👋Hi! I am Arshiya Aggarwal, and I study social connections. 

Specifically, I am interested in questions like:

How do we express and perceive emotions when we might not share the same representations of them? How do we become malleable in our interactions, and at what point does this malleability lead to inauthenticity, thus affecting trust and belief in relationships? What are some other factors that contribute to our mistrust or disbelief in others? Could empathy alter dynamics in a way that fosters greater trust in others, and thereby deepen social connections?

To answer such questions, I use theories and methods from social psychology and cognitive science.

Currently, I am a lab manager for the Social Neuroscience Lab, directed by Dr. Brent Hughes at the University of California, Riverside. Here, I am focusing on studying the mechanisms through which individuals learn and generalize intergroup biases. My academic journey in psychology began when I joined Dr. Molly Crockett's lab as a research assistant. There, I assisted Drs. Adam Morris and Ryan Carlson in developing measures of introspective accuracy in judgment and decision-making. Before shifting to psychology, I completed a Bachelor's degree in Technology, specializing in Electronics and Communication Engineering, at Manipal University in India.

Outside of work, I enjoy engaging in artistic pursuits, reading books (not updated, but trying to document more), watching movies (not updated, but trying to document more), and caring for my houseplants.