The PILAS Lab studies Latine psychology through a critical, culturally grounded lens. Our work examines questions of bicultural identity integration, bilingualism and language, racial and ethnic identity, critical consciousness, and intergroup solidarity.
Research Pods
We collect data across several methods, organized into Research Pods. Each pod is led by a graduate student who mentors a team of undergraduate research assistants, and Dr. Carbajal mentors the graduate students, creating a consistent feedback loop across the lab.
EEG Research Pod
Uses electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs) to study the psychophysiology of culture and language. Members learn to set up participants for EEG studies and to clean and process data using MATLAB, EEGLAB, and ERPLAB.
Behavioral Research Pod
Designs and runs computer-based experiments. Members build experimental tasks in E-Prime and PsychoPy and run participants.
Survey Research Pod
Focuses on the theory, development, implementation, and analysis of psychometric tools and surveys. Members engage critically with existing literature and theory and rotate through collaborative team roles.
NLP & Qualitative Research Pod
Uses qualitative and natural language processing approaches, including coding and thematic analysis. On hiatus for the 2026–27 academic year while we collect data for another project.
