Duke Mind & Culture Lab

Meet Lola!

Lola is one of our undergraduate research assistants and is currently a freshman minoring in psychology. Swipe to learn more about Lola!

Meet Shakhrizoda!

Shakhri is one of our undergraduate research assistants and is currently a junior majoring in Behavioral Science and Interdisciplinary Studies. Swipe to learn more about Shakhri!

Meet Norah!

Norah is one of our undergraduate research assistants and is currently a sophomore majoring in Psychology and minoring in Spanish. Swipe to learn more about Norah!

Meet Alice!

Alice is one of our undergraduate research assistants and is currently a sophomore majoring in Psychology and minoring in Neuroscience. Swipe to learn more about Alice!

Meet Carolina!

Carolina is one of our undergraduate research assistants and is currently a junior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Education and Neuroscience. Swipe to learn more about Carolina!

Meet Ruby!

Ruby is one of our undergraduate research assistants and is currently a freshman majoring in Neuroscience. Swipe to learn more about Ruby!

Meet Chisa!

Chisa is one of our undergraduate research assistants and is currently a sophomore majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in African and African American Studies. Swipe to learn more about Chisa!

Our very own Dr. Dorsa Amir conducted a study to see how intent and remorse influence children’s forgiveness across development.

In the study, children aged 5-10 were put in a situation where another child had used up something meant for them. The kids then had a choice: punish the other child or forgive them.

The results found that even when children were given no information about why the harm happened or whether the other child felt sorry, they were still very forgiving. As children got older, their forgiveness became more selective: they were especially likely to forgive when the harm was an accident, but not when it was done on purpose.

Together, these findings suggest that forgiveness starts early in childhood, and over time becomes more sensitive to others’ intentions. In her latest paper, Dr. Amir and colleagues found these behaviors around forgiveness to be cross culturally consistent across five cultures!

💡Happy Fun Fact Friday!💭

Today, we’re highlighting a figure from a recent publication, Children as Agents of Cultural Adaptation, that illustrates a dynamic, two-way process of learning.

Learning doesn’t just move in just one direction. While adults are often seen as the primary teachers, children may also help shape culture- supporting cultural change and strengthening community resilience!

Had an awesome "Battle of the Labs" joint social with our friends at ! Meet your MAC Lab champions and our new friend, the Occuloaeromusculus 🦖🙂‍↕️🏆🤓💪

Meet Gita Paladugu, our new lab manager🌷

Gita graduated from Emory in 2025 with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Global Development Studies. She is interested in understanding socioemotional and resilience development in children and how culturally responsive interventions can support positive mental health outcomes among multicultural populations. Gita is excited to learn and grow in her role with the MAC Lab! 🪷🌞🤎

Meet Serena Spada, our wonderful graduate student🌟

Serena is a first year Psychology and Neuroscience PhD Student in the MAC Lab! She graduated from UC San Diego with a B.S. in Business Psychology in 2024. Serena's research interests focus on moral development in children, specifically how children reason about and behave during moral dilemmas, and the factors (culture, senses of fairness, etc.) that influence them. We are so excited to have Serena with us! 🙌🙌