LAB MANAGER
James Nesbit
[email protected]
James is the lab manager at the SAMC Lab. He is interested in the mechanisms behind social and moral decisions in developmental populations. Particularly, diving into the question of how children view different forms of (restorative) justice and reconciliation. James holds a B.A. in Psychology and Africana Studies from Brown University.
[email protected]
James is the lab manager at the SAMC Lab. He is interested in the mechanisms behind social and moral decisions in developmental populations. Particularly, diving into the question of how children view different forms of (restorative) justice and reconciliation. James holds a B.A. in Psychology and Africana Studies from Brown University.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Sophie Charles
[email protected]
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.
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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.
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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.
[email protected]
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
Valentina Allegra
Valentina is a sophomore at Columbia College studying Neuroscience & Behavior with a concentration in Public Health. At the SAMC Lab, she is interested in learning more about how children make moral decisions and how they handle nuance when making tough decisions. In her free time, she likes to box, rock climb, draw, and try new cafes.
Amel Alrifai
Amel is a second-year master's student at Teachers College studying Cognitive Science in Education. She holds a B.S. in Psychological and Brain Sciences with a minor in Philosophy from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is interested in exploring the intersection between psychology and philosophy, with a focus on moral and religious cognition. At the SAMC Lab, she is interested in learning more about children's development of moral beliefs and understanding of religious concepts. Outside of the lab, Amel spends her free time reading, volunteering, and exploring the city.
Pearl Ayiku
Pearl Ayiku is a second-year Master’s Student from Teachers College studying clinical psychology. She holds a B.S. in Psychology with minors in Counselor Education and Music from the University of South Carolina. She is interested in the intersection of moral and racial identity development in children of color. Outside the lab, she enjoys, reading, cooking, thrifting, and crafting.
Melinda Genberg
Melinda Genberg is a junior at Barnard College studying English, psychology, and urban teaching (elementary). She is interested in child development and how childrens’ upbringings and communities - from teachers and schools to parents to peers - affect childrens’ moral development and beliefs. Additionally, she hopes to learn more about how and why childrens’ beliefs change with time and age. Her career goal is to become a school or child psychologist. Outside of school and the lab, Melinda spends her time reading, dancing with CUBE, volunteering and teaching children, or exploring the city.
Jack Halverson
Jack is a psychology postbaccalaureate student at Columbia working as a research assistant at the SAMC Lab. He received a BA in History and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His primary research interests are related to the development and expression of sociocultural identities, especially those related to class, religion, and political ideology, as well as how these identities inform the choices people make in their lives. At the SAMC Lab, he is interested in learning more about how children’s moral decisions and frameworks influence other aspects of their social identities.
Sofia Helmle
Sofia is a first-year master’s student at Teachers College studying Philosophy and Education. She holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Education from the University of Washington, where she also volunteered at the UW READi Lab creating culturally sensitive autism screening devices. Her academic interests lie in further exploring children’s moral development within all philosophy, psychology, and education. At the SAMC Lab, she is excited to learn more about children’s understanding of right from wrong and their developing skills in moral decision making.
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.
Oscar Lloyd
Oscar is a senior at Columbia College majoring in Cognitive Science and Philosophy and a research assistant at the SAMC Lab. They are interested in reconciling the intersection between normative and descriptive ethics as well as how we make moral decisions given uncertainty. At the SAMC Lab, they hope to study how the environment impacts the formation of non-religious moral beliefs in children. Oscar also enjoys hiking and cycling and can often be found playing violin outside the Met.
Perry Wakatsuki
Perry is a junior at Columbia College majoring in psychology with a concentration in political science. He is interested in understanding more about human nature through the lens of moral psychology. At the SAMC lab, he hopes to explore how factors like religion and culture shape moral development in children. Outside of the lab, you can find Perry rock climbing, playing basketball or chess, or programming for WKCR.
Shuwei Wang
Shuwei is a psychology postbaccalaureate student with a research interest in parent-child relationships and their impact on children’s socioemotional development, particularly within the context of cultural factors. She holds an M.S in Human Development from the University of Rochester. At the SAMC lab, she is eager to explore how different cultures shape children’s moral development. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, gaming, and watching musicals.
RECENT LAB ALUMNI
* if you are an alum and would like to update or add your information, please e-mail the lab manager.
Sophie Charles, former lab manager; current PhD student at the SAMC Lab
Aaron Cohen, former lab manager; current MSW student at Rutgers
Davida Vogel, former lab manager; current licensed psychologist at Dragonfly Psychological Associates
Redeate Wolle, former lab manager; current Senior Grants and Finance Administrator at Children's National Hospital
Young-eun Lee, former post-doctoral fellow; current post-doc at MIT
Ariel Mosley, former post-doctoral fellow; current assistant professor at UC Davis
Ayse Payir, former post-doctoral fellow; current assistant professor at Union College
James Dunlea, former Ph.D. student; current VP of Behavioral Science at Healogix
Megan Goldring, former graduate student collaborator; current associate at McKinsey & Co
Reyna Choi, former research assistant; current therapist at Guide to Personal Solutions (GPS)
Ilana Cohen, former honors thesis student; current research coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania
Nick Gauthier, former research assistant; current Bachelor of Philosophy student, Oxford University
Devyani Goel, former honors student; current Business Analyst at McKinsey & Co
Lindsay Goolsby, former research assistant; current Ph.D. student in Psychology at University of Denver
Cheng Io Lo, former honors student; current student in the Masters of Music Degree in Violin Performance at Juilliard
Abby McLaughlin, former honors student; current Ph.D. student in Psychology at Boston College
Rahil Kamath, former research assistant; current Psy.D. student in Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University
Carrie Lu, former research assistant; current Fellow in Psychology at Harvard
* if you are an alum and would like to update or add your information, please e-mail the lab manager.
Sophie Charles, former lab manager; current PhD student at the SAMC Lab
Aaron Cohen, former lab manager; current MSW student at Rutgers
Davida Vogel, former lab manager; current licensed psychologist at Dragonfly Psychological Associates
Redeate Wolle, former lab manager; current Senior Grants and Finance Administrator at Children's National Hospital
Young-eun Lee, former post-doctoral fellow; current post-doc at MIT
Ariel Mosley, former post-doctoral fellow; current assistant professor at UC Davis
Ayse Payir, former post-doctoral fellow; current assistant professor at Union College
James Dunlea, former Ph.D. student; current VP of Behavioral Science at Healogix
Megan Goldring, former graduate student collaborator; current associate at McKinsey & Co
Reyna Choi, former research assistant; current therapist at Guide to Personal Solutions (GPS)
Ilana Cohen, former honors thesis student; current research coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania
Nick Gauthier, former research assistant; current Bachelor of Philosophy student, Oxford University
Devyani Goel, former honors student; current Business Analyst at McKinsey & Co
Lindsay Goolsby, former research assistant; current Ph.D. student in Psychology at University of Denver
Cheng Io Lo, former honors student; current student in the Masters of Music Degree in Violin Performance at Juilliard
Abby McLaughlin, former honors student; current Ph.D. student in Psychology at Boston College
Rahil Kamath, former research assistant; current Psy.D. student in Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University
Carrie Lu, former research assistant; current Fellow in Psychology at Harvard
