Associate ProfessorAndrew Vonasch

Although my work spans a wide range of topics, nearly all of it asks different versions of the same question: How do humans navigate a world of invisible minds? My current research focuses on three complementary parts of that problem.

How do we make sense of other minds?

I study the psychological principles people use to infer hidden motives, intentions, values, character, and agency from the clues people leave behind. My research examines questions such as:

• When do costly sacrifices reveal genuine commitment?
• How do people distinguish intentional harms from unintended side effects?
• What do people mean when they judge that someone acted of their own free will?
• How do people experience kindness, and what makes acts of kindness seem genuine or suspicious?
• How do people detect hidden motives and recognize bad faith?
• How do people make sense of artificial intelligence and other non-human agents?

How do people shape the clues they leave behind?

Because people draw conclusions about our minds from what we say and do, we also learn to choose our words, actions, and explanations carefully, shaping the clues others use to understand us. My research examines questions such as:

• Why do people invest so much in protecting their moral reputation?
• How do people communicate commitment, sincerity, and character through costly choices?
• How do people strategically justify or explain their actions?
• How do people anticipate and influence how others interpret them?

How do these processes shape social life?

The principles we use to interpret actions—our own and those of others—shape nearly every aspect of social life. My research examines questions such as:

• Why do people disagree about collateral damage in war?
• How do judgments about other people's motives influence support for free speech and censorship?
• Why are people so quick to infer bad motives in political opponents?
• How does perceived justification shape the way people understand their own morally difficult actions and contribute to moral injury?
• Why are our judgments of ourselves often self-serving?