photo credit: Kelley van Dilla

Welcome!

​       I am a fifth year Developmental Psychology Ph.D. candidate at the University of Virginia. I am also a fellow in the International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course (LIFE Academy). 
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​        I am primarily interested in the development of social cognition and morality, specifically focusing on how and when children become moral beings. Using behavioral, eye-tracking, and pupillometry methods, my research investigates how children and adults understand (Yucel, Drell, Jaswal, & Vaish, in prep.; Yucel, Hepach, & Vaish, under review) and enforce norms (Yucel & Vaish, 2018), and the role of affect in moral decision-making (Beeler-Duden*, Yucel*, & Vaish, accepted; Yucel & Tahiroglu, in prep.).

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