01
Research
Normative inference, moral motivation, self-cultivation, and the early development of meaning and purpose.
See research →Developmental Psychology
Jessa
Stegall
PhD Candidate at Duke University
Hello! Nice to meet you.
My research examines the early foundations of moral and existential development: how children reason beyond what they are explicitly taught, why they choose to act on norms and values, and how they begin to intentionally shape their own character.
I draw on developmental psychology, social cognition, and philosophy to study children’s normative reasoning and motivation. Across my work, I am especially interested in children as active interpreters of their social worlds—not only learning rules and values from others, but making inferences, forming commitments, and beginning to decide what matters to them.
What I do
Research, teaching, and mentorship
My work is organized around a common question: how do children move from receiving social information to becoming agents who interpret, endorse, and act on it?
02
Teaching & Mentorship
Student-centered teaching built around autonomy, collaboration, and meaningful intellectual responsibility.
See teaching →03
Publications
Peer-reviewed and in-progress work on children’s moral reasoning, norms, motivation, and social learning.
See publications →