People

Dr. Bowen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the Southern Methodist University. She completed her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology at Ryerson University in Toronto, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Boston College. Dr. Bowen’s research focuses on how affective states, specifically emotion and motivation, influence how we form memories and remember past experiences.  She is also interested in how the links between emotion, motivation and memory are impacted by age-related cognitive changes. To understand the cognitive and neural mechanisms that support affect modulated encoding and retrieval Dr. Bowen uses multiple methods. This includes behavioral paradigms, computational modeling, and neuroimaging with event-related potentials (ERP) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Courses: Memory & Cognition PSYC 3310 | Psychology of Aging PSYC 4339 | Graduate Foundations in Cognition

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Diane graduated from Wellesley College in 2015 with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in economics. She next worked as a research associate and clinical research coordinator at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, studying the effects of PTSD and TBI on Alzheimer’ Disease in Veterans and the implementation of cogntive therapies for Veterans suffering executive dysfunction due to mild TBI., As a fifth year student in the clinical psychology program, her current interests braodly include memory reconsolidation and prediction error, treatments for trauma disorders, and assessment of cognitive disorders. She will begin her clinical neuropsychology internship at the Northern California VA in August 2024. In her spare time, she enjoys crafts, discovering new restaurants, and playing with her and her husband’s corgi, Ira.

Jackie Adams is a senior at SMU from Allen, Texas and is majoring in psychology. She is so excited for the opportunities in the MAPL lab to study cognitive processes. In her free time, Jackie likes to cook, exercise, and play with her dogs.

Janessa Sumpon is a junior at SMU from Frisco, TX majoring in psychology with minors in business and statistics. Janessa joined the MAPL Lab in the summer of 2022. She is very excited to get the chance to learn about the cognitive aspect of psychology and learn reliable research methods. In her free time, she enjoys exploring culinary destinations with her friends and spending time with her dogs.

Emma Hunter is a senior at SMU from Dallas majoring in psychology with a minor in statistics. Emma joined the MAPL lab as a Hamilton Scholar during the summer of 2023, eager to study cognitive psychology and be a part of the research team. When she isn’t working at the lab, Emma enjoys running, going dancing, swimming, listening to podcasts, cooking, and eating her way through Dallas alongside her mom.

Jonathan Cox is a senior at SMU from Houston majoring in biology and psychology. Jonathan joined the MAPL Lab in the early summer of 2023. They are eager to apply their knowledge of organic chemistry to further understand the biochemical mechanisms behind psychology. In their free time, they enjoy tending to their houseplants, baking, caring for their lizard, practicing calligraphy, playing the latest PC games, and spending time with their family.

Veronica Seeling is a senior at SMU from Prosper, TX majoring in Psychology with minors in Human Rights, Women & Gender Studies, and Arabic. Veronica joined the MAPL Lab in the fall of 2022. She is very excited to learn more about cognition and to be a part of the MAPL team. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new coffee shops, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends.

Sabeen Baledina is a senior at SMU from Carrollton, Texas. She is majoring in biology with a minor in neuroscience on the pre-medical track. Sabeen has an interest in learning about neurodegenerative diseases along with the prevention and care of them. In her free time she participates in international beauty pageants where she can compete against women from all over the world and has the opportunity to learn about people from all walks of life.