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 moral development, and how parenting and education influence children’s response to challenges. In the future, she hopes to become a professor and researcher in developmental and/or social psychology. Outside of the lab, Jaemin loves drawing, playing music, exploring nature, and mentoring students.

Mia Radovanovic (SHE/HER), Final Year PHD

Mia seeks to understand children’s learning from their own actions. In particular, she is interested in the reciprocal relationship between social context and children’s independent problem-solving. Outside of the lab, Mia enjoys running, raising plants, and spending time with her dog, Penny. A fun fact about Mia is that she has lived in three countries!

Norman zeng (he/him), Second year PHD

Norman is interested in the development of social cognition in children, especially in relation to children’s moral understanding of the world. He hopes to pursue a career in social or developmental psychology. Outside of the lab, Norman loves to read, play guitar, and hang out 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.

Rachel Kingstone (she/her)

Rachel is a fourth-year psychology specialist at the University of Toronto. She is studying the influence of parental praise on how infants reason about persistence. Outside of the lab, Rachel spends most of her time reading, drinking coffee, and playing music.

Mariana Castrillon (she/her)

Mariana holds an Honours Bachelor of Science with a Research Specialist in Psychology from the University of Toronto. She is leading a study investigating the impacts of child and parental depression on the developmental origins of decision making. Outside of the lab, Mariana loves playing the cello, travelling with family and friends, and spending time with her dog.

Riya Dama (she/her)

Riya is interested in how we can explain behaviours using interdisciplinary methods in developmental psychology and neuroscience. She is currently involved with a project investigating how infants and young children develop and act on fairness norms. Outside of the lab, she enjoys dancing and karaoke. A fun fact about Riya is that she is a published author!

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 Joulaei (She/Her)

Sophia is a third-year student at the University of Toronto specializing in Psychology and minoring in English. She is interested in the emergence of gender differences in children as a result of gendered socialization. Outside of the lab, Sophia enjoys reading and watching movies.

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!

Pritika Vatsa

Pritika is a fourth-year student studying psychology and education at UofT. She is interested in the social development of young children with aspects relating to the education system and curriculum. In her free time, you will see her binge-watching some movies and eating a lot of chocolate!

Cynthia (Zihui) Ni (She/her)

Cynthia is a fourth-year student studying neuroscience, cell & molecular biology and physiology at UofT. She is interested in discovering infants’ persistence level and moral development, with a dream of being one of the pediatric health professionals in the future~ Outside of the lab, Cynthia enjoys watching movies and volunteering in the communities!

Zeynep Sila Kurtoglu (She/Her)

Zeynep is a third-year Neuroscience and Psychology student at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on children's moral development, specifically their understanding, application, and conformity to societal expectations of morality. Outside of the lab, Zeynep enjoys exploring new cuisines (at home or outside), working with children, and staying active.

Wenyu Lu

I am interested in learning about moral development in children and how childhood experiences influence and shape prosocial behavior in adulthood. I like doing art, photography, and traveling in my free time. A fun fact about me is that although I am less scared now, I used to have an intense fear of dogs.

Annabelle Persaud

I'm interested in the development of morality and decision making in children. I am also interested in how children's perceptions of fairness, inequity, and the intentions of others develop and change from infancy to adulthood. In my spare time I enjoy baking, reading, and listening to music. I also play the violin and piano!

Casey Zhang (she/her)

Casey is a third-year student studying psychology and criminology. She is interested in moral psychology and the role of psychology in the criminal justice system. In her free time, you’ll find her diving into a deep hole of true crime podcasts or shopping for random unnecessary household items.

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.

Virangini Prithviraj (She /Her)

Vira is a third-year Psychology Specialist at the University of Toronto, also pursuing a Business Certificate. She is interested in the intersection of developmental and social psychology, particularly how early social contexts shape the ways we influence and persuade others later in life, especially through marketing and consumer behaviour. Outside of the lab, she enjoys exploring the city, watching movies, and trying new gelato spots.

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!

AMY Huang (She/Her)

Amy is a fourth-year Psychology Specialist at the University of Toronto. She is interested in understanding how early life experiences shape the development of moral construals of the world and the perceptions of individuals as moral or immoral. In her free time, Amy enjoys bouldering, trying new bubble tea places, and going on bike rides!

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

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