OUR LAB
At the heart of the UNLV Baby and Child Rebel Lab is a deep curiosity about how children understand their social world. Our research focuses on the earliest stages of social learning, investigating how infants and children recognize faces, process voices, and form social beliefs. Through our studies, we aim to answer fundamental questions about human development and provide insights that support families and educators. Explore our research, meet our team, and see how you can get involved.
Dr. Jennifer Rennels
Lab Director
Dr. Jennifer Rennels (formerly Ramsey) is a Professor in the Psychology Department at UNLV, teaching graduate and undergraduate Developmental Psychology courses.
She received her Ph.D. in psychology (developmental emphasis) from the University of Texas at Austin in 2003 and joined UNLV’s Department of Psychology faculty in the Fall of the same year.
She has published articles investigating how early social experiences influence infants' and children’s perceptions of people based on gender, race, and attractiveness. Her research provides insight into the development of biases and stereotypes and how people process information about others.
The National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development have supported her research. See Dr. Rennels’ profile on ResearchGate.
Dr. Andrea Kayl
Research Associate
Andrea Kayl graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
She is interested in developmental design and analysis, exploring the dynamic patterns of change that occur across development, and how real-world experiences and individual differences impact behavior.
She is currently helping with projects that examine these factors as they relate to infants’ preferences for faces and their ability to recognize and categorize people in their social worlds. If you have questions for Andrea, email her at kayla@unlv.nevada.edu.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Tra Bui
3rd year Ph.D. Student
Tra is a third-year graduate student at UNLV. She is interested in learning about the interactions between children and technology, especially with voice assistants.
She loves cats and currently has 5 cats back in Vietnam. She also enjoys drinking boba tea whenever she feels like it. In her free time, she will sleep or play LOL mobile and Hayday.
Rachel DeWald
4th year Ph.D. Student
Rachel is a fourth-year graduate student at UNLV. She has worked with the Baby and Child Rebel since she was an undergraduate student. Her interests lie in expanding the research of facial perception and emotional recognition by focusing on the autistic population.
In her spare time she works with clay, and likes to make mugs and functional sculptures. She has three kids and they love to dance and do karaoke together.
Alexis Rice
3rd year Ph.D. Student
Alexis is a third-year Ph.D. student in Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Her master's research focused on the intersection of hypervigilance, trauma, and adulthood milestones in emerging adults. Her emerging research and interests include accessible tools in reducing hypervigilance and parasocial relationships with AI chatbots and their users.
Alexis holds a M.A. in Psychology from UNLV. She serves as a doctoral researcher at the Baby and Child Rebel Lab and as a PSY-101 Instructor at UNLV. In addition to her academic pursuits, she works as a Graduate Resident Assistant and Staff mentor at Tonopah residential complex at UNLV.
Alana McDearmond
2nd year Ph.D. Student
Ali is a second year graduate student at UNLV pursuing a PhD in Psychological and Brain Sciences. She received her BS in Psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her research interests include the development of stereotypes and biases and how people's identities shape their behaviors and viewpoints.
In her free time, she likes to explore nature, play guitar, and work on her Animal Crossing island.
Alexander Peterson
4th year Ph.D. Student
Alex is a fourth-year graduate student at UNLV. Having moved from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas, he is pursuing a doctoral degree in developmental psychology. Alex’s research interests are in the intersectionality of early development and societal/cultural context. This includes race/ethnicity, sex/gender, education, and socioeconomic factors. He is currently conducting research on how induced mindfulness affects the way we perceive others.
Outside of school, Alex stays busy with his two young kids, a two and a five-year-old. When there is spare time, he enjoys video games, movies, and exploring new places. One of Alex’s favorite hobbies is paleontology, and he probably knows way too much about dinosaurs.
RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Jade Fernandez
Fall 2025 - Present
-
Junior at UNLV
-
Psychology Major
-
Minor in Family Studies
Natasha Shaghoian
Fall 2025 - Present
-
Angie Gutierrez-Aranda
Spring 2025 - Present
-
Senior at UNLV
-
Psychology Major
-
Minor in Family Studies
Jordyn Cabbell
Spring 2025 - Present
-
Sophomore at UNLV
-
Psychology Major
-
Minor in Family Studies
Livia Ramalho
Fall 2025 - Present
-
Kaylee Zhu
Fall 2025 - Present
-
Senior in High School
-
Aspiring Health Sciences Major
HONORING OUR PAST
Our lab wouldn't be what it is today without the dedication and hard work of our past graduate students and research assistants. These incredible individuals have contributed so much to our research, and we are proud to see them moving on to new challenges and successes.
To all our past graduates and RAs, thank you for being part of our journey. Your contributions have helped shape the future of our research, and we are grateful for the lasting impact you've made.
GRADUATES
Kindy Insouvanh
Kirsty Kulhanek
RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
My Tu Tran
Karime Elizondo
Almatine Jackson
Romeo Guevara
