Lab Affiliations: Bilingualism, Mind, and Brain Lab. El Areyto Lab. (https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/juliotorres/el-areyto-lab/)
I am a second year PhD student in the School of Education. I received my B.As in Linguistics and Spanish from Boise State University and my M.A in Linguistics from the University of New Mexico.
In a very broad sense, I am interested in the following question: Why are some individuals more successful at learning a new language, while others are not?
Specifically, I research the cognitive (i.e, cognitive control, working memory) affective (i.e motivation, grit) and social factors (i.e, learning context) that come to influence second language acquisition in adults and heritage learners. By using both behavioral and neuroscientific methods, I attempt to understand more deeply the factors that interact and influence language learning in adults. Ultimately, I hope my research can be used to aid both language learners and practitioners in a variety of different linguistic contexts.
My current project investigates the relationship between cognitive control engagement, motivation, and grit in Spanish learners and Spanish heritage speakers. In the future, I hope to investigate and compare language learners and language learning contexts across the globe.
Looking for:
If you are an undergraduate interested in becoming an RA in the lab, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I would enjoy collaboration with those with similar interests in second language acquisition and the brain.