I am a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow in Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences at Brown University working under the supervision of Dr. Oriel FeldmanHall. Prior to arriving at Brown, I completed my PhD at the University of Waterloo under the combined supervision of Dr. Derek Koehler and Dr. Jonathan Fugelsang.

 

My primary work investigates how strategic and self-serving narratives—for example, those utilizing euphemistic terms (e.g., enhanced interrogation)—bias peoples’ moral impressions. I am interested in how divergent moral narratives (e.g., those existing across political divides) shape peoples’ moral behaviors and impressions and contribute to our increasingly polarized societies. With this work I hope to better understand the features of moral narratives that allow for contentious moral issues to be communicated in ways that promote trust and reduce hostility between ideologically-opposed groups.

 

I am also interested in how people make inferences about the trustworthiness and moral character of others. Related to this interest, my colleagues and I have recently examined the role perceptions of an individual’s predictability play in judgments of their moral character.

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To learn more about my research interests, click here. For a complete overview of my published works, see publications.