Mavis Hetherington (born November 27, 1926) is a retired psychology professor at the University of Virginia.
She is a leading researcher on the impacts of divorce, family as units, and the development of children.
Throughout her career she has published more than 200 articles and edited 13 books.
While a professor at the University of Virginia she helped improve their psychology department, making them a nationally ranked program.
Hetherington also introduced a new method of analyzing observational research as well as help open the field of psychology to women by overcoming discrimination in her early career.