Lab members form the word "perception" with their bodies

Principal Investigator

Photo of Julia Strand
Julia Strand Bio
Associate Professor of Psychology
Chair of Psychology
Office: Olin Hall 119
Phone: 507 222 5637

Julia Strand (B.A., Tufts University; PhD., Washington University in St. Louis) teaches courses including Introduction to Psychology, the Psychology of Spoken Words, and Sensation & Perception. Her research focuses on how humans are able to turn sensory information about speech into meaningful representations. Topics of research include how cognitive abilities influence language perception, what traits of words promote easy recognition, how word recognition abilities change with age, and how visual information (seeing the talker) influences language processing.

Lab Manager

Photo of Katrina Sewell
Katrina Sewell ’21 Bio
Lab Manager – Educational Associate
Office: Olin Hall 115

Katrina is a Psychology major and Neuroscience minor from Wadsworth, Illinois. She is interested in cognitive and clinical psychology as well as addressing public health concerns pertaining to marginalized groups. Katrina enjoys traveling, chilling at the pool or beach, and rereading her favorite childhood novels in her free time.

Lab Members

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Nic Berry ’24

Nic is a cognitive science major from Oakland, California. His interests span the mysteries of consciousness and perception and their application to the business world. Outside of academics, Nic enjoys learning about philosophy, meditation, and technological innovations such as electric vehicles and space transportation. Nic loves cycling, walking his dog, and listening to his handcrafted Spotify playlists.

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Grace Farwell ’23
Grace Farwell is a Linguistics major and Cognitive Science minor from Seattle, Washington. She speaks English, French, and some German and enjoys travelling as much as spending time at home with her family, collie, and two cats. She plays basketball, ultimate frisbee, and soccer, and loves to read and go boating.
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Helen Hu ’23

Helen is a Cognitive Science major, a Neuroscience minor, and a Music Performance minor from Wenzhou, China. She is interested in the brain and cognitive sciences, especially vision and how it is integrated with other senses. Outside of academics, Helen loves all kinds of music. She is in Carleton’s Chinese Music Ensemble, playing a Chinese musical instrument called the Guzheng.

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Yuxin Lin ’24

Yuxin is a Psychology major from Suzhou, China. He is especially interested in Cognitive Psychology and Psychopathology. He also likes playing videos games, learning languages, and watching anime.

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Catherine Merchant ’24

Catherine is a Psychology major and Religion minor with a particular interest in the intersection between the two fields. She is from Ames, Iowa and in her free time enjoys reading, photography, biking, and hanging out with friends. She has two other positions on campus working in the greenhouse and the Perlman Teaching Museum. She loves dogs and plants and has an expensive habit of studying most effectively in coffee shops.

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Gigi Paulig ’23
Educational Associate – Psychology (Perception Lab)

Gigi is a Psychology major/Spanish minor from Durham, North Carolina. She has an interest in attending nursing school after Carleton and is currently certified as a nurse aide. In her free time, she enjoys bullet journaling and comparing chai lattes at various coffee shops.

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Annanya Sinha ’25

Annanya Sinha is a prospective Psychology major and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies minor from Calcutta, India. They are interested in the confluence of psychopharmacology and societal influences that construct human habits. On campus, they work as an ISL peer leader and Behavioral Neuroscience prefect. For fun, they enjoy basking in the sunshine (yes, like a cat), making art, watching horror/sci-fi films, exploring the great outdoors, and petting fluffy dogs.

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Amadou Toure ’25

Amadou is a prospective Computer Science major and Biochemistry minor on the pre-medicine track from Dakar, Sénégal. He speaks English, French, and Wolof. Outside of academics, he enjoys reading, gaming, practicing karate, and playing football (or what some call “soccer”). Being born and having done High School in Houston, TX, he is also a huge fan of the Houston Rockets, and of Liverpool FC in the English Premier League.