I received my B.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh in 2001, and continued here for my graduate training. I began working with Dr. Perfetti when I was a Junior here at Pitt on a study investigating whether Event Related Potentials (ERP's) could be used as a measure of lie detection. Since then, I developed an interest in language, especially, in word level processing. I am currently working on several projects investigating how individual differences in comprehension affect word level processing by combining both behavioral and ERP measures. My master's thesis project deals with what can ERP's tell us about how individual differences in comprehension affect new word learning in adults.