Research Interests :

Of all the topics debated in courtrooms, boardrooms and dining rooms, questions of morality are among the most divisive. Do animals deserve moral rights? Is torture justifiable? Should we protect children from cigarette marketers? Are executives personally responsible for a company's misdeeds? While such questions may have no objective answer, understanding how people answer them not only illuminates basic psychological processes, but allows the prediction of behavior.

My research investigates the bases and implications of moral judgments. I am lucky to have collaborated with Dan Wegner, Josh Greene, Heather Gray, Mike Norton, Dave Rand, Anna Jenkins, Lisa Barrett, Josh Knobe and Paul Bloom.

My research reveals that moral judgments hinge upon how people ascribe mental capacities to others (paper). Moral judgments also appear influence mind perception via a phenomenon called moral typecasting (paper). Much of my work is on the psychological, legal and interpersonal implications of typecasting. For example, moral typecasting may lead us to believe in God (paper).

I also examine how people experience moral and immoral actions depending upon the intention of those who help or harm them (paper). In a more applied vein, I am examining the moral nature of negotiations, and how to facilitate integrative agreements. Finally, I examine moral behavior using the tools of behavioral economics. With dictator games, I have found that evil spreads faster than good, and that cooperation and group formation interact in a unique way.