Learning Cognition & Development Lab Members
Below, you can learn more about members of the LCD lab. If you're interested in joining the lab as an undergraduate or graduate student, please reach out to me via email.
I am accepting graduate students in the 2026-2027 year. If you are especially interested in applying, I encourage you to reach out to me directly.
Charles Fitzsimmons, PhD
Dr. Charlie Fitzsimmons received a B.S. in Psychology from the University of North Florida and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Kent State University. Dr. Fitzsimmons is a cognitive-developmental psychologist who studies the way people learn, think, and solve problems across the lifespan. Much of his work focuses on how people (mis)understand numbers, their self-regulated learning and awareness of their own knowledge, and the individual differences related to thoughts and feelings about numbers and math. He also studies the way people think about and understand numbers outside of educational contexts, such as when they see health statistics, whether errors can be reduced with visual displays, and how knowledge can be gained through training. Dr. Fitzsimmons is looking forward to expanding his work to study the neural correlates of people’s numerical reasoning.
You can find his most up-to-date CV here. In his spare time, Charlie enjoys spending time with his wife, Chelsea, riding his bike, running, or swimming, watching live music, reading fiction books, and spending time with family, friends, and his two dogs. He is originally from southeast Florida and is happy to be back in Jacksonville so that he can spend more time on or near the ocean.
Current Graduate and Undergraduate Lab Members
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Sam Pearl
Sam Pearl is an graduate student at the University of North Florida pursuing a Masters of Science degree in Psychology. His primary research interests include metacognition, learning enhancement strategies, and decision-making. In the LCD lab, Sam is working on his master's thesis about metacognition in math, contributing to other numerical cognition work, and helping with a community participant recruitment group. After he graduates, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology to conduct research and learn more about cognitive processes. While not working on psychological research, Sam enjoys watching and playing football as well as hanging out with friends.
Morgan Shingledecker
Morgan Shingledecker graduated with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Italian Studies at Kent State University in December of 2022. She is now a current graduate student in the Masters of Science in Psychological Sciences (MSPS) Program at University of North Florida, where she will continue to explore her interests in math cognition and whole number bias. After completing the MSPS program, Morgan hopes to continue her education and get her Ph.D. In Morgan’s spare time, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, go to the gym, read, watch Netflix, or go to the beach.
Hunter Vannaman
Hunter Vannaman graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from the University of North Florida. He is currently a graduate student at the University of North Florida in the Master of Science in Psychological Science program working on cognitive psychology research. His primary interest is in the enhancement of learning outcomes in both academic and practical settings, with secondary interests in motivation, self-efficacy, and perceived difficulty. After graduating with his master's, he hopes to pursue a Ph.D.
Hunter currently works with Dr. Sara Davis (primary advisor) and Dr. Charles Fitzsimmons (co-advisor).
Members of the Learning, Cognition, and Development lab are presenting at the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) this year!
Graduate students Druanna Kight and Abby Pruitt and presenting their research on the role of self-reported study strategies on metacognition and exam performance in college classes. You can view their poster here.
Undergraduate (and incoming graduate student), Abir Aftab is presenting her work on the role of feedback and worked examples on math learning, math anxiety, and math self-concept. You can view her poster here.