People – Tomasello Lab

Principal Investigator

Dr. Michael Tomasello

Mike obtained a B.A. in Psychology in 1972 from Duke University and then a Ph.D. in Psychology in 1980 from University of Georgia. He was a Professor of Psychology at Emory University and an affiliate scientist at Yerkes Primate Center from 1980 to 1998. Since 1998, he has served as the Co-Director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. Currently, he is also a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke. His research interests focus on the processes of social cognition, social learning, and communication/language in human children and great apes. He is the author of Origins of Human Communication (MIT Press, 2008), Why We Cooperate (MIT Press, 2009), A Natural History of Human Thinking (Harvard University Press, 2014), A Natural History of Human Morality (Harvard University Press, 2016). His most recent books include Becoming Human (Harvard University Press, 2019), The Evolution of Agency (MIT Press, 2022), and Agency and Cognitive Development (Oxford University Press, 2024).

Graduate Students

Jessa Stegall

Jessa is a fifth year PhD student at Duke, co-advised by Dr. Michael Tomasello and Dr. Tamar Kushnir. She received her BA in both Psychology and Philosophy (Magna Cum Laude) from Michigan State University and joined Teach for America post-graduation as a first-grade teacher. Before joining Duke, Jessa spent two years as a research coordinator for the Department of Psychology at Stanford University under the direction of Dr. Hyowon Gweon. Broadly, Jessa’s research interests lie in the domain of moral development. More specifically, Jessa plans to study early conceptions of moral obligation – emphasizing the social factors that influence children’s moral decision-making and judgments. In her spare time, Jessa enjoys tending to her plants, adding to her rock collection, and reading 19th-century British satire.

Lab Manager

Alissa Rivero

Alissa graduated from Duke University with a BA in Psychology and Evolutionary Anthropology. During her undergraduate, she wrote her honors thesis under the guidance of Dr. Mike Tomasello on the emergence of children’s peer cooperation. Alissa is primarily interested in the intersection between social learning and creative insight. In her free time, she enjoys spending time at the beach and drawing. You can learn more about Alissa at her personal website: alissarivero.github.io

Undergraduates

Honors Thesis Students

Claire Heyne

Claire is a senior from Owatonna, Minnesota planning to major in Psychology and minor in EvolutionaryAnthropology. She’s especially interested in how prosociality and group-mindedness develop in children. After completing her undergraduate degree, she hopes to attend graduate school for Clinical or Counseling Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, baking, and gardening.

Naomi Holtzman

Naomi is a senior from Tucson, Arizona, pursuing a B.S. in Psychology with an Ethics & Society Certificate. She is interested in child development and plans to attend graduate school for Clinical Psychology after Duke. She is also interested in exploring Sport Psychology with a focus on children, which stems from her own enjoyment of playing sports and working out. In her free time she also loves cooking, spending time outside, and hanging out with friends.

Undergraduates

Research Assistants

Kathleen Nguyen

Kathleen is a senior from Houston, Texas pursuing a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. She is interested in exploring the intersection of biological factors and behavior and how they can be influenced by psychological development. In her free time, she enjoys camping, eating new foods, and retail therapy.

Camila Acquarone

Camila is a junior from Miami, Florida planning to double major in Computer Science and Psychology. Originally from Uruguay, she is especially interested in how culture can influence children’s language and social development. She is also interested in the field of Artificial Intelligence for Health. In her free time, Camila enjoys running, drawing, playing tennis, and reading.

Nala Reid

Nala is a senior from Brooklyn, New York pursuing an A.B in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. She is interested childhood development, particularly social cognition and empathy in children, as well as the intersection between child development and mental health. In her free time she enjoys watching movies, hanging out with friends, and listening to music.

Carolina Deus

Carolina is a junior pursuing a B.S. in Psychology, a minor in Neuroscience, and a minor in Education. She is interested in child development and is interested in social influence at different stages of human development. After graduating, she plans on attending grad school to continue her studies in Clinical Psychology, hoping to continue working with children in a clinical setting. In her free time, she enjoys running, baking, and watching new movies with friends!

Riley MacDermott

Riley is a Junior from Jupiter, Florida planning to double major in Psychology

and Economics. She is especially interested in the impact of resilience skills, with a particular focus on how early learning of these skills and supportive environments can promote long-term mental health. In her free time she likes running, trying new foods, yoga, and traveling.

Lab Alumni

Graduate Students:

Wouter Wolf (Graduate Student 2017-2021) | Assistant Professor at Utrecht University
Leon Li (Graduate Student 2017-2022) | Humboldt Research Post-Doctoral Fellowship (under Dr Sebastian Grüneisen at Leipzig University)
Jared Vasil (Graduate Student 2018 – 2024) | Postdoc with the Conceptual Development and Social Cognition Lab (under Marjorie Rhodes at New York University)
Trisha Katz (Graduate Student 2021 – 2025)

Lab Managers:

Paige Scarbrough (Lab Manager 2016- 2018)
Amanda Nafe (Lab Manager 2018-2020)
Julia Thielhelm (Lab Manager 2020-2021)
Kayley Dotson (Lab Manager 2021-2023) | Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Michigan
Juliette Chartier (Lab Manager 2023-2025) | Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Minnesota

Honor’s Thesis Students:

Rachel Gallegos (Honor’s Thesis RA 2017)
Amy Zhang (HS RA 2018)
Bari Britvan (Honor’s Thesis RA 2017-2019) | University of Pennsylvania Law
Vivian Iva (Honor’s Thesis RA 2018-2019)
Kayla Harris (Honor’s Thesis RA 2018-2020)
Dayna Price (Honor’s Thesis RA 2020-2021)
Julia Thielhelm (Honor’s Thesis RA 2018-2020)
Kayley Dotson (Honor’s Thesis RA 2018-2021) | Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Michigan
Camryn Capoot (Honor’s Thesis RA 2019-2022) | M.D. Student at the University of Colorado
Aren Tucker (Honor’s Thesis RA 2019-2022) | Clinical Research Coordinator at Children’s National Hospital
Bella Larsen (Honor’s Thesis RA 2020-2023) | Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Virginia
Maya Provencal (Honor’s Thesis RA 2021-2023) | Ph.D. Candidate at Stanford University
Sarah Williams (Honor’s Thesis RA 2023-2025) | Ph.D. Candidate at Brown University

Research Assistants:

Chandler Cissel
Emma Koltun-Baker
Abby Muehlstein
Mackenzie Roberts
Julia Weber
Andrea Lin
Leila Milanfar
Hope Morales
Yeonju Suh
Theresa Nardone
Krystal Hu
Chandler Warren
Sawyer O’Keefe
Ainsley Buck | Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Pennsylvania
Caitlin Luby
Paula Moreno
Sydny Long
Anna Fink
Lucy Pruzan
Jocelynn Murphy | Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Pittsburgh
Eleanor Robb | M.A. in Clinical Psychology at Columbia
Alex Rodriguez | M.S. in Sports Management at Columbia
Sabrina Takemoto-Spraggins
Alex Springer
Ben Trokenheim
Isabelle Ginn | M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy at Northwestern University
Kaelin Main | Lab Manager at Social Learning Lab at Stanford University (PI: Dr. Hyo Gweon)
Chi Nghiem
Ruth Amare
Jadelyn Ding
Jeanie Jia
Sara Torres
Jasmine Gong
Taylor Dannis
Dalys Ragland
Norah Rosanbalm

Affiliated Researchers and Postdoctoral Associates:

Fernando Moreno (Visiting Scholar 2017)
Mareike Heinrich (Visiting Scholar 2019)
Meltem Yucel (Postdoctoral Associate, 2021-2024) | Assistant Professor at Michigan State University