Behavioural Ethics, Affect and Meaning Lab
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Laboratory Director
Professor Brock Bastian+61 3 83448880
Research Overview
The BEAM lab is focused on examining motivational and affective processes involved in ethical decision-making and behavior, how people regulate and respond to negative experiences, and determinants and consequences of living a meaningful life.
Staff
Brodie Dakin, PhD studentBrodie Dakin
Brodie Dakin is a PhD student exploring the intersection between meaning and morality. Specifically, he is studying how the search for meaning and presence of meaning in one’s life differentially predict inclination toward costly prosocial behaviour.
Christoph Klebl, PhD studentChristoph Klebl
Christoph Klebl is a PhD student studying moral emotions. His interests include the influence of positive emotions such as awe and elevation on moral concern and moral judgment, as well as beauty and the emotional experience associated with it.
Jack Klein, PhD studentJack Klein
Jack Klein is a PhD student interested in identity fusion, an intense form of alignment that empowers members to fight and die for the group. Specifically, he is examining the under-researched process of defusion, in which fused members are decoupled from the group.
Melanie McGrath, PhD studentMelanie McGrath
Melanie McGrath is a PhD student studying the semantic expansion of harm-based psychological concepts such as prejudice, bullying, trauma, and mental disorder. Her research is focused on modelling individual differences in understandings of these concepts. Melanie is primarily supervised by Professor Nick Haslam, and co-supervised by Professor Brock Bastian.
Josh Rhee, PhD studentJosh Rhee
Josh Rhee is a PhD student researching how and when everyday non-moral ideas may come to gain moral significance. He is particularly interested in the influence of intergroup conflicts, and challenges to people’s existing assumptions about the world, in bringing about increasingly moralised thinking.
Ji Young Song, PhD studentJi Young Song
Ji Young Song is a PhD student studying the relationship between moral emotions, the Self, and moral reasoning. In particular, he is interested in how affective states, such as awe and self-transcendence, can change the way the Self is understood in relation to the broader environment, and how this can change moral reasoning.
Nicholas Tan, PhD studentNicholas Tan
Nicholas Tan is a PhD student exploring individual differences in the obfuscation of morally questionable behaviours. Specifically, his research focuses on applying the Big Five Personality trait model to describe differences in the psychological processes employed to facilitate meat consumption. He is primarily supervised by Associate Professor Luke Smillie, and co-supervised by Professor Brock Bastian.
Past PhD Students
Khandis Blake
Charlie Crimston
Laura Ferris
Ali Teymoori