Olivia G. Cadwell

Olivia G. Cadwell is a PhD candidate in cognitive and social psychology at The New School for Social Research, where she is currently a Social Neuroscience Teaching Fellow. Olivia holds a BA in Neuroscience and English literature. Prior to graduate school she studied how reading certain types of fiction (literary fiction) may improve empathy and Theory of Mind abilities, as measured via mu-wave suppression in the prefrontal cortex. This research involved parts of the brain that control action anticipation and making inferences about the thoughts and behaviors of others. Her current doctoral research is on how individual and collective memory play an integral role in future thinking about our own lives and climate change. In addition to these topics Olivia's other research interests are political ideology, collective and individual agency, as well as minimally counterintuitive narratives like conspiracy beliefs.