The UCSD Mind and Development Lab is directed by Dr. Adena Schachner, and is based in UC San Diego's Department of Psychology. We are a member of the UCSD Kid Science Labs.

Our research explores how children and adults reason about the social world, with a focus on links between music and social cognition. How do we use mental states (like intentions, goals and preferences) to explain others' actions, and to understand the artifacts that people own and create? We employ a variety of experimental methodologies, including computational modeling, looking time with infants, and behavioral methods with children and adults, both in the lab and around the world via the internet.