StarLab at U of T

Research Team

Faculty

Christina Starmans

Christina is interested in how children and adults reason about the social and moral world. Her research draws on methods and ideas from both philosophy and psychology to explore topics such as morality, free will, other minds, ownership, fairness, and knowledge. She completed her graduate and postdoctoral work at Yale University; before that, she was an undergraduate in Philosophy & Psychology at the University of Waterloo.

Lab Manager

Emma Watt-Hill

Emma is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto, where she obtained her Honours Bachelor of Science. She is passionate about many aspects of moral development in children, including helping behaviours, perceptions of fairness, and understanding the ways in which children moralize effort. Outside of the lab, you can find her attending concerts, working as a tutor, exploring the city, or trying new places to eat!

Graduate Students

Alexa Sacchi

Email ★ Scholar

Alexa is a PhD candidate in Psychology. Before coming to UofT, they graduated from Rutgers University - New Brunswick with a BA in Psychology, and worked as a lab manager at Yale University. Their research focuses on social cognitive development, specifically investigating how children and adults perceive themselves and others changing over time. They are also interested in how children make moral decisions. In their spare time, they love going to concerts and trying new vegetarian restaurants.

Umang Khan

Email ★ Scholar

Umang is a PhD student in Psychology, interested in how children reason about concepts such as possibility and morality, and how their reasoning compares to that of adults. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a BSc in Neuroscience and Psychology. In her spare time, Umang enjoys binge-watching TV shows, listening to music, and thinking she’s really funny.

Undergraduate Students

	Beatrice Turner Beatrice is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, majoring in Cognitive Science and Psychology. She loves working with children and is particularly interested in understanding their moral and social development. In the future, she hopes to study topics like altruistic behaviour and children's perceptions of non-human entities. In her spare time, she loves singing, playing ultimate frisbee and taking art classes.
	Charlie Burt Charlie is a third-year undergraduate student at UofT, majoring in Psychology and Ethics, Society, and Law. He is passionate about child development, specifically in how morality changes and evolves as we age. In the future he hopes to study addiction, psychopathology, and mental health. Outside of school, he is an avid hockey fan and loves to spend time playing basketball with his friends!
	Sophie Stankovic Sophie is double majoring in Psychology and English and minoring in (Ancient) Greek. She’s intrigued by how kids and adults make judgments about moral obligation. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, painting, thrifting and crocheting earth-toned clothing, and psychoanalyzing the characters of her favorite novels.
	Andrew Xu Andrew is double majoring in Psychology and Cognitive Science, with a minor in Philosophy. He is interested in the intersection between these disciplines, such as in the areas of moral psychology or the philosophy of mind. In particular, he hopes to understand the way our folk intuitions map onto philosophical concepts of morality and the mind. Outside of the lab, he enjoys writing poetry, playing the harp and drinking bubble tea.
	Sahrish Asrani Sahrish is double majoring in Political Science and Socio-legal Criminology, and is interested in exploring how societal behaviour, criminal and non-criminal, stems from cognitive, social, and moral foundations. She is particularly passionate about understanding the psychology behind moral obligation and fairness as she sees their connection to legal frameworks and criminality. In her spare time, she enjoys horror movie marathons, escape rooms, puzzles, listening to music, and forcing everyone around her to do all the above.
	Laura Bittman Laura is a third-year undergraduate specializing in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy. She is interested in how moral intuitions surrounding fairness, obligation, and free will differ between adults and children across cultures. When she's not listening to a podcast or at choir practice, you can usually find her experimenting with baking recipes, reading, or on the lookout for new cafes to explore with friends.
	Shanzeh Omar Shanzeh is a third-year undergraduate double majoring in Psychology and Global Health and minoring in immunology. She is interested in how children’s minds develop and how they perceive the world around them. In her spare time, she enjoys baking or bingeing any new reality shows.