Email: sophie.arnold@nyu.edu

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Sophie graduated from the University of Chicago in 2018 with degrees in Psychology and Economics before working as the Yale Social Cognitive Development Lab manager from 2018-2020. She is primarily interested in understanding the reasons behind the development of behaviors and preferences that lead to societal gender disparities like the wage gap. She is also interested in questions at the intersection of moral reasoning and group membership. Outside of the lab, Sophie enjoys playing cards, reading fiction and hiking.

PhD, University of St. Andrews

Email: markalanbowker@gmail.com

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Mark is a philosopher by training, working on issues at the intersection of philosophy of mind/language and psychology. He is particularly interested in the connection between language, stereotypes, and prejudice, as well as the relation between philosophical and psychological descriptions of mind and language.

Email: gg2951@nyu.edu

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Grace graduated from Rutgers University–New Brunswick in 2022 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Cognitive Science. At Rutgers, she worked with Dr. Jenny Wang at the Cognition and Learning Center and conducted her undergraduate thesis on how changes in children’s basic number skills may influence their tendency to seek numerical information. She is looking forward to joining the CDL to pursue her interests in cognitive development. Grace’s research interests are deeply rooted in understanding and enhancing children's motivation and school achievement within STEM education. She is also interested in the underlying cognitive processes that contribute to problem-solving, decision-making, and conceptual understanding in mathematical contexts.

Email: mk7922@nyu.edu

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Mert graduated from Boğaziçi University with a Bachelor's degree in Guidance and Psychological Counseling and from Koç University with a Master’s degree in Developmental Psychology. He is interested in the role of explanation in adults' and children’s thinking. Outside of the lab, Mert enjoys making music, playing video games, and reading.

PhD, University of Toronto

Email: bethany.lassetter@nyu.edu

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Bethany examines how motivations and beliefs shape social judgment. In one line of research, she studies how goal relevance guides social perception and emotion. She also examines how beliefs about who can versus cannot change shape social perception and how major political events influence fundamental affective processes. In the Cognitive Development Lab, she is studying the social cognitive development and consequences of gender stereotypes about talent versus effort.

Email: michele.ocana@nyu.edu

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Michele graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with degrees in Psychology and Mathematical Modeling of Complex Systems. They are interested in the cognitive and social mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of academic stereotypes and how they may potentially shape Latinx children’s academic identities, pursuits, and success. Outside of the lab, Michele enjoys capturing landscape photography, going to concerts, and cooking up new dishes.

Email: aashna.poddar@nyu.edu

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Aashna graduated from Singapore Management University with a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and Psychology and from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a Master’s degree in Human Development and Psychology. She is interested in understanding how gender stereotypes and status differences affect the development of children’s academic and career interests. She is also interested in cultural socialization and intersectionality. Outside of the lab, Aashna enjoys reading, experimenting with cooking, and running.

Email: ghazaleshahbazi.psy@yahoo.com

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Ghazal graduated with a master’s in psychology from KU Leuven (Belgium) after earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Shahid Beheshti University in Iran. At KU Leuven, she conducted research within the cultural psychology framework of acculturation as well as on the semantics of generics. She is primarily interested in the development of social cognition, focusing on social essentialism – its precursors, such as generic language, as well as its outcomes. Outside of research, Ghazal enjoys cycling, watching series, and doing jigsaw puzzles.

PhD, University of Texas at Austin

Email: nw2545@nyu.edu

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Nate completed his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. He is interested in educational beliefs and gender-related stereotypes, at the individual and contextual levels, that impact motivation and persistence. He is particularly interested in how these dynamics may shift across gender and sexual orientation identities.

Email: duygu.yilmaz@nyu.edu

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Duygu received her B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in Developmental Psychology from Bogazici University, Istanbul. She is interested in children’s reasoning about society’s structural functioning. In particular, she is curious about how and when children come to understand and explain complex social structures and social roles as the causal forces shaping human lives. She is also interested in how structural reasoning processes influence children’s attitudes toward societal issues. Outside the lab, she enjoys wandering around, running, and watching period dramas.