Dr. Clara Colombatto

Biography

Clara Colombatto is an Assistant Professor and Cognitive Research Area Head at the University of Waterloo. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Duke University and a PhD from Yale University. Her research focuses on the intersection of human perception, cognition, vision science, cognitive psychology, and social psychology, with a particular emphasis on the visual roots of social cognition. Using psychophysical paradigms, Dr. Colombatto has demonstrated how social factors, such as attention and intentions, operate at foundational levels of visual processing. Her research investigates how social cues influence cognition, including aspects of memory, time perception, aesthetic preferences, social impressions, and moral judgments. Currently, her work addresses perceived attentiveness versus distraction and how one’s own attention influences metacognition. She explores perception in relation to non-biological agents, such as robots and artificial intelligence, as well as interpersonal trust and group decision-making.

Research Interests