Mark A. Thornton

Mark studies how people organize their knowledge of the social world, and use that knowledge to make accurate social prediction. To this end he uses a combination of fMRI, text analysis, computational modeling, and behavioral methods. He received his A.B. in Psychology from Princeton University in 2011, and his Ph.D. in Psychology from Harvard University in 2017, before returning to Princeton University for postdoctoral training. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College.

[CV] [email] [twitter] [website] [blog]

Lindsey Tepfer

Lindsey completed her B.S. in Neuroscience & Biological Anthropology at Temple University. After a few years in industry, she returned to Temple to receive her M.S. in Neuroscience. Broadly, she's interested in theory of mind and person perception across different contexts. Outside of research, she enjoys watercolor painting, muay thai, weightlifting, and 90's anime movies.

[website]

Landry Bulls

Landry completed his B.S. in Psychology at UT Austin before spending two years as a lab manager in the SCRAP Lab, where he developed methods for extracting social signals from audiovisual recordings of naturalistic social interactions. As a PhD student, his research focuses on how humans parse continuous social interactions into meaningful units—a process known as social event segmentation. This involves investigating the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms that allow individuals to identify boundaries between social events, often guided by attentional focus on cues like eye gaze and facial expressions. By integrating techniques from deep learning, social signal processing, and fMRI, Landry aims to uncover the neural and psychological underpinnings of this segmentation process, shedding light on how we navigate complex social environments. Outside of the lab, he enjoys being outdoors, running, people watching, and experimenting with visual effects and audio synthesis.

[website] [email] [bluesky]

Marissa Benz

Marissa is a Junior at Dartmouth majoring in Psychology. In the SCRAP lab, she is a research assistant working with Landry Bulls under the Presidential Scholars program. She is interested in looking at how personality measures, specifically neuroticism, affect people's perceptions of each other. Outside of the lab, she loves to volunteer at a local elderly care facility, play piano, and go for hikes.

Everett Tai

Everett Tai is a Junior at Dartmouth College, pursuing a double major in Psychology and Economics with a minor in Human-Centered Design. In the lab, he studies snap-judgments and unconscious perception of others under Lindsey Tepfer. Broadly, he is interested in how social cognitive function impacts decision-making. Apart from the lab, he is a diver on the Dartmouth Swim & Dive Team, enjoying the outdoors and listening to music in his free time.

Gene Park

Gene is a sophomore intending to major in Computer Science. He works with Lindsey Tepfer under the URAD program. As a research assistant, he aims to leverage his programming skills to gain insights from the data Lindsey is collecting while also trying to learn more about machine learning. Outside of his work, he likes to workout, make music, and develop apps.

Daniel Hong

Daniel is a sophomore intending to major in Psychology and minor in Human-Centered Design. At SCRAP Lab, he is a research assistant working with Lindsey Tepfer under the Dartmouth Undergraduate Research Assistantship Scholar Program. As a research assistant in the lab, he plans to explore collaborative social judgments and learn to assist in fMRI monitoring. Outside of the lab, he is a part of the club volleyball team, an a cappella group, and loves to watch and review movies on Letterboxd.

Noemi Rivera

Noemi is a second year who is interested in understanding group dynamics and ultimately noticing how individuals perform their attitudes/personality through body language and movement during conversations. Outside of the lab, she enjoys powerlifting, spending time with friends, and adventuring.

Luke Morrow

Luke is a sophomore at Dartmouth College, pursuing a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Studio Art. He is a research assistant working with Landry Bulls under the URAD program, studying social states in group conversations. He is interested in exploring the brain holistically—from neurons to narratives. Outside of the lab, he loves playing rugby, drawing, building things, and editing videos.

Become part of SCRAP Lab!

Want to know more about what it's like to be part of SCRAP Lab? Check out our lab's policy document.

Prospective graduate students: the lab will consider graduate applicants during the 2024-2025 admission cycle. See the PBS graduate admissions page for detail about how to apply. Please note that Prof. Thornton does not meet with propsective students prior to department's graduate admissions deadline.

Potential postdocs: researchers interested in joining SCRAP Lab as a postdoc should contact Mark directly to discuss potential projects and funding options. Include your CV and a cover letter describing your interest in the lab.

Lab managers: the lab is not currently seeking any lab managers or research technicians.

Undergraduates: the lab is currently looking for undergraduate research assistants. If interested, please email Amisha (Lab Manager) with your CV / resumé and a short description of your research interests.