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Contact Info:
Tufts University
Department of Psychology
Psychology Building
Room 315
Medford, MA 02155

Office: 617.627.5663
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Holly A. Taylor
Professor of Psychology

Education

Ph.D., Stanford University, 1992

Biography

Dr. Holly A. Taylor received her bachelors degree in mathematics, with a minor in Psychology from Dartmouth College in 1987.  She earned a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Stanford University in 1992.  She has been a faculty at Tufts since 1994.  In addition to her work, she enjoys running road races, hiking, and spending time with her family.

Dr. Taylor's research examines the mental representation of information, sometimes referred to as mental models or situation models. She is particularly interested in the domains of spatial cognition and comprehension. Her work focuses on how information sources influence mental models. For example, if someone learns the Tufts University campus by walking around versus from a map, how different and how similar are their mental models?  This work also extends to multimedia information sources and their effects on mental representations. In addition to basic research in this area, she is interested in applications to real-world information sources.  Another area of research, in collaboration with Dr. Robin Kanarek, examines nutritional effects on cognitive behavior, in both children and adults.

Students can get involved in research with Dr. Taylor during the academic year either through one of the independent research courses or on a volunteer basis.  If interested, please contact her by e-mail.