Tara Mandalaywala

Dr. Mandalaywala runs the Cognition Across Development (CAD) Laboratory at UMass Amherst, which explores the development of social cognition across human and nonhuman primates. Her research examines how young individuals make sense of and cope with the complex social world around them.  We use methods from developmental and social psychology, behavioral endocrinology, and behavioral ecology to examine how the environment that an individual grows up in shapes their perceptions, beliefs, and biases about the world around them. The goal of this research is to better understand how early emerging aspects of cognition and perception help an individual thrive (or falter) in their particular environment. 

If you are an undergraduate interested in joining the CAD Lab, please contact Dr. Mandalaywala.