Michael Tomasello

Michael Tomasello is the James F. Bonk Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University, with affiliations in Evolutionary Anthropology and Philosophy. He also serves as Co-Director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. His research focuses on social cognition, cooperation, and communication in human children and great apes, emphasizing shared intentionality as a key human adaptation.

Education: B.A. in Psychology (Duke University, 1972); Ph.D. in Psychology (University of Georgia, 1980).
Research Interests: Developmental origins of human uniqueness, comparative cognition, moral psychology, and cultural learning.

Recent publications highlight studies on children’s commitment norms, reciprocal behavior in apes, and cross-cultural moral reasoning. His work bridges psychology, anthropology, and philosophy, with over 250 publications and multiple prestigious awards.

Grants include cross-cultural studies on cooperation (Jacobs Foundation) and investigations into gossip’s social impact (NIH-funded).

Lab activities involve collaborations with graduate students (e.g., Trisha Katz, Jessa Stegall) and undergraduates, focusing on topics like prosociality, group dynamics, and cultural influences.