Outside of the lab I love fashion, baking and cooking.

Kelly Huangfu
Summer Research Assistant
Psychology Major
Hi! My name's Kelly and I'm going into my third year of Psychology. This is my first year with the Language and Cognition lab and I hope to learn lots about how the presentation of information changes how people react to it. Outside of the lab, you can find me listening to music or going on walks with my friends.

Samara Osten
Honours Thesis Student
Psychology Major
My name is Samara, and I am a fourth-year psychology major completing my honors thesis in the lab. I joined the Language and Cognition Lab because I am interested in developmental psychology and psycholinguistics. After completing my undergraduate degree, I hope to pursue graduate studies in speech-language pathology to learn about language development in children. Outside the lab, I love playing hockey, dancing, traveling, volunteering with children with special needs, and spending time with people I love.

Haani Syed
Summer Research Assistant
Computing Major
My name is Haani Syed and I'm an enthusiastic second-year undergraduate computing student passionate about utilizing programming principles to tackle challenges within cognitive psychology and healthcare. Apart from my academic pursuits, I also enjoy practicing martial arts, and music, and making the most of life's adventures.

Georgia Brunicke
Summer Research Assistant
Psychology Major
My name is Georgia, and I am a third-year undergraduate student majoring in psychology. This is my first year as a research assistant with the lab and I am excited to explore how children assign blame and gather information. Outside of the lab, I enjoy volunteering, listening to podcasts, spending time with friends, and going to the gym!

Yousif Al-Aboosi
Summer Research Assistant
Health Sciences Major
Hello, my name is Yousif Al-Aboosi, I am a Health Science Honors student at Queen's University. I firmly believe that gaining an understanding of how humans learn and use language is essential in furthering our knowledge of human behaviour and cognition. Language is a key component of human communication, and exploring this field has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach education and language learning. Outside the lab, I enjoy going to the gym and going out with friends.

Alexandra Culbert
Undergraduate Volunteer
Psychology Major, History Minor
My name is Alexandra, and I am a second-year student majoring in psychology and minoring in history. This is my first year volunteering in the lab and I am excited to gain experience and learn more about my passions within psychology. I am particularly interested in blame association and influences on word learning. Outside of the lab I love reading, baking and listening to music.

Breanna Way
Undergraduate Volunteer
Psychology Major, Linguistics Minor
I am a third-year psychology major with a minor in linguistics, and this is my first year volunteering in the lab! I’m super excited to take a closer look at the cognitive functions behind language this year, I specifically have a lot of interest in psycholinguistics and language acquisition. Outside of the lab I enjoy reading, playing music, and binge-watching reality TV.
Lab Alumni
Honours Thesis Students
2022-2023: Shiyi Bin
2021- 2022: Hannah Clark
2020-2021: Rina Gutzin, Bronwyn Bates
2019-2020: Joanna Mrowca-Migiel, Jamie Fournier, Sydney Thib
2018-2019: Alexis Winfield
2017-2018: Blake Noyes, Katherine Snelling
2016-2017: Jennifer Zhang
2015-2016: Ida Liao, Samantha Lenahan, Alexandra Macisaac
2014-2015: Peter Elliott, Katie Harper, Sandra Krause
2013-2014: Breanna Kelly, Alastair Hibberd
2012-2013: Nancy Dai
2010-2011: Amy Wainer
2009-2010: Laurel Dault, Justin Goddrad, Arielle Mida
2008-2009: Kristen Hadfield
2006-2007: Scott Ross
2005-2006: Bronwen Fullerton
2004-2005: Ketana Teav, Erin White
Graduate Students
Katharine Bailey (co-supervised with Dr. N. Im-Bolter), PhD 2021.
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Now instructor, Concordia University of Edmonton.
Katherine Snelling, MA, 2021.
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Now PhD student in Psychology, Queen’s University.
Michael Slinger, MSc, 2020.
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Now PhD student in Sociology, Dalhousie University.
Rana Pishva, MSc, 2010.
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Now in clinical practice.
Kristen Dunfield, MA, 2006.
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Now associate Professor, Concordia University.
Lab Managers
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Anya Den Hartog
And many more directed lab students, summer interns, and volunteers! Thank you!