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Tara Venkatesan

B.S. (Cognitive Science)


DPhil Candidate

  • Risk & Resilience (Bowes Lab)

My cross-disciplinary doctoral work is at the intersection of cognitive science and art. I conduct research with Professor Rhonda Hadi (University of Oxford, Saïd Business School) on how novel entertainment technologies, like haptic wearable devices, influence our sense of psychological connection to musicians. I also conduct research with Professor Joshua Knobe (Yale University, Department of Psychology) on why we seem to like sadness in art but not in everyday life. 

Prior to moving to Oxford, I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Science from Yale University. While at Yale, I studied folk beliefs about authenticity in music and was also a research assistant at the Yale Infant Cognition Centre. I have also spent three years conducting infant psychology research with the Harvard Laboratory of Developmental Studies with Professor Elizabeth Spelke. When I'm not in the lab, I use behavioral science insights and mixed-methods analyses to consult for music tech companies.

Recent publications

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