LAB MANAGER
Aaron Cohen
ajc2325@columbia.edu
Aaron is the lab manager at the SAMC Lab. He received his B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Physics from Haverford College. Aaron is interested in how children perceive the moral decisions and punishment of others. More specifically, he is interested in researching the role that race of both the target and the subject plays in the development of moral judgement.
ajc2325@columbia.edu
Aaron is the lab manager at the SAMC Lab. He received his B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Physics from Haverford College. Aaron is interested in how children perceive the moral decisions and punishment of others. More specifically, he is interested in researching the role that race of both the target and the subject plays in the development of moral judgement.
POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS
Young-eun Lee
yl4898@columbia.edu
CV
Young-eun is a postdoctoral researcher working in the Social and Moral Cognition Lab at Columbia. Prior to joining the lab, she received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Michigan. She got her master’s degrees in Psychology from Harvard University and Yonsei University, and her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Yonsei University (South Korea). Young-eun studies the development of punishment against selfish behaviors. She is particularly interested in children’s reasoning and motives underlying third-party punishment.
yl4898@columbia.edu
CV
Young-eun is a postdoctoral researcher working in the Social and Moral Cognition Lab at Columbia. Prior to joining the lab, she received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Michigan. She got her master’s degrees in Psychology from Harvard University and Yonsei University, and her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Yonsei University (South Korea). Young-eun studies the development of punishment against selfish behaviors. She is particularly interested in children’s reasoning and motives underlying third-party punishment.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Sophie Charles
snc2123@columbia.edu
Sophie is a first-year doctoral student. She is interested in (1) how children think about the impact of societal factors on others’ moral behavior and choices, (2) the psychological underpinnings of children’s views of the moral behavior of others, and (3) the intersection of children’s moral development and their views of others who differ from them (specifically marginalized others and those who have interacted with the justice system). Sophie is the SAMC Lab’s former lab coordinator, and holds a B.A. in Neuroscience & Behavior and a minor in Education Studies from Wesleyan University.
snc2123@columbia.edu
Sophie is a first-year doctoral student. She is interested in (1) how children think about the impact of societal factors on others’ moral behavior and choices, (2) the psychological underpinnings of children’s views of the moral behavior of others, and (3) the intersection of children’s moral development and their views of others who differ from them (specifically marginalized others and those who have interacted with the justice system). Sophie is the SAMC Lab’s former lab coordinator, and holds a B.A. in Neuroscience & Behavior and a minor in Education Studies from Wesleyan University.
Christian Mott
christian.mott@columbia.edu
Christian is a second-year doctoral student working with Dr. Larisa Heiphetz. His research investigates how people learn moral and legal concepts, how they understand the actions of other agents, what punishments they think are appropriate, and how findings from psychology can be used to inform and improve legal practice. Christian holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Yale University and a J.D. from Yale Law School.
christian.mott@columbia.edu
Christian is a second-year doctoral student working with Dr. Larisa Heiphetz. His research investigates how people learn moral and legal concepts, how they understand the actions of other agents, what punishments they think are appropriate, and how findings from psychology can be used to inform and improve legal practice. Christian holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Yale University and a J.D. from Yale Law School.
Daniel Yonas
dy2415@columbia.edu
Daniel Yonas is a third-year doctoral student whose interests lie in moral development. Specifically, how children acquire moral beliefs, how they perceive the actions of other moral agents, how moral reasoning translates to moral behavior and prosociality, and how these might change over the course of development. He also holds a B.A. in Psychology and a M.Ed in Educational Psychology from the University of Virginia.
dy2415@columbia.edu
Daniel Yonas is a third-year doctoral student whose interests lie in moral development. Specifically, how children acquire moral beliefs, how they perceive the actions of other moral agents, how moral reasoning translates to moral behavior and prosociality, and how these might change over the course of development. He also holds a B.A. in Psychology and a M.Ed in Educational Psychology from the University of Virginia.
RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Reyna Choi
Reyna is a research assistant at the SAMC lab, interested in how religion affects children's perceptions and curiosities. She is a junior at Columbia College studying Psychology and Public Health. Outside of the lab, Reyna is interested in researching the psychology of e-sports professionals and video games.
August Ott
August is a research assistant and senior at Columbia College studying neuroscience and behavior. They plan to pursue clinical psychology and are interested in the psychology of sexuality and gender identity, especially nonbinary gender identities, and the social and structural factors affecting the mental wellbeing of members of the LGBTQ+ community. At the Social and Moral Cognition Lab, they are interested in the intersections of morality, essentialism, and perceptions of marginalized identities.
Graham Stevenson
Graham is a psychology postbaccalaureate student at Columbia working as a research assistant at the SAMC lab. He received a BA in Music Composition from Dickinson College. He is interested in the insidious effects society's superstructure has on individual psychologies and how that serves to perpetuate cultural hegemony. He also makes music under the name Grumpus.
Carrie Lu
Yu Lu, or Carrie, is a research assistant at the SAMC lab. She is a senior undergraduate student majoring in psychology, focusing on clinical and social concentration and minoring in women's gender studies. She is a member of the Columbia chapter of the Psi Chi Honor Society and a research assistant at Barnard, studying anxiety, self-compassion, and perfectionism. Carrie is passionate about working with children and women and is interested in understanding the psychological reasoning behind social behaviors and superstitions
Cheng Io Lo
Cheng Io is a third-year undergraduate student in the Exchange program between Columbia University and The Juilliard School studying Psychology, Economics, and music. She is primarily interested in the intersection between psychology and music. At the SAMC lab, she is interested in observing how children respond differently to social situations depending on their backgrounds and upbringings.
Simryn Molina
Simryn is a research assistant at the SAMC lab. She is a second-year student at Columbia College and plans to major in Psychology with a concentration in Linguistics. She is interested in personality psychology, developmental psychology, and how the two fields intertwine. At the Social and Moral Cognition Lab, she is interested in learning more about children’s reasonings for making moral decisions and how they perceive others with differing morals.
Miu Miu
Miu Miu is a senior student in the School of General Studies at Columbia University. As a student majoring in Psychology, she is curious about how the environment plays a role in influencing our way of thinking and our mental health. At the Social and Moral Cognition Lab, she is interested in exploring how children’s moral development, responses to different social situations, and prosocial behavior are influenced by their cultural backgrounds.
Ilana Cohen
Ilana is a junior at Barnard College studying Psychology and Human Rights. She is interested in pursuing clinical psychology, and through her joint major explores how social factors influence development. She hopes to further study how different types of upbringings, such as religion and exposure to the criminal justice system, affect children's perception of punishment, views of self, and moral development. She spends her time outside of class and the SAMC lab dancing, giving Barnard tours, and seeing Broadway shows.
RECENT LAB ALUMNI
Cheng Io Lo, former honors student; starting a Masters of Music Degree in Violin Performance at Juilliard in Fall 2023
Ariel Mosley, former post-doctoral fellow; current assistant professor at UC Davis
James Dunlea, former Ph.D. student; current Social and Behavioral Scientist at Walgreen's
Devyani Goel, former honors student; current Business Analyst at McKinsey & Co
Rahil Kamath, former research assistant; incoming Psy.D. student in Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University
Megan Goldring, former collaborator on projects looking at morality and conformity; current associate at McKinsey & Co
Ayse Payir, former post-doctoral researcher; current senior post-doctoral researcher at Boston University
Lindsay Goolsby, former research assistant; current Ph.D. student in Psychology at University of Denver
Nick Gauthier, former research assistant; current Bachelor of Philosophy student, Oxford University
Abby McLaughlin, former honors student; current Ph.D. student in Psychology at Boston College
Cheng Io Lo, former honors student; starting a Masters of Music Degree in Violin Performance at Juilliard in Fall 2023
Ariel Mosley, former post-doctoral fellow; current assistant professor at UC Davis
James Dunlea, former Ph.D. student; current Social and Behavioral Scientist at Walgreen's
Devyani Goel, former honors student; current Business Analyst at McKinsey & Co
Rahil Kamath, former research assistant; incoming Psy.D. student in Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University
Megan Goldring, former collaborator on projects looking at morality and conformity; current associate at McKinsey & Co
Ayse Payir, former post-doctoral researcher; current senior post-doctoral researcher at Boston University
Lindsay Goolsby, former research assistant; current Ph.D. student in Psychology at University of Denver
Nick Gauthier, former research assistant; current Bachelor of Philosophy student, Oxford University
Abby McLaughlin, former honors student; current Ph.D. student in Psychology at Boston College
