Professional Bio

Hunter is a fourth-year student in the developmental psychology program at Penn State. She earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience with a minor in biology from the University of Mount Union in Ohio. She also earned a master’s degree in Experimental Psychology from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. She is currently mentored by Dr. Suzy Scherf in the Developmental Neuroscience Lab and Dr. Dawn Witherspoon in the Context and Development Lab. Hunter’s interest lies in improving the lives of autistic people through increasing accurate knowledge, debunking harmful myths and stereotypes, and empowering autistic individuals. The more specific theme of her work is related to understanding how autistic individuals perceive, make sense of, and communicate in the context of social interactions.