I am a Ph.D. student in the Cognitive Psychology program at Pitt and the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition. My current research focuses on the cognitive and neural bases of bilingualism. More specifically, I'm interested in how second-language processing is affected by factors such as similarity between the native and second language, and level of explicit awareness of the rules of the language being learned.

I happen to be multilingual as I grew up in a country where this is a common reality - Cape Verde Islands (West Africa). After relocating to the States, I obtained my undergraduate degree at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, in the field of MIS (Management Information Systems).

As for the indispensable hobbies, I like to engage in large amounts of leisure reading in addition to the academic literature; travel far and beyond on planet earth; and, of course, dance myself away to the entrancing rhythms of West African drums (Balafon West African Dance Ensemble).

Oh, and I love ice cream!



PUBLICATIONS

Tolentino, L.C., & Tokowicz, N. (2009). Are pumpkins better than heaven? An ERP investigation of order effects in the concrete-word advantage. Brain & Language, 110, 12-22.