About
Alyssa Ortega
Research Interests
Broadly, I am interested in how gesture can be employed as a technique to boost learning. How is gesture used to inspire new insights? In what ways can gesture help people to learn new word meaning or mathematical concepts? I am also interested in investigating the limitations of gesture by asking questions like (i) does the helpfulness of gesture vary across the lifespan and/or across culture and (ii) what is the duration of effect from gesture-based learning.
Academic Bio
I am currently the full time manager of two labs at the University of California, Merced where I recently graduated with a B.A. in Psychology & Cognitive Science. I now work in the Cognitive & Information Sciences department under Dr. Tyler Marghetis and Dr. Rachel Ryskin studying topics ranging from creativity, embodied cognition, and language processing. In these labs, I utilize a variety of methods such as behavioral experimentation, EEG, and naturalistic observation & analysis.
In Fall 2024, I will begin my doctoral studies in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, studying under Dr. Martha Alibali.