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., working memory, cognitive control) social (i.e., learning context) and experiential (i.e., past language experience) factors that come to influence second (L2) language acquisition in adults. By using both behavioral and neuroscientific methods, I attempt to understand more deeply the factors that interact and contribute to successful language learning. Ultimately, I hope my research can be used to aid both language learners and practitioners in a variety of different linguistic contexts.
My most recent project used EEG (electroencephalography) to examine how working memory capacity was related to qualitative and quantitative differences in L2 semantic and grammar processing.
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 language and the brain.