Winslab Research Team

Dr. Adam Winsler (awinsler@gmu.edu)

Dr. Winsler is an applied developmental psychologist with interests in children's transition to school, the development of self-regulation, private speech, Vygotskian sociocultural theory and bilingualism and early schooling for English-Language Learners (ELLs). His current research explores childcare, school readiness, and school trajectories among ethnically and linguistically diverse, immigrant, low-income, urban preschoolers using data from the large-scale (n > 30,000) longitudinal Miami School Readiness Project; Private speech and self-regulation in typical children and those with ADHD or autistic spectrum disorders; Music/dance and self-regulation; and self-regulated learning and motivation among college students. Dr. Winsler is author of more than 100 journal articles and book chapters and has two books. His most recent book, Private speech, executive functioning, and the development of verbal self-regulation was published by Cambridge University Press in 2009. He has received over $2 million of research funding for his work. Dr. Winsler also served as editor of the journal, Early Childhood Research Quarterly.

Download Dr. Winsler's CV here, and watch his recent interview on bilingualism here.

Vlera Baftja

Vlera Baftija is a bachelor’s student in her senior year and is part of Dr. Winsler’s lab. She is majoring in Psychology with a concentration in development. As a second-generation American and a first-generation college student, her main research interest is how the experience of children from immigrant families differs from non-immigrant children. Other research interests include bilingualism, biculturalism, neurodivergence, and special education. Vlera has worked in Applied Behavior Analysis therapy and is currently a substitute teacher in special education classrooms. She is completing a Psychology Honor’s thesis in which she is examining the presence of the immigrant advantage in high school adolescence. After graduating, she plans on pursing a master’s degree in school psychology.

Saisha Birr (PhD)

Saisha is a first-year PhD student in the ADP program. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a B.S. in Psychology in 2022. Before joining the Winslab, her research focused on cognition and aging, specifically learning and memory. She worked on a project investigating adult lifespan effects on functional specialization along the hippocampal long axis and she is still in collaboration on a study investigating age differences in episodic memory’s role in categorization strategies. Her current research interests include self-regulation and executive functioning in neurodiverse and typical development and improving accommodations and support in public school settings for neurodiverse students. Her other interests include sex differences in autism, how late diagnosis impacts cognition and mental health in autistic/ADHD adults, and co-occurring neurodivergence.

Hazal Civelek (PhD)

Hazal is a first-year Ph.D. student in Dr. Winsler’s lab. She graduated from Kadir Has University with a B.A. in psychology. She received her M.A. degree in Psychology from Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey. Her research interests during her M.A. years were language development, bilingualism, multimodal language development, and children’s social-cognitive development. Her current research interest is the role of social skills of children and bilingualism in problem-solving skills and math development.  

Ariana Colder (MA)

Ariana is a first-year master's student working in Dr. Winsler and Dr. Goldstein's labs. She graduated with honors from the University of Mary Washington with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in English Literature.  Ariana's research interests are neurodevelopmental disabilities and how arts engagement—particularly theater and improv—can foster essential skills such as communication, emotional regulation, and social interaction in children. Her interest in this area stems from her extensive background in theater, improv, music, and Applied Behavior Analysis. In the future, Ariana hopes to apply her research toward creating inclusive, arts-centered programs that support the cognitive and emotional development of children with diverse needs.

Isis Cowan (PhD)

Isis is a second-year Ph.D. student in the ADP program working in Dr. Winsler’s lab. She graduated from Old Dominion University with a B.S. in Psychology in 2021. During her bachelors, her research focused on identity development and acculturation processes in immigrants and people from ethnic/racial minoritized groups. Isis’ current research interests include enhancing developmental and educational outcomes for autistic people in culturally minoritized groups. Her master’s thesis will longitudinally examine differences/similarities in educational outcomes for autistic children growing up bilingually vs monolingually. 

Sandra El Aridi (MA)

Sandra is a second-year master's student in the ADP program working in Dr. Winsler’s lab. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 2022 with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in gender, women, and sexuality studies with a particular interest in clinical psychology. Before joining the Wins lab, she spent a year as a research assistant at the Health and Discrimination Lab at VCU studying healthcare physician intergroup bias toward Black patients and developing theory-driven interventions to reduce health disparities and inequalities and improve the type of care received. Sandra’s current research interests focus on psychopathology, mental health outcomes, and educational outcomes among first- and second-generation immigrants, especially those in the special education system, with a focus on primarily Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) culture. 

Ben Gallimore (MA)

Ben is a first-year master’s student working in Dr. Winsler's lab. Ben graduated Cum Laude with a B.S in Psychology in August 2024 from George Mason University. Ben is working on his master’s thesis about the effects of ethnicity and income on the change in a student’s disability status over time in grade school; Ben’s master’s thesis is a continuation and expansion upon his Psychology Honors thesis which he completed as an undergrad. Ben's interests pertain to disabilities, accommodations, and special education.

Alison Hundertmark (PhD)

Alison is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in Dr. Winsler's lab. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Psychology in 2009 and received her M.A. in Social Sciences from The University of Chicago in 2016. She previously worked as a research associate at UChicago's TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health. She was drawn to the center's mission to enact change in the lives of underserved children through innovative parent-directed programs. Her current research interests include understanding the association of early childhood poverty experiences, including persistence and mobility, with later academic achievements. She is also exploring variability in parent-report measurements of early childhood skills/behaviors and their predictability with later outcomes.

Lydia Jessee (MA)

Lydia is a second-year master's student working in Dr. Winsler's lab. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in Psychology and a B.Mus. in Piano Performance with a minor in Piano Pedagogy from Lawrence University in 2023. Recent projects include examining the longitudinal follow-up of ethnically diverse autistic children in public school pre-k programs for students with disabilities as well as suicidality among young and the intersectionality between sexual orientation and race/ethnicity. Her research interests include developmental psychopathology, parenting, and child and adolescent mental health outcomes. She hopes to continue her research journey in clinical psychology after her master's.

Ezra Lynch-Holland

Ezra is a bachelor’s student in his senior year and is part of Dr. Winsler’s lab. His research interests include Black American culture and experiences, socioemotional learning, childhood development, childhood trauma, educational experiences of those from marginalized groups, and how intersectionality plays a role in all the aforementioned. As part of the Honors in Psychology program, he is currently working on an undergraduate thesis which is focusing on participation in gifted programs and their influence on Black student’s secondary school outcomes. After graduating, Ezra plans on pursuing a graduate degree in school psychology.

Victoria (Vicki) Rabii (PhD)

Victoria (Vicki) is a third-year PhD student co-mentored by Dr. Winsler and Dr. Doebel. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2020 with a B.S. in Psychology. Prior to joining George Mason, she completed a Postbac IRTA Fellowship at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and worked as a research assistant at the University of Maryland collecting and disseminating child assessment data for Educare DC's longitudinal program evaluation. Vicki’s research interests center on how early adversity and other environmental factors (e.g., poverty) impact academic development in children from early childhood education (ECE) programs. Her current research examines factors such as school quality and mobility in moderating the long-term outcomes of attending preschool.

Jeila Rios (MA)

Jeila Rios is a first year master’s student working in Dr. Winsler’s lab. Jeila graduated Cum Laude from St. Edward’s University in May 2025 with a B.A in Psychology and a minor in both Art and Interdisciplinary Studies. During undergrad, her research focused on experiences of sexual abuse for members of collectivist cultures, how cultural factors influence Latine views of climate change, and the effect of mental health stigma on cortisol. Jeila’s current research interest include how cultural factors shape ethnic-racial minority experiences, trauma and racism, intersectionality of race and gender, and what fosters resiliency.

Wilhemina Solley (MA)

Wilhemina is a first year master's student working in Dr. Winsler's lab. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington in 2024 with a B.S. in Psychology and double major in Theatre. Prior to coming to GMU she spent a year working as a registered behavior technician with children on the autism spectrum. Her research interests are the outcomes of participation in arts programs, specifically theatre, in autistic populations.  

Joshua Stein (PhD)

Joshua is a fourth year PhD student. He received his BA in Psychology and his BA in Musical Theatre from Rider University where he researched wrongful conviction and exoneration within the criminal justice system. His Master's thesis was on disparities in enrollment into high school arts electives among disabled students. He is passionate about the benefits of school arts programs and ensuring their accessibility to diverse populations. His Doctoral research concerns the longitudinal profiles of engagement and attendance throughout secondary school, and how the arts can be leveraged to promote greater school engagement. His other interests include the usefulness of role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons as therapeutic methods for neurodiverse children and the unique affordances of museums as educational spaces.  

Katherine Xu (MA)

Katherine Xu is a first-year master's student in the ADP program working in Dr. Winsler's lab. She graduated from the College of Idaho with a B.A. In Psychology and minors in Education, Communication, and Health Promotion. Katherine's research interest is in the children from immigrant families and refugee family in a US  school setting. 

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