Background

Denisse is a doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program working with Amanda Woodward. She earned her B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego. Before graduate school, Denisse was a lab manager for Ashley Thomas at Harvard University, where she conducted research on the social interactions infants and children anticipate between speakers who share or differ in accent.

Research Interests

Denisse is broadly interested in social cognitive development, particularly how infants’ and children’s intergroup cognition may be shaped by the composition of their social networks. She is also interested in how children form beliefs about migration. Through her work, Denisse hopes to inform interventions aimed at reducing prejudice toward immigrants and promoting cross-cultural understanding.