Our Team
Lab Director
Lee Raby, Ph.D.
Dr. Lee Raby is the Director of the Early Experiences Lab and an Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Utah. Dr. Raby’s research interests involve understanding the mechanisms by which early parent-child relationship experiences shape individuals’ functioning across the life-course. This research can help answer fascinating questions about the origins of individual differences in people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In addition, these research findings can inform to promote healthy developmental outcomes among high-risk individuals. To learn more, please visit his faculty webpage.
Graduate Students
Jenn Isenhour
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Jenn’s program of research focuses on the significance of early experiences for cognitive and neurobiological development. Through her research, she hopes to elucidate how environmental factors and parent-child relationships shape the development of stress response systems as well as executive function and other self- regulation skills.
Bailey Speck
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Bailey’s research focuses on the psychophysiological underpinnings of the intergenerational transmission of attachment among vulnerable child populations. Specifically, she is interested in the psychophysiological and socioemotional development of children who have experienced prenatal and early postnatal adversities.
Tracey Tacana
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Tracey’s interdisciplinary research focuses on the long-term effects of adverse childhood experiences on social relationships and health throughout the lifespan. Currently, she is examining how childhood maltreatment contributes to behavioral outcomes in dyadic processes and how these can then influence cardiovascular functioning. This research can shed some light on potential avenues of intervention that promote supportive interpersonal relationships and physical health.
Undergraduate Scholars
Thea Wulff
Thea is pursuing an Honors Bachelor's degree in Psychology with minors in Human Development and Family Studies and Philosophy and certificates in Quantitative Analytics in the Social Sciences and Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health from the University of Utah. Her Honors Thesis tests whether maternal sensitivity mediates the intergenerational impacts of maternal emotion dysregulation, looking specifically at toddlers’ socioemotional and language development outcomes. After graduating, Thea hopes to pursue her interests in early child development by attending a developmental psychology graduate program. In her spare time, Thea enjoys rock climbing, reading, and traveling.
Yixi (Zoe) Wu
Zoe is currently pursuing a dual degree in Psychology and Human Development and Family Relations at the University of Utah. She is currently working on an Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) project investigating whether pregnant women's electrodermal responses to videos of unfamiliar crying babies predict socio-emotional outcomes in their own young children at 18 months of age. After graduation, Zoe would like to pursue a graduate program in Developmental Psychology to pursue her research interest in emotional dysregulation in infants and children.
