Mandy McCarthy

Cognitive Scientist studying how children think and learn about the world. HC ‘18 | Yale ‘24

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

If you want to hear about how a car engine works - or really about how adults think you can best explain how a car engine works - come see my talk tomorrow! (T16.2 Room 104A, 8:30-10am) #CogSci2022

[Xiuyuan Flora Zhang 张修远 @flora_xy_zhang]

Come check out all the cool work from our lab at #CogSci22!

[Holly Rowe @sportsiren]

Bringing JOY to those impacted by cancer is my new mission in life.
We awarded our first annual Alex Wilcox Memorial Scholarship to @YaleSoftball incredible freshman Grace Westmoreland. A perfect 4.0+student and all state pitcher. Thank you @Yale for helping us with this surprise and all who have donated to make this legacy happen. Joy+Us Foundation info at https://t.co/cMWRPe253s

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

PhinisheD

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

No words! Could not have gotten through grad school without these dogs!

[Yale Softball @YaleSoftball]

DOCTOR COACH MANDY MCCARTHY

We couldn’t be more proud of Asst Coach Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4 defending her dissertation today! She’s been completing her PhD at Yale’s Cognition and Development lab while coaching with us for the last 6yrs!

We 💙you, Coach Mandy! 🎓‼️

[Yale Softball @YaleSoftball]

🚨 We call her CARMEN MUSCLE-LINA 💪 WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM!!

Yale 9, Harvard 1

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

@sciliz @njoybetz In this paper people saw both F & M, but the next paper does that! (spoiler alert re: work w @emmaccourtney)

Adults taught only mechanism (no function) learn mechanism & infer function just fine!
Adults taught only function (no mech) learn function, but do worse at inferring m.

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

🎉 New paper in Cognition with @njoybetz & Frank Keil!

Available here: https://t.co/PD83v2bLrX

In this paper, we replicate adults’ strong belief that you should teach a thing’s purpose (function) before teaching how it works (mechanism). Then, we show that they’re wrong.

1/4

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

A forthcoming paper will explore more about the “why,” but for now, thank you to @njoybetz, Frank, and everyone else who helped see this project through!

4/4

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

Explanatory order also did not influence learner’s subjective experience (e.g., satisfaction, curiosity, frustration, etc.) Why then do people so strongly believe pedagogical explanations should provide function before mechanism if there’s no evidence that it matters?

3/4

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

A powerful piece by my amazing coworker @MarleneBerke. Grateful for her strength in being able to speak out about her experiences in the hope of helping others.

[Marlene Berke @MarleneBerke]

.@Cornell still refuses to hire even one M.D. gynecologist to serve its 13,000 female students.

@cornellsun published my encounters with excruciating pain and sexism while seeking healthcare at Cornell Health for chronic vaginal pain.

https://t.co/BU5BZex4u8

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

Much appreciation to the people who made this happen either directly by helping with research or indirectly by providing me coffee.
4/4

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

My first first-author paper is out in Cognition! You can a) read it here: https://t.co/svm5rjehKO
and b) appreciate that my supportive mom had a copy printed and bound:
1/4

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

Take aways: Obviously, we should be really mindful of explaining function-before-mechanism and whole-before-parts.... right?

Our next paper explores whether this is the case. 🤔
3/4

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

👀

[Ivy League @IvyLeague]

DOGS ARE IN.

@YaleSoftball clinches the final spot in the Ivy League Softball Tournament with a 2-0 win over Brown in the regular season finale. The Bulldogs will be the No. 3 seed in the upcoming tournament. 🌿🥎

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

👀 @sjmull21 🏃‍♀️💨

[Yale Softball @YaleSoftball]

Keep em' comin' 🤌🤌

Top 5 | Yale 11, Hartford 1

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

The struggles of developmental research:

5yos in piloting: Phenomenal. Attentive. Engaged. Every question correct. Already have scholarship offers to several prestigious universities.

5yos once the study goes live: “I picked the blue answer bc my dog’s favorite color is blue.”

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

A ⭐️ of a human
A ⭐️ of a coach

First one down, many to come

[Yale Softball @YaleSoftball]

𝙁𝙄𝙍𝙎𝙏 𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙄𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙆𝙎 ✅

Congratulations to Coach Ricciardone on her first win as head coach in a 5-3 victory over Nicholls State!

#ThisIsYale

[Yale Softball @YaleSoftball]

Split our Saturday at the Hub City Challenge.

[Mandy McCarthy @mandymichelle4]

Gave the advice that it’s important that interviewees ‘interview’ programs too. Got shot down, but I stand by it!

Be friendly & humble, but get insight into what you’re signing up for! If people aren’t willing to speak freely about their experience, that speaks volumes.

[Mostly here now: @davidthewid.bsky.social @davidthewid]

a bunch of my friends are choosing between PhD programs. here's my advice to them:

it is FAR more important to work with someone who is kind, than someone who does exactly the research you want to do or is at a prestigious institution.