Website: https://socialandmorallearninglab.psych.wisc.edu/
Current research: My lab broadly studies children’s social and moral learning. Broadly, I am interested in the intersection of epistemology and moral cognition, with much of my work conducted cross-culturally. A lot of my work examines how children learn from others, evaluate beliefs and belief change, and reason about agency and epistemic responsibility. Some of my current projects include how children think people should form, maintain, and revise their moral beliefs; children’s evaluations of epistemic and moral virtues such as intellectual humility; how information from other people shapes children’s moral judgments, and the social, situational and cultural mechanisms that make children either too resistant or too credulous toward adult testimony. A unifying theme is children’s developing understanding of when we are accountable for what we believe and how our informational environments shape what we can come to learn.
Communication Prior to Applying: I do not privilege applications from prospective students who have interacted with me prior to applying. To support a fair and equitable admissions process, it is my lab’s policy to not schedule individual video calls or meetings with prospective students before applications are submitted and reviewed. This helps ensure that I’m able to read every application that I receive with an open mind and from the same initial starting point. That said, if there are questions about my research, lab or mentoring that you have that would be helpful to have answered as you prepare your application, I’m certainly happy to answer them. Just send me an email. If you have questions about completing/submitting the UW Madison Psychology Department application itself, the best person to contact is our graduate coordinator, kbelt@psych.wisc.edu
Areas I’m Willing to Advise Students in: I’m happy to advise students in Developmental Psychology. I am also open to co-mentoring arrangements for students whose interests bridge developmental psychology with social psychology or cognitive science. The feasibility of a co-mentoring arrangement depends on the student’s training goals and the availability of an appropriate faculty co-mentor. I do not advise students in the Clinical Psychology program.
How I Evaluate Applicants:
Like all faculty members in the Psychology Department, I evaluate prospective graduate students in a holistic manner. I therefore consider all the possible ways in which students’ applications materials can demonstrate excellence and a strong likelihood to thrive in the graduate program and in my lab. As such, the information below should be treated as general rules of thumb rather than a highly proscriptive “checklist” of attributes that candidates must have in order to be considered for admittance to my lab.
- Research interests and intellectual fit: I look for a meaningful intellectual connection between a perspective graduate student’s interests and the questions pursued in my lab. Applicants do not need to propose a project that duplicates my existing work, nor do they need to arrive with specific research project designs in mind. I am most interested in applicants who can articulate the kinds of questions that genuinely interest them, explain why those questions matter, and identify how working in my lab could help them develop those interests. Strong fit may involve a shared substantive topic, such as social learning, moral cognition, trust, belief revision, and culture.
- Research preparation and potential: Previous research experience is valuable because it helps applicants understand what conducting research involves and whether they enjoy the process. I consider both the extent of an applicant’s experience and the quality of their engagement with it. In particular, I am interested in what applicants contributed, what they learned, how their thinking changed, and whether they developed increasing ownership of research questions or decisions. Independent projects, theses, conference presentations, and publications can provide evidence of research preparation, but none is required.
Because most research in my lab involves children, prior experience working with children can be helpful. it would be unusual for me to admit a student into my lab who had not previously worked with children. This is because the only way to know if you like working with children is to have done it previously.
Because some projects involve cross-cultural research and international collaboration, experience working across cultural contexts can also be valuable. Such preparation may come from research, coursework, language skills, community-based work, or other experiences that demonstrate thoughtful attention to cultural assumptions and appropriate measurement; however, prior cross-cultural research experience is not required.
- Academic preparation: I consider students’ academic records as evidence of their preparation for advanced study, but I do not use a lab-specific GPA cutoff. I pay attention to performance in relevant coursework as well as patterns of growth over time, but I also recognize that grades can be affected by factors such as institutional differences, health or family circumstances and unequal access to academic support. A psychology major is not required. Applicants with backgrounds in fields such as philosophy, cognitive science, communication, sociology, anthropology, education, or other relevant areas can also bring valuable perspectives to the lab.
- Motivation/drive: Students may differ considerably in the opportunities available to them. I therefore consider not only what an applicant has accomplished, but also how they have pursued opportunities and grown through their experiences. Evidence of motivation may include taking initiative within a research role, teaching oneself a new method, developing a question beyond an assigned task, or finding ways to participate in research despite limited institutional access to research.
- Personal statement: The most informative statements help me understand the applicant as an emerging researcher. I hope to learn what questions motivate the applicant, how their experiences led them to those questions, and how these interests would align with work in my lab. Perspective graduate students may describe one or more possible research directions; they are also welcome to discuss how their background, experiences, or perspective would shape the questions they ask and the kind of researcher they hope to become.
Other Information for Prospective Applicants: My mentoring goal is to help graduate students become increasingly independent researchers while providing support along the way. Students are encouraged to develop questions that reflect their own intellectual interests and to build a coherent program of research over time. I value careful theory-building, methodological rigor, open and transparent research practices, and clear communication. I hope to foster a supportive and collaborative lab culture in which members feel comfortable sharing developing ideas, offering constructive feedback, and having a shared commitment to one another’s growth, well-being, and sense of belonging. I am comfortable serving as a student’s primary advisor and am also open to co-mentoring when a student’s questions would benefit from sustained training with another faculty member.