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At the Early Social Development Lab at UVA, we are primarily interested in the social, emotional, and moral development of children. In particular, we study the development of moral emotions (such as sympathy, guilt, and gratitude), moral judgments, and prosocial behavior. We also study how children understand others’ internal states, such as their emotions and desires. 

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At the Babylab at UVA, we research the brain processes underpinning social interaction and cognition during infancy. Studies are designed to examine a range of situations in which infants glean information from faces, voices, or biological motion, as well as genetic and environmental factors that give rise to individual differences. 

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At the Early Development Lab at UVA, we study how children process information and learn about the world around them. Recent studies in our laboratory have concerned the impact of Montessori education on cognitive achievement and social development, the effect of television viewing on children's executive functions, and a variety of issues concerning pretend play, such as how and when young children discriminate pretend from real behaviors.

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At the Jaswal Lab at UVA, we study the cognitive and social processes underlying communication and social interaction to better understand and support autistic individuals and their families. We want our work to be relevant and useful to the community, and believe that this is best accomplished when the people affected by the research collaborate in it. We envision a world where all individuals are welcomed, included, supported, and valued.