Members

ARC Lab Members

Lab Director

Rebecca Carey (She/Her)

Post-Doctoral Fellows

Ashley Berkebile-Weinberg (She/Her)

Ashley seeks to understand how intergroup contact shapes the nature of people’s social relationships, as well as the ways it impacts larger group-level relations (e.g. support for BLM or immigration reform). Her research focuses on the psychological dynamics underpinning social interactions within intergroup relationships (e.g., friends), as well as intimate discussions centered on group differences within various intergroup contexts. She aims to assess how discussions about race, discrimination, and inequality affect interpersonal and intergroup processes, focusing on racially minoritized people. Currently, Ashley is working to extend her work to examine broader health and belongingness outcomes that result from intergroup contact and close intergroup relationships. Ashley has a passion for communicating research to the public and using research to address social issues and advocate for social change. For fun she loves to take dance classes, do yoga, spend time with her family, and dabbles in interior decorating!

Graduate Students

Nicole Johnson (She/Her)

Nicole's research focuses on examining the influence of adversity on close relationships and how these relationships can either mitigate or exacerbate the consequences of adversity. While pursuing her undergraduate and master's degrees at Stanford University, she studied how the development of friendship networks could predict the well-being trajectories of college students. Now, in her first year at Princeton, Nicole is developing a scale to assess adversity in adulthood. This scale will enable her to trace the impact of adverse life experiences on the close relationships and overall well-being of adults. In her leisure time, Nicole likes to visit New York City, spend time with family and friends, chill in cafes, and bike around New Jersey.

[email protected]

Priscilla Diaz-Gonzalez (She/Her)

Priscilla's research focuses on examining and addressing the systemic educational inequities that first-generation college students experience in academic institutions. While pursuing her undergraduate degree at the University of California - Santa Barbara, she studied how social support influences first-generation Latinx/e college students' belonging and university fit. Prior to joining the lab, Priscilla was a research coordinator at Northwestern University studying how to create culturally inclusive educational environments for students from marginalized backgrounds. In her free time, Priscilla likes to spend quality time with her loved ones, try new coffee shops, and watch the sunset.

[email protected]

Maddy Paxson (She/Her)

Maddy’s research aims to understand how people form, maintain, and benefit from their social connections. In particular, she’s interested in 1) identifying and addressing barriers to social connection, 2) understanding how intergroup connections impact people from marginalized backgrounds, and 3) exploring changes in the nature of close relationships during life transitions. As an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, her thesis examined the role of color-evasive racial ideology in close interracial relationships. Before coming to Princeton, she was a predoctoral fellow with Behavior Change for Good at the University of Pennsylvania where she supported the analysis and implementation of megastudies – massive field experiments – including those aimed at increasing student performance through social interventions. For fun, she likes to eat ice cream, watch live theatre and comedy, and take long walks with good people.

[email protected]

Lab Manager

Colten Harper (He/Him)

Colten’s research interests lie broadly in the intersections of queer theory and social psychology. He is interested in how identity-based adversity influences how LGBTQ-identifying folks form, value, and navigate their social relationships. He received his B.A. in Psychology and Gender & Sexuality Studies along with a minor in History from Vanderbilt University. Outside of research, Colten enjoys playing volleyball, practicing his Spanish, and listening to 90s/early 2000s RnB. Starting Fall 2026, Colten will be joining the Clinical Psychology PhD Program at Denver University.

[email protected]

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Amparo Sanchez (She/Her)

Amparo is a Junior at Princeton University, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. She is interested in exploring how mentorship shapes the academic and social experiences of first-generation, low-income college students, as well as the barriers that limit access to these opportunities. On campus, she serves as the Vice President of Más Flow Dance Company and works as a research assistant in the Princeton Baby Lab. She also volunteers with El Centro, where she helps teach English to immigrant communities. In her free time, Amparo enjoys reading novels with a big cup of tea and going out for frozen yogurt with friends!

Lab Pets

One of Rebecca's dogs Luna. She is running in a field with a blue tennis ball in her mouth.

Luna Carey

Luna is studying the processes by which we can avoid peeing when excited. How do our close relationships influence our ability to regulate our bodies? She knows how to sit and heel when asked. Her favorite nightly tradition is stealing Rebecca’s napkin at the end of a meal.

One of Rebecca's dogs Sunny. She is standing in mulch outside

Sunny Carey

Sunny is researching why the blue toy tastes so good. More specifically, he is investigating whether we can eat toys without experiencing shame or stomach problems. He knows how to sit when asked. Sunny’s favorite tradition is riding in the car, and it does not matter whose car it is.