We share with deep sadness that Jean Mandler, distinguished professor emeritus in the Department of Cognitive Science at UC San Diego, passed away on March 14, 2025, at the age of 95.
Jean, who had also been a longtime member of the Department of Psychology, was a pioneer in shaping contemporary theories of how children think and learn. She played a pivotal role in creating the Department of Cognitive Science at UC San Diego, the first such department in the world, where she advanced a theory of infant conceptual growth that challenged prevailing psychological paradigms.
Her central goal, as she put it, was “to understand the foundations of mind” – a project she nicknamed “how to build a baby.” She showed that, contrary to earlier beliefs that infants were limited to simple sensations and actions, they are building a rich conceptual life from the very start. She developed new ways to study infant cognition, including the widely used object examination technique, and showed that infants’ sense of space supports the growth of thought and language. Her book, “The Foundations of Mind: Origins of Conceptual Thought” (2004), received the American Psychological Association’s Eleanor Maccoby Book Award and the Cognitive Development Society’s Best Authored Book Award.
Her research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation, among others. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Society of Experimental Psychologists, she received the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award in 2007.
Born in Oak Park, Illinois, on Nov. 6, 1929, Jean attended Carleton College before transferring to Swarthmore College, where she graduated with highest honors in 1951. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in psychology at Harvard University in 1956.
Jean and her husband, George Mandler, founding chair of UC San Diego’s Department of Psychology, arrived on campus in 1965. Because nepotism rules of the era prohibited her from joining the department George chaired, Jean initially received a part-time appointment in Biology. In 1973, following the prospect of the Mandlers leaving for positions at other universities, she received her first regular appointment in the Department of Psychology, rising to full professor in 1977. In 1986, with the creation of the Department of Cognitive Science, she became one of its inaugural faculty.
At UC San Diego, Jean was respected for her rigor, creativity and openness to new ideas. She mentored a small but talented group of students and postdoctoral fellows who themselves went on to become influential voices. She also stood up for colleagues and junior scholars, particularly women at a time when few had equal opportunities and helped create a culture that valued both excellence and collegiality. Those who worked with her remember not only her intellect but also her willingness to speak plainly and push back when it mattered.
Jean is remembered for her warm wit and her ability to make serious work feel fun. Together with George, she welcomed students, colleagues and friends to their home, making hospitality a natural extension of her professional life. After retiring from UC San Diego in the mid-1990s, they divided their time between La Jolla and London, keeping close ties with scholars around the world as well as with the university.
Jean’s life and career joined groundbreaking scholarship with humanity and community. Her legacy endures in the departments of Psychology and Cognitive Science, which she strengthened through her scholarship, mentorship and generous support; in the students and colleagues she inspired; and in the lasting influence of her ideas.
Jean was predeceased by George in 2016. They are survived by sons Peter and Michael, daughters-in-law Ruth Ehrlich and Sophie Mandler; grandchildren Ben and Hannah; and step-grandchildren Giovanni and Diana.
