Dr. Fiery Cushman

Biography

Fiery Cushman is a Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, where he directs the Moral Psychology Research Laboratory. His research focuses on the complexities of moral judgment through the lens of basic functional principles. Cushman investigates how punishments and rewards can be used to modify others’ behaviors and how moral functions can teach appropriate behavioral patterns. Utilizing a wide range of methodologies—including surveys, laboratory behavioral studies, psychophysiology, infant and child research, functional neuroimaging, economic games, and formal modeling—his laboratory aims to understand significant phenomena in the moral domain. His work examines the balance between learned and innate contributions to cognition and explores human capacities for explaining, predicting, and evaluating others’ behaviors. He has previously served as an Assistant Professor in Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences at Brown University from 2011 to 2014. Cushman has received various research awards, including the Stanton Prize from the Society for Philosophy and Psychology and the Daniel M. Wegner Theoretical Innovation Prize from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. His teaching awards include the Henry Merritt Wriston Fellowship, the highest recognition for pre-tenure faculty at Brown University. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and the John Templeton Foundation.

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