B.A., Biology, Indiana University, 2006
B.A., Gender Studies, Indiana University, 2006

The major focus of my research is on prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupters and how that may affect human sexual and gendered developments. Alterations of the prenatal hormone environmen, while not necessarily determining sex/gender differentiation, have been shown to correlate with sex/gender differences and within sex variability in behavioral development in humans. My projects focus on investigating how various types of endocrine disrupters can affect performance on cognitive measures, gender scales, and other sex/gender differentiated measures.

My other research investigates the affect sexual identity has on the psychological and mental health of sexual minorities. This research examines the affects social stigma has on the frequency and prevalence of depression, stress, anxiety (trait and state), and suicidality among gay and lesbian identified individuals.

B.A., University of Texas at Austin, 2002

My current project is investigating attention and arousal to sexually explicit photos in sexually aggressive and non-aggressive college males.

M. Ed., University of Houston, 2006
B.A., University of Texas at Austin, 2004

I am interested in examining cognitive and neuropsychological factors such as the role of attention and decision-making in individuals with a history of and propensity for engaging in risky sexual behavior. Prior research on addictive behaviors, such as gambling and substance abuse, suggests that pathological sexual risk-taking may operate on similar neural pathways underlying the personality traits of sensation-seeking, impulsivity, and disinhibition. Ultimately, these factors may influence the degree of attention allocation to reward-salient stimuli as well as the decision to pursue these rewards.

My other research focuses on how perceptions of potential sexual partners are influenced by individuals’ gender and sociosexual orientation and how these factors may relate to sexual risk-taking. Individuals with an unrestricted sociosexual orientation endorse more liberal attitudes towards casual sex and relationships, and overall, men report having a more unrestricted sociosexual orientation than women. In this study, I investigated ratings of and reaction times to photos and whether they were related to individuals’ scores on scales evaluating beliefs regarding casual sex and gender-stereotypic attitudes.