Mary Hegarty

Mary Hegarty is an Irish–American psychologist who is a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research considers spatial thinking in complex processes. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Early life and education Hegarty was an undergraduate and graduate student at University College Dublin. After graduating, she stayed in Ireland for three years, working as a research assistant at St Patrick's College, before moving to the United States for her doctoral research. Eye-fixation data allows Hegarty to follow the processes involved in understanding diagrams and maps. Hegarty is interested in individual differences in navigation, learning the layout of environments, mental rotation and taking perspective. She has investigated why people with great spatial abilities are more successful in STEM-related disciplines.

Awards and honours 2001 Elected Fellow of the American Psychological Association

Selected publications