Zoe Liberman

Zoe Liberman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), within the College of Letters and Science. She joined UCSB in 2016 following her PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Chicago (2016) and a B.S. in Psychology from Yale University (2011). Her research focuses on developmental and evolutionary psychology, particularly children’s social cognition, cultural learning, and intergroup dynamics.

Education:

• B.S. in Psychology, Yale University (2011)
• Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology, University of Chicago (2016)

Research Interests: Dr. Liberman investigates how children form social categories, understand linguistic and cultural norms, and develop moral reasoning. Her work emphasizes the interplay between early social experiences and cultural environments, including studies on friendship dynamics, discrimination perceptions, and the impact of diversity exposure on infant cognition.

Recent Article Trends: Her recent work (2022–2025) explores topics such as children’s racial reasoning, empathy bias, and social learning through language and emotion. Notable studies include large-scale replications of infant social evaluation and investigations into how social status influences discrimination attributions.

Awards:

• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2016)
• American Psychological Society Rising Star (2017)

Grants & Advising: Liberman leads the NSF-funded CAREER grant project on diversity exposure and social categorization. While no advisees are listed, her research involves collaborations across multiple labs, including multi-institution replication efforts.

Labs/Teams: Her work is affiliated with UCSB’s developmental psychology lab, focusing on topics such as intergroup relations and infant social cognition.