Jessica Sommerville, Principal Investigator

Dr. Sommerville is a developmental psychologist whose work focuses on the origins of social, cognitive and moral development in infancy and early childhood. She is particularly interested in factors that support developmental changes in children’s learning through and about the social world. She received her PhD from the University of Chicago in 2002, and subsequently completed a post-doctoral fellowship in developmental cognitive neuroscience at the University of Washington. Dr. Sommerville is a Full Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Toronto (St. George campus); from 2003 to the spring of 2019 Dr. Sommerville was an Assistant, Associate, and then Full Professor at the University of Washington in Seattle. See Dr. Sommerville’s CV here.

Jaemin Hwang (She/Her), Lab Manager

Jaemin is interested in exploring the social and cultural factors that influence children’s cognitive development, and how parenting and education influence children’s response to challenges. Outside of the lab, Jaemin loves drawing and exploring nature!

Norman zeng (he/him), THIRD year PHD

Norman is interested in the development of social and moral cognition in infants and children. He hopes to pursue a career in social or developmental psychology. Outside of the lab, Norman loves to read, cook, and spend time with friends.

Selina Fu (She/her)

Selina is interested in social and cognitive development, especially the emergence of fairness and sharing behaviours. She is interested in pursuing a career in developmental psychology. Outside of the lab Selina enjoys window-shopping and cafe-hopping.

Aaron Wang (He/Him)

Aaron is a fourth-year Psychology Research Specialist at the University of Toronto. His research interests focus on the developmental origins of moral and social cognition, particularly how these abilities emerge and change throughout childhood. Outside of the lab, Aaron enjoys singing, cooking, and playing board games with his friends. 

Sophia Park (She/Her)

Sophia is a fourth-year psychology and criminology major at U of T. She is interested in gene-environment interaction as children grow up, specifically with parental environmental influence. In her free time, you can find her working as a barista, bouldering, and going to concerts!

SAMArrann sivaloganathan (he/him)

Samarrann is a second-year student pursuing a neuroscience specialist and psychology major at the University of Toronto. He is interested in how moral decisions are made under various social contexts during infancy. Outside of the lab, Samarrann enjoys watching movies, playing video games, and listening to music.

Chen Lily Huang (She/Her)

Lily is a fourth-year Psychology Specialist and Statistics Minor at the University of Toronto. Her interests focus on the development of cognitive functions that support learning and the processes through which morality is acquired. In her free time, Lily spends her time exploring new cafes, painting, and doing her nails!

JANETH Aguirre (she/her)

Janeth is a second-year Psychology Specialist who loves working with children. She spends much of her time babysitting, coaching, tutoring, and helping out in daycare settings. When she’s not hanging out with kids, she’s playing sports like soccer or daydreaming about exploring nature in different countries. Janeth hopes to become a behaviour analyst, and her research interests include children’s morality, language development, and overall cognition.

Jasmine Ho (She/Her)

Jasmine is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a Psychology Major, Sociology Minor, and Education & Society Minor at the University of Toronto. She loves working with children and is particularly interested in how parent-child interactions, family dynamics, and peer relationships shape children’s learning, motivation, and social development. Outside of school and lab, Jasmine enjoys figure skating, bouldering, and discovering nice food spots around Toronto!

Shannon Von Fintel

Shannon is a third‑year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto pursuing a Psychology and Nutrition Science major. She is passionate about developmental psychology and is especially interested in children’s optimism and how it changes as they age. Outside of the lab, Shannon loves to cook, bake, and play guitar!

Lauren Moriarty

Lauren is a second-year undergraduate student pursuing a specialist in Psychology and a minor in Education & Society at the University of Toronto. Her research interests focus on how the development of the theory of mind shapes trust among children. Outside of the lab, Lauren loves to try new coffee shops in the GTA, get lost in a good book, and craft.

Ahad Faruqui

Ahad is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto pursuing a Psychology and Physiology major. He is passionate about research that explores the changes in optimism in the development of children, and in addition, he serves as the SLC mentor for the Department of Psychology. Outside of the lab, Ahad loves running, exploring new restaurants, and watching sports such as the UFC and NBA.

Yolanda Wang

Yolanda is a second-year undergraduate student pursuing a Specialist in Psychology and a Major in Women & Gender Studies. She is deeply interested in early cognitive development, specifically exploring how children process their social environments and how early concepts of intersectionality take shape. Outside of the lab, Yolanda enjoys singing, reading, crafting, and baking delicious treats.

Emily Kim, Postdoctoral Researcher

Katie Rose, Graduate Student

Jesse Whiteman, Graduate Student

Anna Michelle McPhee, Graduate Student

Rebekah Gelpi, Graduate Student

Inderpreet Gill, Graduate Student

Mia Radovanovic, Graduate Student

Ella van Beers, Lab Manager

Hannah Solby, Lab Manager

Tim (Wei-Ting) Chao, Lab Manager

Vera Zhang, Lab Manager

Arnav Verma, Software Developer

Linh Thai, Recruitment Coordinator

Aafiya Somani, Postbac Researcher