Yuko Munakata

Yuko Munakata is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, and Director of the Cognition in Context Lab. She holds affiliations with the Center for Mind and Brain. Her education includes a PhD in Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University and dual BS/BA degrees in Symbolic Systems and Psychology from Stanford University.

Her research integrates behavioral experiments, computational modeling, neuroimaging (ERP/fMRI), and cross-cultural studies to investigate how thinking varies across developmental stages and environmental/social contexts. Core interests include executive functions, developmental trajectories, cognitive control mechanisms, and interventions to enhance adaptive thinking. Her work highlights the role of cultural habits, social influences, and proactive control in shaping decision-making and self-regulation.

Recent work explores the impact of environmental predictability on cognitive control development, the link between procrastination in adults/children, and the efficacy of executive function training programs. She advocates for contextual frameworks in understanding individual differences and educational inequality.

• Awards:
  • American Psychological Association Boyd McCandless Early Career Award
  • Outstanding Mentor Award (UC Boulder)
  • Fellowships in Association for Psychological Science and APA
• Grants: NIH funding since 1998, supporting studies on child development and executive functions.

Labs: Cognition in Context Lab (UC Davis), Center for Mind and Brain collaborations.