Moral Psychology Lab University of Canterbury

Andrew Vonasch | Lab Director

Andrews research applies experimental and other psychological methods to address philosophical topics pertaining to human agency, rationality, and morality. His main interest currently is moral rationality: the idea that being rational requires moral character. People survive via cooperation, so they need to 1) demonstrate to others that they are good partners by being moral and 2) be vigilant in ensuring that others are moral. 

Dwain Allan | Group Member

Dr Allan is an expert in the psychology of achievement and success—how we can change, direct, and harness the power of the human mind to unlock greater potential, perform at our best, and achieve success in this brave new world of accelerated flux. With regards to moral psychology, he is interested in perceptions of status, power, confidence and success, as well as how people's opinions and judgments impact those striving to perform at higher levels.

Scott Danielson | Group Member

Scotts research interests are the psychology of ethical decisions and ideology, specifically where both of these can go wrong. Research topics include bias when judging the ethics of collateral damage in wartime, how social signaling can deepen ideological rifts, and how ideological extremists may use different kinds of moral language than their less extreme counterparts. 

The Moral Saurus | Chief Dinosaur Science Communicator

Moral Saurus is a dinosaur with a taste for scientific knowledge...and scientists

Find out more about Andy and the Moral Saurus here