Our Team
Dr. Andrew Scott Baron (he/him), lab director
Dr. Baron is the director of the UBC Social Cognitive Development Lab and the Living Lab at Science World at TELUS World of Science in Vancouver. Under his direction these labs explore the development of social cognition in infants, preschoolers and adolescents. A principal aim of this work is to understand the cognitive and cultural origins of social categorization including intergroup preferences and stereotypes at both an implicit and explicit level of representation. At the Living Lab there is an additional emphasis on educational outreach as researchers and museum visitors interact daily, providing a platform for parents to ask questions about cognitive development while creating a transparent window into the process by which scientists study child development. Additional information about Dr. Baron can be found on his academic website.
Graduate Students & Postdoctoral Fellows
Jessica Lee (she/her), graduate student in Psychology at UBC
Jess is a grad student generally interested in how diversity shapes intergroup cognition in infants and children. Her current projects explore children's understanding of social power structures and minority status. Prior to joining the Social Cognitive Development Lab, she completed an MA in Social Sciences at the University of Chicago in Dr. Amanda Woodward’s lab and a BSc in Honours Biology with a minor in Psychology at McMaster University. In her free time, Jess loves to practice yoga, cook, and travel!
Cameron Hall (she/her), graduate student in Psychology at UBC
Cameron completed her BA in Psychology and Women and Gender Studies at the University of Texas at Austin in 2019. She joined the Social Cognitive Development Lab as a graduate student in the Fall of 2021. Cameron is primarily interested in how children learn gender norms and develop biases, as well as form their own gender identities and expressions.
Lab Management
Eddie Kim (he/him), August 2024 - present
Eddie recently completed his B.Sc in Behavioural Neuroscience in 2024. During his undergraduate studies, he became involved with the EDRG by working at the Centre for Cognitive Development as a research assistant, where he also developed his own study investigating memory in adults and confidence in recalling fluent versus disfluent (umm's, uhh's) auditory information. Eddie has also explored a machine learning approach to classifying developmental disorders based on brain network patterns. In his free time, Eddie enjoys playing basketball, volleyball, and baseball.
Undergraduate Students
Valerie Teng (she/her), September 2021 - present
Valerie is a research assistant at the Living Lab She is a fourth-year student majoring in Psychology and pursuing a minor in Art History. Inspired by symbols of dominance in modern paintings, Valerie’s research interest concerns the perception of inequality and how it contributes to the construction of power dynamics.
Matthew Tsui (he/him), June 2022 - present
Matthew is a research assistant at the Living Lab and a third-year honours student majoring in Psychology. He is interested in structural inequality and exploring how children learn to attribute unequal outcomesto individualistic or structural factors. Matthew is passionate about working with children and hopes to pursue graduate studies in developmental psychology.
Ivy Jiang (she/her), January 2023 - present
Ivy is a second year student in psychology working in the Living Lab at Science World. She is interested in studying the mechanisms that underlie the internalization of socially constructed stereotypes regarding gender and race. Ivy hopes to pursue graduate studies in counselling psychology.
Victoria Li (she/her), September 2023 - present
Victoria is a third-year honours psychology student at UBC. She is interested in exploring gender as a power structure by examining the development of gender biases and heteronormativity in children. Her current research focuses on understanding how children perceive diverse sexual orientations and the implicit biases they may hold. Outside of the lab, Victoria enjoys playing ultimate frisbee and trying new food around Metro Vancouver.
Shayna Sharma (she/her), January 2024 - present
Shayna is a fourth-year psychology student working as a research assistant in the Living Lab. She is interested in understanding the cognitve processes behind social structure and how race and gender biases influence this. In the future, she hopes to work with children in the field of counselling psychology.
Lara El Tanani (she/her), May 2024 - present
Lara is a third year psychology major with a minor in economics. Her primary interest is studying the development of biases, particularly focusing on how children form their understanding of gender identity and the implicit biases they may develop.
Taima Gheriani (she/her), May 2024 - present
Taima is in her third year of studying psychology and minoring in Health and Society. Her interest is focused on examining how children's daily social experiences can influence their decision-making processes regarding who they play with, how they understand structural inequality, and how recognizing societal barries could intersect with factors like health outcomes and behaviours later in life.
Ava Morris, Sept 2024 - present
Ava is a third-year Honours Psychology Student at UBC. Her current research with the Living Lab focuses on children's perception of Nationality and the possible impact of intergroup threat on the stability of these perceptions.
Riley Kirsch, Sept 2024 - present
Riley is a 3rd-year psychology student working as a research assistant for the Living Lab at Science World. She is interested in the development of prejudices in children, as well as the development of morality. Riley loves working with children, and hopes to pursue graduate studies in forensic psychology. Outside of psychology, Riley's passions include cooking, animals, and writing.
Charanpreet Mahal (she/her), May 2024 - present
Charanpreet is a fourth-year psychology major who has previously completed her B.Sc. in Biology from UBC. She is interested in how children’s social interactions influence their self-perception and understanding of others, particularly in relation to structural inequality and gender bias. Additionally, she aims to understand the cognitive processes that influence the internalization of these social dynamics, their effects on health outcomes, and the expression and regulation of emotions. Outside of the lab, she enjoys nature and exploring local restaurants.
Lab Alumni
Anthea Pun, PhD, currently on the faculty at Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Katharina Block, PhD, currently on the faculty at the University of Amsterdam
Antonya Gonzalez, PhD, currently on the faculty at Western Washington University
Drew Weatherhead, PhD, former post-doc collaborator, currently on the faculty at Dalhousie University
Gerwin Legaspi, former lab manager for the Social Cognitive Development Lab
Clement Choi, former lab manager for the Living Lab
Nina Griggs, former lab manager for the Living Lab and Social Cognitive Development Lab
Esra Yarar, former lab manager for the Living Lab and Social Cognitive Development Lab
Jocelyn Chun, former lab manager for the the Living Lab and Social Cognitive Development Lab
Victoria Cheah (she/her), former research assistant
Nicki Antone-Diamond (she/her), former research assistant
Christiane Peretz (she/her), former research assistant
Amanda Yang (she/her), former research assistant
Fiona Guan (she/her), former research assistant
Golzar Ejadi, former research assistant
Kayla Vo, former research assistant
Kathryn Dyck,former research assistant
Riona Carriaga,former research assistant