BLOCK RESEARCH TEAM
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Alexandria Winstead B.A.
Doctoral Candidate
Alexandria Winstead is a doctoral student in the Applied Psychology and Prevention Science program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her research interests include child maltreatment, psychology and law, child welfare interventions, and quantitative psychology. She is broadly interested in applying her research findings to community programming and policy efforts. She has studied racial bias in granting protective orders in cases of interpersonal violence. Alexandria’s current work examines how child sexual abuse disclosures impact prosecutorial decisions. Another line of work examines “other” nonprosecutorial outcomes for these cases. After obtaining her doctorate, Alexandria hopes to continue her career in research, public policy, and preventive interventions.
Gabriela A. Lay, B.A.
Doctoral Student
Gabriela is interested in the intersectionality of developmental psychology and psychology & law. While completing her B.A. at Florida International University (FIU) she worked as a project manager in the Social Understanding, Personal Experiences, and Relationships (S.U.P.E.R.) Lab conducting research on children's suggestibility and theory of mind. During her M.S. at Arizona State University (ASU) she worked in the Youth and Families in Court Systems (YFaCS) Lab and expanded her research to include children's emotional regulation in the face high interparental conflict divorce/separation and user-testing parent programs. Her thesis explored cultural effects of user-tester perspectives on a novel divorce/separation parental program. As a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) student at UMass-Lowell she is working under Dr. Stephanie Block conducting research related to child sexual abuse, non-offending caregiver needs, and children's episodic foresight abilities.
GRADUATE ALUMNI
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Michaela Ramsey, Ph.D.
Former Doctoral student
Michaela Ramsey received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Arkansas (2019) and an M.A. in Community Social Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Lowell (2022). Her primary research interests include child maltreatment, abuse prevention, and racial biases in the legal system. Michaela completed a research practicum with Linda Williams, Ph.D., at the Wellesley Centers for Women where she assisted in the writing of a White Paper and preparing a webinar about challenges in the prosecution of child sexual abuse. She is currently working on her dissertation concerning the context, legal responses, and perceptions of youth reported for sexual behavior. In addition to her research, Michaela has taught her courses at UMass Lowell including Introduction to Psychological Science and Child and Adolescent Development.
Charlotte Wilinsky, Ph.D.
Former Doctoral Student
Charlotte Wilinsky is a graduate of Amherst College with a B.A. in Psychology (2011) and the University of Massachusetts Lowell with a M.A. in Community Social Psychology (2016) and a Ph.D. in Applied Psychology and Prevention Science (2020). Her research, which continues to be influenced by her work in Dr. Block’s lab, is focused on applied developmental psychology. Specifically, her primary research interests include children’s experiences of trauma, child maltreatment, athlete abuse, and issues surrounding prosecution of cases involving child victims. She is currently a lecturer at UMass Amherst.
Kristy Shockley, Ph.D.
Former Doctoral Student
Kristy’s main area of research involves documenting experiences of child sexual abuse in terms of legal outcomes and potential triggers to disclosure of such victimization. Kristy examined the legal outcomes in cases of child sexual abuse from the victims’ perspective with Dr. Stephanie Block starting in 2013. As many child sexual abuse cases are actually lacking in evidence, with only the word of the victim, Kristy’s dissertation focuses on the nature of disclosures. Specifically, examining the types of disclosure that occur and the triggers of disclosure as indicated by case files in a set of cases referred to authorities. Kristy’s hopes are that this research will help to document the actual lived experiences for victims, in addition to what justice may mean for all involved.
Research Interests:
Child Sexual Abuse, Developmental Psychology, Criminal Justice, System Responses
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Eric Wang, M.A.
Former Graduate Student
Eric worked in the lab from Fall 2014 to Winter 2018. His main responsibilities were coding data, co-managing data entry, and conducting literature reviews. Currently, he is an assistant reference librarian and freelance musician.
Sophia Nazzaro, M.S.
Former Graduate Student
Sophia currently works as a licensed marriage and family therapist and site director at an outpatient practice in Andover, MA. Sophia received her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Massachusetts Boston after obtaining a BA in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Having worked as a life management coach for The Asperger/Autism Network, she specialized in helping adults on the spectrum overcome particular barriers for improving their quality of life. There she gained a systemic perspective regarding the impact of various systems, particularly the family system, on an individual’s mental wellness. She has worked extensively for over six years with diverse communities, including couples, families, and individuals. She has assisted clients as they navigate stress that accompanies major life changes, identity issues, relational discord, communication patterns, divorces/co-parenting, and beyond.