Nicole Zieber, MS, Ph.D
Principal Investigator
Dr. Nicole Zieber is an assistant professor and grant-funded researcher at Kansas City University. She obtained her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at the University of Kentucky in 2012. During her time working in the University of Kentucky’s Infant Memory Lab, she conducted research on a variety of topics: infants’ use of grouping principles in visual perception, how infants process faces and bodies, and how infants perceive emotion from body movements. After graduation, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher studying cognitive neuroscience at the University of South Carolina’s Institute for Mind and Brain. She studied how infant attention differs for familiar versus unfamiliar and social versus nonsocial objects using EEG/ERP methods. In 2018, she started working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Kansas. She was awarded a NIH Pathway to Independence grant under the mentorship of Dr. John Colombo, Director of the KU Life Span Institute. She completed an online and in-person study with 7.5-month-olds examining emotion detection before obtaining a position at Kansas City University. Her position with KCU will allow for the next phase of research on emotion detection to be completed over the next 3 years as an independent investigator. The study will utilize eyetracking methodology and relate how a low-level perceptual process (emotion detection) relates to social outcomes in the 2nd year of life. She also is teaching the courses Psychological Development I: Infancy-Childhood and Psychological Development II: Adolescence-Middle Adulthood.
Rae Chase
Lab Coordinator
Rae Chase is a Lab Coordinator for the KCU Baby Development Lab. They are a graduate from the University of Arizona’s Psychological Sciences and UCEDD Specialization in Developmental Disabilities programs. Her research interests focus on the education of health service professionals surrounding intellectual, cognitive, and developmental disabilities. They enjoy spending their free time at farmers’ markets, thrift stores, and local coffee shops.
Rachael Ramirez
Graduate Research Assistant
Rachael Ramirez is a research assistant in the KCU Baby Development Lab. She is a 2nd year student in the Clinical Health Psychology Doctoral Program. Her research interests lie in emotional expression, self-esteem and mental health, and the intersection of art and well-being. In her free time she enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, creating art and writing poetry.
Rahi Patel
Graduate Research Assistant
Rahi Patel is a research assistant in the KCU Baby Development Lab. He is currently in his second year in KCU’s Clinical Psychology Doctoral program. His research interests include neurology and neuropsychology. In his free time, Rahi likes to play a round of golf or binge-watch new TV shows.
Kayley Clements
Graduate Research Assistant
Kayley is a research assistant at the Baby Development Lab at Kansas City University, currently working on her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Her research interests are primarily focused on neurology, neuropsychology, and neuroendocrinology. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending as much time with her two golden retrievers as possible!
Sabrina Bartley
Graduate Research Assistant
Sabrina Bartley is a research assistant in the KCU Baby Development Lab. They are a 1st year student in the Clinical Health Psychology Doctoral Program. Their research interests are mostly focused on facial memory, grief related trauma, and the impact of emotion on memories. When not busy with schoolwork, Sabrina enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with their cat.