Team Members

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.

Lab Manager

Narayani, Union College

Narayani is a sophomore at Union College and is currently pursuing double major in Neuroscience and Economics. Her research interests center on how early childhood environments shape neurobiological development and subsequently influence decision-making processes in adulthood. Narayani currently serves as the Lab Manager and a Research Assistant at MaCLab, where she aims to explore the lifelong behavioral effects of early-life experiences across various socioeconomic domains.

Undergraduate Researchers

Sophia Habler, Union College

Sophia is a senior 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 junior 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.

Anna Yam, Union College

Anna is originally from Roxbury, New Jersey and is currently pursuing a double major in Psychology and Biology at Union College. She is passionate about development psychology, specifically learning about how children view the world. In the future, she plans to pursue an MD and become a physician.

Rayna Swann, Union College

Rayna is a sophomore at Union College, majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Spanish and Child Development. She is particularly interested in the theory of mind, social cognition, and neurocognitive disorders in adolescence. She hopes to gain a proper understanding of the research process and pursue research examining the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying adolescent development in the future.

Jonah Goldman-Green

Jonah Goldman-Green is a sophomore psychology major at Union College with a strong interest in child development, learning, and cognition. Jonah is eager to continue developing research skills, deepen his understanding of cognitive processes, and pursue a career that integrates his interest in developmental psychology with direct student engagement.

Alekhya Buragadda, Union College

Alekhya Buragadda is a sophomore in Union College, majoring in Biology and Psychology. She is interested in developmental psychology, and its intersection with neuroscience, especially on how early experiences can shape brain development and behavior. She is eager about bridging the gap between neuroscience and psychology to better understand childhood development.

Jessica Sun, Union College

Jessica is a first-year student at Union College, majoring in Psychology and Biology. She enjoys learning about developmental psychology research and is excited to apply many of these important concepts in the MaCLaB. Outside of college, Jessica enjoys supporting children as a summer camp counselor, tutor, and hospital volunteer.

Nidhi Shah, Union College

Nidhi is a freshman at Union College with a Neuroscience major on the Cognitive track. She is interested in developmental psychology as well as the relationship between music and the brain. She is excited to be a part of the MaCLab team and take advantage of the various opportunities that Union has to offer! Nidhi wants to gain more hands-on research experience and explore future career possibilities in the field of Neuroscience.

Lab Alumni