THE DEVELOping moral values LAB
Research Projects
People
Publications
Research Projects
In the Developing Moral Values Lab, we aim to discover how values are shaped during childhood.
Our moral values define us, unite us, and give meaning to our lives. Gaining a scientific understanding of how these values are acquired provides a powerful vantage point from which to make informed decisions about how to facilitate a better future. In order to contribute to this emerging understanding of the inner workings of our moral minds, the Developing Moral Values Lab conducts a range of studies with adults and with children between the ages of 5 and 9. Some of the issues we are currently investigating include:
> the morals of a story
To what extent are children influenced by moral lessons that are conveyed in storybooks?
> SELECTIVE trust in moral advisors
What kinds of people do children tend to trust when they are being taught morally-relevant information?
> THE ORIGINS OF DISGUST
How and when does the emotion of disgust emerge in childhood, and is this intertwined with morality?
> the roots of environmental ethics
Why do some people care deeply about the planet, while others believe that humans can exploit nature?
people
Liz Abraham
Senior, Sociology Major and Psychology Minor
Directed Study Student
Anastasiia Grigoreva
Senior, Cognitive Science and Psychology Double Major
Lab Manager
Mira Lerner
Senior
Research Assistant
Kelly Minard
Junior, Biology Major and Psychology Minor
Research Assistant
Sam Bellerson
Junior
Research Assistant
Nicole Kolmstetter
Junior
Research Assistant
Maya Workowski
Junior
Research Assistant
Lulu Gomez
Senior
Research Assistant
Tenny-Ann DandY
Freshman
Research Assistant
Emily Kapner
Senior
Research Assistant
LAB ALUMNI
Alexander Moog '16, Independent Study Student
Ashley Christopherson '16, Student Coordinator
Zachary Walden '16, Student Coordinator
Rebecca Branovan '17, Independent Study Student
Sydney Bierhoff '18, Hackman Summer Scholar 2016
Taisha Pelletier '18, Hackman Summer Scholar 2016
Leslie Botey '18, Research Assistant
Caroline Lawrence '18, Research Assistant
Tess Flanagan '18, Independent Study Student
Heather Greenebaum '18, Hackman Summer Scholar 2017
Ipeknaz Erel '18,
Josie Benitez '18, Independent Study Student
Stylianos Syropoulos '18, Hackman Summer Scholar 2017 and Independent Study Student
Rachel Gerb '19, Research Assistant
Xinjie (Adele) Zhao '19, Research Assistant
Chandrakant Dhanraj '20, APA SUPRE Scholar 2017
Prsni Patel '19, Directed Study Student
Julianna Lynch '19, Research Assistant, Brookshire Award Recipient
Valerie Zizik '19, Research Assistant, Hackman Summer Scholar 2018
Publications
A few sample publications are below. For a complete list, please visit Prof. Rottman's faculty page or his personal website.
Selected publications
Rottman, J., Johnston, A. M., Bierhoff, S., Pelletier, T., Grigoreva, A. D., & Benitez, J. (2020). In sickness and in filth: Developing a disdain for dirty people. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 196, 104858. doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2020.104858. [PDF]
Lynch, J. M., Lane, J. D., Berryessa, C. M., & Rottman, J. (2019). How information about perpetrators’ nature and nurture influences assessments of their character, mental states, and deserved punishment. PLOS One, 14(10), e0224093. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0224093. [PDF]
Rottman, J., DeJesus, J. M., & Greenebaum, H. (2019). Developing disgust: Theory, measurement, and application. In V. LoBue, K. Pérez-Edgar, & K. Buss (Eds.), Handbook of emotional development (pp. 283–309). New York: Springer. [PDF]
Rottman, J., & Young, L. (2019). Specks of dirt and tons of pain: Dosage distinguishes impurity from harm. Psychological Science. doi: 10.1177/0956797619855382. [PDF]
Rottman, J., Young, L., & Kelemen, D. (2017). The impact of testimony on children’s moralization of novel actions. Emotion, 17(5), 811–827. doi:10.1037/emo0000276. [PDF]