Acquisition Research Lab Learning about learning
Who we are

The lab is the people.

Graduate and undergraduate researchers at UNCW who design the studies, run the sessions, analyze their own data, and present the work.

Tom Cariveau
Faculty mentor

Tom Cariveau, PhD, LP, BCBA-D

Faculty Mentor · Department of Psychology, UNCW

Dr. Cariveau is a board certified behavior analyst and licensed psychologist in North Carolina. He is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Graduate Programs in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He has served as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Behavioral Education and The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, and as an editorial board member for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. Dr. Cariveau has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and chapters on topics relevant to behavior analytic interventions for individuals with and without developmental disabilities.

Dr. Cariveau is an active contributor to the lab, working alongside his students in their applied and basic research programs.

The team

Current researchers

Becca Collins

Becca Collins

Ph.D. student

A 2024 UNCW alum: Bachelor's in Psychology, Applied Behavior Analysis minor.

Michele Curd

Michele Curd

M.S. student

A 2025 Murray State alum: Bachelor's in Psychology.

Michelle Henault

Michelle Henault

M.S. student

A 2025 University of Tampa alum: Bachelor's in Psychology.

Lauren Campo

Lauren Campo

M.S. student

A 2026 UNCW alum: Bachelor's in Psychology, Applied Behavior Analysis minor.

Alumni

Where they went next

Former lab members now working as researchers, clinicians, and supervisors.

Taylor Lewis 2026

Taylor Lewis

M.S. 2024 · Ph.D. 2026 · BCBA-D

Assistant Professor, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN. Directs the STAR Lab.

Katherine Miller 2025

Katherine Miller

M.S. 2025 · BCBA

BCBA in Charlotte, NC

2024

Alexandria Brown

M.S. 2022 · Ph.D. 2024 · BCBA

BCBA in Louisville, KY

Delanie Platt 2023

Delanie Platt

Ph.D. 2023 · BCBA

Loving mother of two

Paige Ellington 2023

Paige Ellington

M.S. 2023 · BCBA

BCBA in Wilmington, NC

Photo album

Life in the lab

Conferences, graduations, theses, dissertations, and the occasional game of Oregon Trail (RIP to those lost on the trail).

Lab members and graduates outside the Burney Center at UNCW commencement
Taylor Lewis and Lauren Campo commencement (May, 2026)
Four conference attendees with badges at the Texas Association for Behavior Analysis annual conference
Texas Association for Behavior Analysis annual conference (February, 2026)
Lab members playing a card game around the conference table with snacks
Oregon Trail before Taylor’s move (July, 2026)
Lab members seated together on a waterfront deck at sunset
Afternoon in Southport, NC before Taylor’s move (July, 2026)
Four lab members sitting on the floor of the lab beside equipment
Shaping key-pecking (July, 2026)
Three lab members at a viewpoint overlooking Lisbon
ABAI in Lisbon, Portugal (November, 2025)

See the full album →

Work with us

There's room for you here

Undergraduates and graduate students at UNCW can join the lab as research assistants and take on projects of their own. If you work in a school or clinic and want to study assessment or intervention practices with us, we'd like to hear from you.

To get in touch, contact Dr. Cariveau at his UNCW email address.