Haleh Yazdi

Haleh Yazdi is a Ph.D student in psychology at UC San Diego who explores how individuals across cultures develop prosocial behaviors such as sharing, altruism and cooperation.  Her current research investigates this with two main questions: (1) Do children across cultures begin life as innately prosocial or are these developmentally acquired? And (2) How are prosocial tendencies affected by social and environmental factors such as socioeconomic status and cultural obligations?  From an evolutionary standpoint, positive self-presentation is advantageous for social inclusion. Humans and primates selectively interact with individuals who have proven to be trustworthy and cooperative social partners, while excluding selfish individuals and cheaters. There is developmental evidence that prosociality emerges early in life, however we don’t know to what extent this is universal and how social contexts may influence the trajectory of these behaviors. Haleh’s research explores this question by examining how children in Iran, India, and the United States– three countries that differ in resource availability, cultural cohesion, and social stability–make decisions about sharing and morality.