Welcome to the Morality Lab in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Boston College!
We are a group of social science researchers using methods from social psychology and neuroscience
to understand moral judgment and social cognition.
Our Research
As featured in Time Magazine
Trystan Loustau and Liane Young
Time Magazine
As featured at SPSP 2024 in San Diego, CA
Links between Virtue and Social Norms
What is the structure of virtue, and do distinct virtues have different functions? Which virtues are discounted and why? When do people perceive others (individuals, leaders, institutions) as norm signaling vs. reputation signaling? How can we leverage social norm perceptions to promote virtue?
Social Identity and Perception
How do people’s perceptions of others’ actions change depending on contextual factors? How does social identity complexity influence moral judgments, perceptions of inclusivity, and stereotypes?
Belief Formation and Truth Evaluation
How do we form our beliefs, and how is this impacted by our evaluations of truthfulness? What are the features that we use to determine that a statement is true or false? How does moral information shape the way we reason about rules and rule breakers?
Legacy Motivations and their Psychological Effects
What are people’s motivations behind leaving a legacy? What are the psychological benefits of legacy-building activities? Are there psychological drawbacks?
Essentialism, Sexuality, Gender, and Social Norms
How does sexual orientation intersect with essentialism? How can we maintain allyship with LGBTQIA+ communities while decreasing essentialism? How is gender inclusivity perceived? Do people accurately perceive the American population’s endorsement of gender-affirming values and practices?
As Featured in the Templeton Ideas Podcast
Liane was recently featured on the Templeton Ideas Podcast! You can find her episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!
