Lab Members

Principal Investigator

Dr. Jelena Ristic

jelena.ristic [at] mcgill.ca | Faculty Page | Google Scholar

Professor Jelena Ristic received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. at the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia and completed postdoctoral training at the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She joined McGill University in 2009 as an Assistant Professor and held the William Dawson Chair until 2022. Jelena Ristic is a Fellow of the Psychonomic Society, and the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science (CSBBCS), and a winner of a Mid-Career award from the CSBBCS, Best Article awards from the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), and a Mentorship Award from Women in Cognitive Science. Professor Ristic is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance and Visual Cognition. Her multifaceted research spans basic mechanisms of human attention, cognitive neuroscience of attention, social and interactive cognition, eye tracking, social behavior, social attention, and attentional development.

Dr. Sarah McCrackin

sarah.mccrackin [at] mail.mcgill.ca | Personal Website | Google Scholar

I am a post-doctoral researcher in the A&SC lab, working with Jelena Ristic. I recently completed my Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo. During my time there, I studied how we use information from the eye-gaze of others to relate to them on an emotional level. This included how we use gaze cues to infer the emotional states of others, to empathize with them, and to discriminate their facial expression and direction of attention. I used electroencephalography to explore the neural underpinnings of cognition and behaviour when examining these questions, and I hope to expand upon a separate line of research examining how gaze and emotional expressions interact to orient an observer's attention to a gazed-at location.

Florence Mayrand

florence.mayrand [at] mail.mcgill.ca

I am a Ph.D. student in the Experimental Psychology program here at McGill. While doing my B.S.H. at Seton Hall University, I worked with Dr. Marianne Lloyd on the effectiveness of stereotype suppression and divided attention in the Memory Lab. Now at McGill, I am turning my focus to the processes involved in perspective taking. My Master’s thesis, which I also completed in the A&SC Lab, investigated the role of directionality and mentalizing in perspective taking and how they interact. In addition, I am currently working on projects involving gaze behaviour in dyadic interactions using eye tracking. Outside the lab, I spend my time enjoying views while hiking around the province and traveling as far as I possibly can.

Luowei Yan

luowei.yan [at] mail.mcgill.ca

I am a PhD student in the Experimental Psychology program at McGill University. I completed my HBSc at University of Toronto with a double major in Psychology and Neuroscience, and my MSc here in the A&SC Lab. My Master’s thesis investigated the factors that might influence our perception of social groups. Currently, I am extending this work further and using eye-tracking to explore where and how our attention is oriented when viewing these groups. Outside the lab, I enjoy trying different cuisines, hiking, swimming, and playing badminton.

Jessica Savoie

jessica.savoie2 [at] mail.mcgill.ca

I am a first-year MSc student in the Experimental Psychology program. I completed a Bachelor of Science in Honours Psychology at Saint Mary’s University. As well, I completed a Post-Graduate certificate in the psychology and neuroscience of mental health at King’s College London. My current research at the Attention & Social Cognition lab focuses on perception and visual attention in social groups. Specifically, my research aims to see how our attention is elicited in social groups of varying sizes. Outside of academia, I enjoy spending time with my pets, hiking, and trying as many of the great restaurants in Montreal as I can!

Clara Colombatto

c.colombatto [at] ucl.ac.uk | Personal Website | Google Scholar

I recently completed my PhD at Yale University with Brian Scholl, and am now a postdoc at UCL working with Steve Fleming. My research focuses on the visual roots of social cognition: for example, I have explored how socially powerful stimuli are prioritized in our visual experience, and how visual processing might impact higher-level social and moral judgments. In collaboration with Dr. Ristic, I am investigating how our attention might be influenced by the perception of others' attention, as signaled for example by their pupil size or body pose.

Duncan Levine

duncan.levine [at] mail.mcgill.ca

I'm a U3 student double majoring in Linguistics & Psychology, with a minor in East Asian Studies. I originally joined the A&SC Lab in January 2024 as a volunteer, and then over the summer became the volunteer coordinator. In my free time, I like to play the bass, listen to jazz, watch baseball, and find new recipes to cook. After I graduate, I'd like to work as an interpreter or a job that allows me to be a liaison between different cultures, and bring them closer together.

Cathy Xiaoxi Chen

xiaoxi.chen [at] mail.mcgill.ca

I'm a U2 Arts student majoring in psychology and minoring in computer science. I'm working on an honours thesis at A&SC Lab under the supervision of Jessica Savoie and Dr. Jelena Ristic. My project examines how working memory load affects people's perception of multiple social versus nonsocial visual cues. In the future, I want to pursue graduate studies in cognitive science, especially in course-based programs that help to enhance our lives. Outside the lab, I love pilates, music of various styles, and video gaming.

Ruchira Dasgupta

ruchira.dasgupta [at] mail.mcgill.ca

I’m a U3 psychology student completing a BA in Psychology and minoring in Behavioural Science and South Asian Studies. I am conducting my honours-equivalent thesis at the Attention & Social Cognition Lab under Luowei Yan. My project explores how our perception of interpersonal distance affects our ability to locate people in small social settings—dyads and triads specifically—and how the “facing advantage” changes based on whether people are close up (personal distance) or far away (public distance). I plan to pursue graduate studies in the field of Social Psychology after my bachelor’s degree. When I’m not dissecting social cues, you’ll find me belting out tunes, lost in my latest writing project, or on the hunt for the next best bite—I’m a full-on foodie! Whether I’m in the lab, the kitchen, or with a playlist, I’m all about exploring people, flavours, and perspectives.

Tristan Kong

ruonan.kong [at] mail.mcgill.ca

I am a U3 student pursuing a BA in Psychology with minors in Educational Psychology and East Asian Studies at McGill University. I am completing my year-long PSYC 484 Independent Study at McGill in the A&SC lab, with a special focus on emotion judgments and how facial masking affects the perception of facial cues such as empathy, trustworthiness, and mood. After earning my Bachelor's degree, I plan to pursue graduate studies in Counseling Psychology with a focus on mental health support for marginalized communities, particularly LGBTQ+ and immigrant populations. Outside of academia, I am passionate about cultural diversity and exploring new perspectives. Love R&B and playing tennis. I have three cats (two in China and one in Canada), total cat person!

Chloe Le

chau.le [at] mail.mcgill.ca

I am a U3 Honours Psychology student with a minor in Marketing. In the Attention & Social Cognition Lab, I am conducting my Honours thesis with Florence on the prevalence of gaze behavior in real-life dyadic settings and how manipulating the social context around the nature of the interaction, such as varying between collaboration and competition, impacts the results. After graduation, I plan to pursue graduate studies in School and Applied Child Psychology. Outside of academia, I enjoy listening to music, watching movies, and finding good coffee shops.

Suyang Li

suyang.li [at] mail.mcgill.ca

I am a U2 Honours Psychology student with a minor in statistics. This is my second year in the Attention & Social Cognition Lab. Last year, I volunteered with Dr. Sarah McCrackin’s project on face masks and emotion perception. This year, I’m an honours student in the lab, working with Florence on tracking gaze behaviors in dyads under collaboration or competition conditions. I’d like to pursue graduate studies in Cognitive psychology or IO psychology in the future. Outside the lab, I enjoy cooking and baking at home.

Sophie Naasz                                                

sophie.naasz [at] mail.mcgill.ca

I am a U3 student completing a BA&S in cognitive science and minoring in psychology. I am conducting my honours research at the Attention & Social Cognition Lab under the supervision of Dr. Sarah McCrackin and Dr. Jelena Ristic. My project investigates whether different types of face occlusions (religious, medical, or fashion) modulate occlusion effects and how they may relate to participants' cultural and social biases. Outside of my studies, I’m a passionate writer, a casual hiker, and a weekend baker!

Jacky Chen

yijun.chen [at] mail.mcgill.ca

I am a U3 student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Behavioral Science and Science minor concentration at McGill University. I am taking the PSYC 349D course with the A&SC lab and I am working as a volunteer research assistant. I am involved in the Gaze in Interactions and Gaze Cueing Study, helping with running the experiment and collecting eye-tracking data. After I graduate, I plan to pursue graduate studies in experimental psychology (looking into Behavioural Neuroscience or Cognition & Cognitive Neuroscience research streams). In my spare time, I enjoy reading a book while listening to my favourite musical pieces and playing the piano at home.

Sophia Chong

sophia.chong [at] mail.mcgill.ca

I am a U2 Psychology student minoring in Behavioural Science and Management. As a volunteer at the Attention and Social Cognition Lab, I pilot studies, do EEG capping, and accomplish other tasks to help foster research. Following my Bachelor’s degree, I plan to pursue graduate studies in Counselling Psychology with a focus on underrepresented and marginalized communities. Outside the lab, I love seeking inspiration—you’ll find me analyzing films, trying new recipes, writing poetry, and going for long walks in nature!

Constance Duhaime-Clément

constance.duhaime-clement [at] mail.mcgill.ca

I am a U3 student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Behavioral Science, as well as in Gender, Sexuality, Feminist, and Social Justice Studies (GSFS) at McGill University. In the A&SC lab, I work as a volunteer, as I help graduate students and post-doctoral fellows advance their research. Most of the time, my job consists of piloting studies to make sure that they are working well. I run the studies and look for mistakes in how smoothly they unfold. Outside of the lab and academia, I enjoy spending time in nature doing activities such as hiking and surfing, and I like going for coffee with friends.

Karuna Miller

karuna.miller [at] mail.mcgill.ca

I am a U2 student majoring in Psychology at McGill University. My time as a volunteer in the Attention and Social Cognition (A&SC) Lab is mostly spent assisting in the Gaze in Interactions and Gaze Cueing Study where I contribute by helping run experiments and analyzing eye-tracking data. I also help by piloting studies when necessary. My future goals include pursuing graduate studies in Speech-Language Pathology or Clinical Child Psychology. Beyond academics and lab work, I also enjoy reading and drawing, as well as spending time outdoors hiking.