Leida Tolentino, Ph.D.

 

"Using the mind to gain insight into itself is one of the most fascinating human endeavors."

- Leida Tolentino

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Education

• Ph.D., Cognitive Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh
• B.S., Management Science & Information Systems, University of Massachusetts at Boston

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About

Dr. Leida Tolentino is a Professor of Psychology at SBCC, where she also serves as a faculty facilitator with the Affective Learning Institute (ALI).

Professor Tolentino’s evolving teaching philosophy centers on building connection with students and awakening them to the beauty, fun, and power of (self-)knowledge. She is helping to create everyday psychology superheroes.

A lifelong educator with a doctorate in Psychology and Neuroscience, Professor Tolentino has previously conducted research in the biotech, nonprofit, and academic sectors, including wide-ranging studies that evaluate the effectiveness of pharmaceutical compounds and educational programs. She has published peer-reviewed articles investigating the brain mechanisms of language learning and bilingualism; her current research focuses on the epidemiology of movement disorders.

Professor Tolentino is the founder and President of the Fundação Doenças do Movimento em Cabo Verde, a foundation dedicated to conducting research, raising awareness, and advocating for people diagnosed with movement disorders in Cabo Verde. 

Leida Tolentino is a mother and spouse. 

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Courses Taught at SBCC

• PSYC C1000: Introduction to Psychology
• PSYC C1000H: Introduction to Psychology - Honors
• PSY 110: Introduction to Physiological Psychology
• PSY 145: Human Development
• PSY 200: Research Methods & Experimental Design

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Publications

 

Tolentino L.C., Monteiro J.F.G., Brito Pires C. & Fortes A. (2026). Movement Disorders in Cabo Verde: Epidemiology, Access Barriers, and Public Health Implications in an Aging Island Population. Int. J. Public Health 71:1608728. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2026.1608728

Tokowicz, N., Warren, T., & Tolentino, L.C. (2024). The Competition Model and Adult Second Language Learning: Cross-Language Similarity and L2 Morphosyntax Learning. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, 44, 71-83, https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2024.44.08

Lorenzo-López, L., Gandoy-Crego, M., & Tolentino, L. C. (2023). Editorial: World Alzheimer’s month: Cognitive frailty, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia: How do they relate? The role of cognitive reserve. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1267306. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1267306

Tolentino, L.C. (2020). The bilingual advantage? Cognitive functions and neural mechanisms. Atlas do I e II Encontro Cabo-verdiano de Língua Portuguesa. Praia, Cabo Verde.

Tolentino, L. C., & Tokowicz, N. (2014). Cross-language similarity modulates effectiveness of second language grammar instruction. Language Learning, 64(2), 279-309.

Tolentino, L. C., Rudo, Z., & Wilson, A. (2012). Louisiana Department of Education after-school programs: Evaluation report school year 2010. SEDL.

Tolentino, L. C., & Tokowicz, N. (2011). Across languages, space, and time: A review of the role of cross-language similarity in L2 (morpho)syntactic processing as revealed by fMRI and ERP. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 33(1), 91-125.

Tolentino, L. C., & Tokowicz, N. (2009). Are pumpkins better than heaven? An ERP investigation of order effects in the concrete-word advantage. Brain and Language, 110(1), 12-22.

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Academic Interests

• Scholarly Teaching and SoTL
• Affective Learning
• Educational Neuroscience
• Psycholinguistics & Neurolinguistics
• Bi-/multilingualism
• Neuroscience of Dance
• Neuroepidemiology

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Other Interests

Leida Tolentino is a dancer with a passion for West African styles and their forms in the diaspora (Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban). In her teaching, choreography, and performance, she blends various world influences and utilizes dance as a vehicle for authentic expression, social connection, and spiritual elevation.