Who we are
Principal Investigator
Dr. Marjorie Prokosch
(She/her)
Hi! I am an experimental Social Psychologist who broadly speaking, studies motivated social cognition. I examine how aspects of our environments (e.g., social, physical, structural, or built factors) impact people’s perceptions, attitudes, and decision-making. I am especially interested in the ways that people attend to, interpret, and react to threats to health and safety. I also examine the intersections between people’s individual differences and environment that produce shifts in social cognition. For example, I have been involved in projects that investigate relationships between bodily immune function (e.g., inflammation) and behavioral immune function (e.g., disgust). In another line, I examine individual differences (e.g., in worldview) that shape people’s political decisions about how we should mitigate disaster risk and approach climate change.
To learn more about me, my interests, or download a copy of my CV, please visit my personal research website.
Graduate Students
Undergraduate Lab Members
Willow Rose
Lab Manager, Climate Projects Coordinator
(She/They)
Hi, I am a fourth-year psychology major at RIT and the lab manager of SCAPE lab. After graduation I plan to go to grad school and pursue a PhD. My end goal is to become a professor. I have a wide range of academic interests including philosophy, political theory, and sociology which I believe allows for a deeper understanding of human behavior and psychological theory and helps inform my research. I am specifically interested in investigating the role of mental imagery in representing social information and the ways that social stratification influences our thinking. I have been a member of SCAPE lab for two years and am looking forward to another great year of research!
Daniel Lindberg - Incoming, Spring 2025. Stay tuned!
Matt Barbaro
Thesis Project Coordinator
I am a fourth-year Psychology student at RIT, set to graduate in Fall 2025, with an immersion in Philosophy. My studies emphasize Social Psychology and Biopsychology, while my research interests explore how social and environmental factors influence behaviors related to mental disorders. In my first year as a research assistant in the SCAPE Lab, I gained invaluable experience in research methods. Now, as a study coordinator, I’m eager to take on a more significant role in the research process. As I explore graduate programs, I am particularly interested in I/O Psychology and Social Work, but I remain open to discovering new areas of passion within the field of Psychology.
Ava El-Sayed
Undergraduate Research Assistant
I am a senior psychology/international studies major with an immersion in ASL. My course tracks are bio, social, and sustainable futures. I will be graduating Spring 2025 and I am currently searching for graduate programs. My interests include sustainability, Deaf culture, the relationship between culture and the natural environment, cultural beliefs about interpersonal relationships, political science, biological components of mental health, and the influence of culture on public health, specifically exercise and mental health. I am excited to learn more about research design and finding practical ways to apply research.
Haylee Webb
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Hello! I'm Haylee and I'm very excited to spend my last year at RIT working in the SCAPE Lab. I'm a psychology major, with a focus on clinical and developmental psychology and a minor in criminal justice. Personally, I really enjoy studying mental health diagnoses and how they affect young adult populations, however, I'm definitely still exploring my research interests! I think the lab will be a great way for me to expand my research experience and learn important information for grad school and my future in general.
Nathaniel Kilbridge
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Hi! I’m a second yearPsychology major with an immersion in American Indian and Indigenous Studies. My academic interests focus on the intersection of clinical and sports psychology, specifically in Indigenous communities. I plan on attending graduate school for clinical psychology in future, however I’m still undecided on where I’ll continue my studies. I’m very excited to be a part of the SCAPE lab to gain research experience that aligns with my academic interests. Outside of the lab and academics, I play lacrosse and am generally a very active person.
Kai Foust
(He/They)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Hello! I’m Kai, a first year undergraduate Psychology student interested in the connection between social and clinical psychology while observing the biology of cognitive processing. My interest in psychology is expansive andopen to exploration, but I currently hold a specific fascination with how
cultural expectations are observed to dictate behavior. After graduation I intend to enter graduateschool to earn a PhD in Cognitive science. Outside of school I express my interests in self expression, disabilityawareness and athletics though the various clubs I am a part of. I’m excited to continue my experience here at RIT and the SCAPE lab to further my academic goals and interests.Victoria Smith-Colon
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Joined Fall 2024!
Senior Thesis Students
Bella Ciardi - Sociocultural predictors of sexual myth beliefs
Haylee Webb - Social media and mental health self-perceptions and behaviors
Lab Alumnae and Former Lab Members
We love to celebrate the accomplishments of all lab members, past and present! If you are a lab alum. and want to share an exciting update for this section, please email Dr. Prokosch.
- Dani Wolfe (Masters student) - thesis student and lab manager 2022-2024 - Currently working on publishing their thesis
- Chase Martin (Masters student) - visiting lab member, Fall 2023- Currently finishing up an independent capstone project
- Quinn Mitchell (BA/MA student) - undergraduate RA 2022-2023, visiting member 2023-2024 - currently working as a research coordinator at University of Rochester
- Kas Claussen (Undergraduate) - undergraduate RA 2022-2023, lab manger 2023-2024, McNair Scholar 2023-2024 - currently a clinical psychology student in the Master's program at SUNY Buffalo
- Buyi Owo-Odusi (Undergraduate) - McNair Scholar Summer-Fall 2023, undergraduate RA 2023-2024 - Currently conducting work in neuroscience and applying to medical school programs
- Jamison Fick (Undergradute) - undergraduate RA 2023-2024 - Currently conducting a senior thesis in comparative psychology
SCAPE Lab 2022-2023
Front row (left to right): Dani Wolfe, Marjorie Prokosch
Back row (left to right): Quinn Mitchell, Willow Rose, Kas Claussen
Pose of the year: "The Thinker
SCAPE Lab 2023-2024
Front row (left to right): Marjorie Prokosch, Jamison Fick, Matt Barbaro, Buyi Owo-Odusi
Back row (left to right): Dani Wolfe, Quinn Mitchell, Willow Rose, Chase Martin
Not pictured: Ava El-Sayed, Lauren Masters
Pose of the year: "Squinting in the Sun"
