Kiley Hamlin

Dr. Kiley Hamlin is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Arts, where she directs the Centre for Infant Cognition. She holds a PhD from Yale University (2010) and an undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago (2005). Her research explores the developmental origins of moral cognition and social evaluation in preverbal infants, examining how early evaluative processes shape understanding of others' actions, mental states, and personalities. Her secondary focus is Social/Personality psychology.

Research Interests: Dr. Hamlin investigates foundational aspects of moral reasoning before language development, cultural influence, and complex cognitive abilities emerge. Key areas include:

• Infant sociomoral evaluation of prosocial/antisocial agents
• Neural correlates of moral cognition in infancy
• Cross-cultural development of social preferences
• Longitudinal links between infant evaluations and preschool adjustment

Publications reflect consistent focus on moral development in early childhood, with trends toward large-scale collaborative studies (e.g., ManyBabies consortium) and novel methodologies like remote infant assessments.

Awards and Honors:

• Canada Research Chair (2011-2021)
• Society for Philosophy and Psychology Stanton Prize (2018)
• Killam Faculty Research Prize (2015)
• APS Rising Star Award (2015)
• APS Janet Taylor Spence Award (2014)
• Peter Wall Institute Early Career Scholar (2012)
• International Congress for Infant Studies Dissertation Prize (2012)

Leadership: Dr. Hamlin serves on editorial boards for Infancy, Cognitive Development, Child Development Perspectives, and Cognition, and is Communications Chair for the International Congress for Infant Studies. She co-leads the Early Development Research Group, a seven-lab consortium studying language, learning, and social understanding.