Who we are

Principal Investigator

Ayse Payir | payira@union.edu | aysepayir.com

My research interests lie at the intersection of cognition, culture, and imagination in early to late childhood. The overarching goal of my research is to explore how children understand the world: Do they understand it primarily in terms of natural causes, or are they disposed, from an early age, to invoke supernatural causes? I try to answer this question by studying counterfactual thinking, judgments of what is real and what is possible, conceptual development, and social cognition.

Undergraduate Researchers

Sophia Habler, Union College

Sophia is a junior at Union College with a Psychology major and a Spanish and Sociology double minor. She is interested in child development, education, and exploring children's imagination and is excited to dive deeper into the cognitive processes that underlie children's everyday experiences. Sophia hopes to learn more about the research process, gain hand-on experience, and eventually pursue a career working with students.

Cailyn Buckley, Union College

Cailyn is a sophomore at Union College majoring in Psychology. Originally from Peabody, MA, she has always been curious about mental health. She is interested in learning more about developmental and cognitive psychology, particularly in childhood, and the impact of significant trauma. Cailyn is especially excited to gain more research experience at the MaCLab. After graduation, she plans to pursue a Master’s degree and continue to engage in advanced research.

Rebecca Gerdis, Union College

Rebecca is a senior at Union College studying Psychology and Sociology. She is interested in developmental psychology and has previous experience working with children and families in the court system. She is eager to further explore social influences on cognition through hands-on research in the Mind and Culture Lab.

Hannah Ingber, Union College

Hannah is a junior studying Psychology and Sociology at Union College. She's particularly interested in children's social cognitive development and she's excited to have the opportunity to explore this interest through the Mind and Culture Lab. She plans to go to law school to pursue child advocacy law and hopes to apply what she learns through this research to her future career.

Veer Kundalia, Union College

Veer is a sophomore at Union College, exploring a major in Psychology or Neuroscience, with a potential double major or minor in Anthropology. Veer’s research interests focus on early childhood development and transdiagnostic research, particularly the issue of misdiagnosis in mental health. Passionate about advocating for children, Veer aspires to publish books on mental health diagnoses in children and pursue a career in law, specializing in child rights and forensic law.