Social & Moral Development Lab
In the Social & Moral Development Lab, directed by Dr. Annie Fast, we study the motivations for children’s social/moral behavior and the development of children’s social/moral evaluations. We are currently focused on exploring the experience of joy from giving as a rewarding and motivating mechanism for children’s generous behavior. We are also investigating children’s evaluations of other people’s social behaviors and the representation of prosocial behavior in children's books.
Projects
Happiness from Giving to Others
Do young children feel good from sharing with others? This question is investigated in a current study for 5- and 6-year-olds. In this study, we examine children’s happiness after they share stickers with other kids.
Prosocial Behavior in Children's Books
Children's books are a very important context for socializing social and moral behavior! Young children may learn a lot about prosocial behaviors, such as helping, sharing, and comforting when reading books with adults. We are interested in learning more about the representation of these behaviors and relevant emotions in children's books.
Do you have a child who is 2- to 5-years old? If so, we would appreciate your help with a brief online survey! We are hoping to learn your thoughts about children’s books and reading with your 2- to 5-year-old child.
If you are interested in participating in a brief online survey on this topic, please send us an email at wwucdrg@gmail.com.
Thank you for your support!
Social Rules in Pretend Play
Is it ok or is it not ok to pretend to wear your pajamas to work? Or to pretend to sleep with your shoes on? We are interested in children’s pretend play and how children evaluate others’ pretend behaviors. In particular, we are interested in what 3- to 5-year-old children think about pretending to do things that would be very unusual in the real world, like eating a hamburger for breakfast. We recently completed data collection on this project, which was conducted in collaboration with the Social Cognitive Development Lab. More information about we found, coming soon!
Children's Beliefs about Rules and Emotions
Do young children think people are happy from following the rules? What if following the rule is not what someone wants to do, are they still happy from following a rule in that case? We are interested in how children think about the emotional outcomes of following the rules (or not following the rules), especially when the rules conflict with desires. In this study, 4- to 7-year-olds hear stories about characters following the rules of an activity (or not) and report how they think the characters would feel.
People
Annie Fast, Ph.D.
Director of the Social & Moral Development Lab
Annie is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at WWU. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Washington in 2018 and her B.A. in Psychology with a Philosophy minor from Providence College in 2013. In her free time she enjoys music, yoga, bowling, and quality time with family and friends. As a child, Annie wanted to be a music producer and her favorite pastime was pretending with her brother!
Anya Davis
Anya joined the CDRG in Summer 2022. She is majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology. When she was a kid, Anya wanted to be a member of the Dixie Chicks! After graduation, she plans to pursue an accelerated nursing program and graduate education to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. Her ultimate goal is to work in an inpatient behavioral medicine unit at a children's hospital. In her free time, Anya enjoys painting, reading, and performing theatre.
Ayla Bilyeu
Ayla joined the CDRG in Winter 2023. She is a Psychology major with minors in Chemistry and Interdisciplinary Studies. As a child, Ayla wanted to be fiction author. Now, Ayla plans to work in a medical position (such as an EMT) after graduation as she prepares to apply for medical school. One day, she hopes to open a private medical practice somewhere sunny :) Outside of academics, Ayla enjoys reading books, throwing axes, and watching cheesy shark movies with her friends!
Madeline Parrish
Madeline joined the CDRG in Summer 2022. She is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. When she was a kid, she wanted to be a defense attorney or a veterinarian. Nowadays, Madeline plans to continue working in both EMS and social services followed by paramedic school. Longer term, she is considering pursuing a masters in public health or a doctorate in either psychopharmacology or forensic psychology. Some of Madeline's favorite hobbies include skiing, backpacking, fishing, rollerblading, and watching the Sopranos or listening to podcasts!
Erika Lutz
Erika joined the CDRG in Fall 2021. She is a graduate student in the M.S. Experimental Psychology Program, co-advised by Dr. Fast and Dr. Riggs.
Angelina Beechman
Angelina joined the CDRG in Winter 2023. She is majoring in Psychology as well as Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is also going to hold an English minor. When she was a kid, Angelina really wanted to be an English literature teacher and share knowledge about books. After graduating from WWU, Angelina plans to work full time for a non-profit or organization aimed at supporting advancements in sexual health education and she plans to eventually pursue graduate training in family and marriage counseling. For hobbies, Angelina enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, and sitting down with a good book!
Lab Alumni
Sarah Robbins
Research Assistant
Sarah joined the CDRG in Fall 2021. She is majoring in Psychology with a minor in English. When she was younger, Sarah always knew she wanted to work with children or help others. She was known for getting along with most everyone! After graduation, Sarah will work as a preschool teacher, but plans to pursue child development research in graduate school. In her downtime, she enjoys podcasts, making friendship bracelets, swimming, and going on walks outside (rain or shine)!
Taylor Beer
Former Research Assistant
Taylor joined the lab in Fall 2020 and graduated from WWU in Spring 2022 with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. In Fall 2022, Taylor will start her graduate education at Westminster University and begin her journey to become a clinical mental health counselor!
Meredith Maloof
Former CDRG Lab Manager & Research Assistant
Meredith joined the CDRG in Winter 2019. Meredith graduated from WWU in Winter 2021 with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology. In Fall 2021, Meredith will start her graduate education at Chapman University and begin her journey to become a marriage and family therapist!
Shane Andersen
Former Research Assistant
Shane joined the CDRG in Winter 2019. Shane graduated from WWU in Fall 2020 with a B.S. in Psychology. Since graduation, Shane began work as a behavioral technician in an A.B.A. program. He hopes to continue his psychology education in a graduate program one day.
Taran Wimer
Former Research Assistant
Taran joined the lab in Spring 2021 and graduated from WWU in Winter 2022 with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Philosophy. He plans to pursue a career in clinical psychology.
Emily Reyes
Former Research Assistant
Emily joined the CDRG in Fall 2020 and graduated from WWU in Spring 2021 with a B.S. in Psychology.
Katie Williams
Former Research Assistant
Katie joined the CDRG in Winter 2019. Katie graduated from WWU in Winter 2020 with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in History. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school and become a clinical psychologist.
Kohl Visser
Former Research Assistant
Kohl joined the CDRG in Winter 2019. Kohl graduated from WWU in Fall 2019 with a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience and a minor in Psychology. After graduation, Kohl plans to work as an EMT and then attend graduate school to become a physician’s assistant.
Annie Aker
Former Research Assistant
Annie is a Senior at WWU who worked in the CDRG from Winter 2019 - Spring 2021. Annie is majoring in Early Childhood Education with a minors in Psychology and Dance. After graduation she plans to be a Kindergarten teacher with Special Education certification.
Bekah Zieger
Former Research Assistant
Bekah joined the CDRG in Fall 2020 and graduated from WWU in Spring 2021 with a B.S. in Psychology. Bekah intends attend graduate school to become a marriage and family counselor.
Aysel Fernandes
Former Research Assistant
Aysel joined the CDRG in Winter 2019. Aysel graduated from WWU in Fall 2019 with B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience and a minor in Psychology. After graduation, she plans to pursue either physician’s assistant training or counseling training.
Not Pictured:
Sebastian Strauss, Spring '23
Mackenzie Putman, Spring '22
David Dunlap, Spring '21
Selected Publications
Fast, A. A., Ravi, S., & Olson, K. R. (2023). When it is better to give than to receive: Children's giving and happiness. Social Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12671
Fast, A. A., Morelli, S. A., Zaki, J., & Olson, K. R. (2022). Mutual identification
promotes children's generosity. Infant and Child Development, 31(3), e2310. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2310
Gulgoz, S., Glazier, J.J., Enright, E.A., Alonso, D.J., Durwood, L.J., Fast, A.A., Lowe, R., Ji, C., Heer, J., Martin, C.M., & Olson, K.R. (2019). Similarity in transgender and cisgender children’s gender development. PNAS.
Fast, A.A., & Olson, K.R. (2018). Gender development in preschool transgender children. Child Development. 89(2), 620-637.
Fast, A.A., & Van Reet, J. (2018). Preschool children transfer real-world moral reasoning into pretense. Cognitive Development. 45, 40-47.
Lab Photos
