Overview
I'm a psychologist studying how culture shapes the developing mind.
My research program explores cognitive development through an interdisciplinary perspective — bringing together tools from psychology, anthropology, and behavioral economics — to better understand human behavioral variation. My approach is built upon two central pillars: (1) cross-cultural fieldwork to explore the breadth of human behavior and its regularities, and (2) laboratory experiments to elucidate the cognitive mechanisms underlying observed patterns. I regularly engage in research collaborations with researchers and participants across five continents.
I am particularly interested in the ontogeny of judgments, preferences, and decision-making in children and adults across societies. Most recently, I have focused my research on the development of cooperative behaviors across age and cultures and the role that norms can play in guiding social behavior.
My research program explores cognitive development through an interdisciplinary perspective — bringing together tools from psychology, anthropology, and behavioral economics — to better understand human behavioral variation. My approach is built upon two central pillars: (1) cross-cultural fieldwork to explore the breadth of human behavior and its regularities, and (2) laboratory experiments to elucidate the cognitive mechanisms underlying observed patterns. I regularly engage in research collaborations with researchers and participants across five continents.
I am particularly interested in the ontogeny of judgments, preferences, and decision-making in children and adults across societies. Most recently, I have focused my research on the development of cooperative behaviors across age and cultures and the role that norms can play in guiding social behavior.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
·
2024 - Present
Psychology & Neuroscience,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Assistant Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology
·
2025 - Present
Evolutionary Anthropology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Recent Publications
No Developmental Differences in Preferences for Epistemic Versus Physical Uncertainty Across Three Diverse Cultures.
Journal Article Developmental science · November 2025 We regularly make decisions under uncertainty, but the same decision can feel different when made under physical uncertainty, where a decision maker must guess at an outcome that has not yet occurred, and epistemic uncertainty, where the outcome has occurr ... Full text CiteSalivary Testosterone, Age, and Adiposity Associations Among Shuar Males in Amazonian Ecuador Challenge Assumptions of "Normal" Testosterone Patterns.
Journal Article American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · November 2025 ObjectivesAdult male testosterone concentrations in high income countries often decrease with age and adiposity, a pattern typically viewed as "normal." However, testosterone is expected to be adaptively regulated within the range of resource cons ... Full text CitePreparing for the field
Chapter · May 9, 2025 This chapter aims to help readers prepare for going to 'the field'- the location(s) where data will be collected. We discuss starting a new field site, collaborating at established sites, and practical strategies for building and maintaining ties to the fi ... Full text CiteEducation, Training & Certifications
Yale University ·
2018
Ph.D.
University of California, Los Angeles ·
2012
B.S.