1/4 Why do we gravitate toward some people over others? I'm excited to share new work with Peter Mende-Siedlecki, @andyluttrell.bsky.social, and @leorhackel.bsky.social! We use perceptions of others' personality traits more in related contexts, but rewards elicit general positivity 🧵👇

So trans kids just "grow out of it"? Our work,highlighted here by Society Workshop, suggests that the previous claims about desistance that have been normalized for years are incredibly unreliable

Society Workshop@societyworkshop.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Do youth just "grow out of" their gender identities? The answer to this question has historically been based on a small number of data points in a handful of studies. A recent meta-analysis has called that evidence too preliminary. Here is a video summary of that research.

The first paper of my PhD with @jamiewardsussex.bsky.social is officially published!! "Number of types of #synaesthesia can be predicted by structural and functional neuroimaging data" authors.elsevier.com/a/1n1%7Ee6TB... #synesthesia #psychology #neuroskyence #consciousness

Our lab has a new postdoc position that is ideal for someone interested in a career in data science or statistical consulting and an interest in gender diversity / trans health. apply.interfolio.com/182278

New postdoc position at Cornell! This is a bit of a unique one: It's a teaching postdoc focused on integrating active learning strategies into psychology courses (including one of my own). Should be a lot of fun! Apply here: academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31738

@spspnews.bsky.social I am going to miss everyone at #SPSP2026 But! Please stop by @giudittascalco.bsky.social poster on Saturday at 4:40 pm to learn more about her research on how white supremacy impacts implicit and explicit bias across Anglo-Saxon countries

It’s time yall! I’m excited to co-organize a symposium with @freemanjb.bsky.social at @spspnews.bsky.social this week!! Come by Friday morning (8am, room 450B) to see some amazing talks by phenomenal researchers! @xallysie.bsky.social @chujunlin.bsky.social @whatsinertia.bsky.social #SPSP2026

If you’ll be at @spspnews.bsky.social this week, consider joining the symposium my advisor Peter Mende-Siedlecki & I are co-chairing on Friday (3:30-4:40 pm; @Room E350), featuring talks from @ahbailey.bsky.social, @jowylie.bsky.social, Cy Butler, and me! #SPSP2026

Know a promising undergrad who wants more time before applying to grad school? Pitt has a funded postbac program for students from underrepresented groups. This year, my lab will consider applications for solo supervision or to be co-supervised by @mehrgol.bsky.social! App deadline is March 15!

Can AI simulations of human research participants advance cognitive science? In @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social, @lmesseri.bsky.social & I analyze this vision. We show how “AI Surrogates” entrench practices that limit the generalizability of cognitive science while aspiring to do the opposite. 1/

AI Surrogates and illusions of generalizability in cognitive science

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have generated enthusiasm for using AI simulations of human research participants to generate new know…

sciencedirect.com

First paper from my lab out @commspsychol.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s44271-025-00275-w Latent factor models are popular for mental representation of people, e.g. warmth & competence But we show in naturalistic contexts, more complex representations are needed: high-dimensional networks

Excited to share my latest paper, now out in Science Communication!! TLDR: We’ve seen the (valid) warnings about using AI to understand science, but where does this reliance come from? Perhaps it reflects the longstanding failure to communicate science clearly. doi.org/10.1177/1075...

Celebratory post because I passed my quals 🎉

Want your NIH and NSF program officers and division directors to be fired and turned into political appointees? Deadline extended: 3 days left! Already 33,000+ public comments Comments can tank a proposed rule in court. 📣 Oppose the rule with a brief comment: shorturl.at/WKuBj

Jon Freeman@freemanjb.bsky.social · last yr.

🚨 A new rule would let career scientists like NSF/NIH program officers be replaced by political appointees Already 14,000+ public comments, deadline is Friday 📣 Comments can be short. Courts consider them—and scientists with NSF/NIH experience are especially impactful Speak up! shorturl.at/WKuBj

🥳Excited to share that I am joining Columbia July 2025 @columbiauniversity.bsky.social Looking for🚨lab managers🚨postdocs🚨grad students! Pls REPOST🙏 We study⭐️person perception⭐️social cognition using experimental, cross-cultural, & computational methods! App👉shorturl.at/5UVPl More👉shorturl.at/q18GM

"The mental tyranny of AI writing" is the most successful blog post I've had. If you haven't read it, I would be thrilled if you could! meresophistry.substack.com/p/the-mental...

The mental tyranny of AI writing

An arduously long blog post

meresophistry.substack.com

With Pride Month right around the corner, in a few weeks, I'm giving a (virtual!) talk about being "in the closet" and what it means for our health at the Carnegie Science Center. It's free and open to the public! Date and time: June 2, 7-9PM Registration: carnegiesciencecenter.org/events/cafe-...

🎇It's #PubDay for THE HANDBOOK OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY (6e)!🎇 This is the latest edition of the most venerated institution in social psychology, dating back to 1954. Fifty definitive chapters, over 8,000 manuscript pages. (The TOC appears below.) And: IT'S 100% OPEN-ACCESS: www.the-HSP.com.🧵

🚨 New study reveals that when used to summarize scientific research, generative AI is nearly five times less accurate than humans. Many haven't realized, but Gen AI's accuracy problem is worse than initially thought.

Come join us! I have startup funds to hire a postdoc for Fall 2025 at Rutgers to study intergroup relations. The job ad is at jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/249... & evaluations begin in 1 wk (5/16) w rolling evaluation. See 🧵below for a write-up on what I'm looking for in a postdoc. Please share widely!

As grant money starts drying up, it's more important than ever not to waste it on paying publishers' open access "article processing fees" when we can host PDFs for free. Tom Morgan and I wrote a paper on this, forthcoming at Science and Public Policy. Accepted draft here: osf.io/preprints/os...

Despite everything going on, I may have funds to hire a postdoc this year 😬🤞🧑‍🔬 Open to a wide variety of possible projects in social and cognitive neuroscience. Get in touch if you are interested! Reposts appreciated.

I was lucky to be a Guest Editor for this Nature Collection on Group Diversity. Thank you to all who submitted work and reviewed! Check out the collection here: www.nature.com/collections/...

Group diversity

The editors at Nature Communications, Communications Psychology and Scientific Reports invite submissions to a Collection on the topic of group diversity.

nature.com

🔔BREAKING🔔 The NSF has frozen all research grant awards—cutting off life-saving science midstream and demanding ideological screenings for future funding. This is censorship disguised as oversight. Here’s how you can help us spread the word ➡️🧵(1/3): www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones

US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with ‘agency priorities’.

nature.com

🚨 I’m hiring a full-time lab manager to help me build my lab start in July or August 2025! 🚨 If you know any stellar candidates who might be interested, please send this their way. 🗓 Application review begins April 15 ⏰ Final deadline is April 25 📎 Apply here ➡️ lnkd.in/evhfqzTP

🧪 Our Terminated NSF Grant Tracker is live 🧪 🔴 114 NSF grants listed so far 🔴 Cancelled grants focused on → Training scientists → Misinformation → AI → Climate change Credit to @noamross.net for all the work to build this & to all PIs who submitted their info. Link: airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...

Job alert 🚨 We’re hiring a full-time research staff assistant at Columbia starting Fall 2025! The position will focus on several topics in the lab, including the cognitive & neural mechanisms underlying dynamic social perception using fMRI & natural language processing. Link: freemanlab.org/ra2025

If you want to help support our mission, you can donate here buy.stripe.com/3cs03h1be38D...

Can confirm that my NSF grant "How False Beliefs Form & How to Correct Them" was cancelled today because it is "not in alignment with current NSF priorities" Shocking that understanding how people are misled by false information is now a forbidden topic. Our work will continue but at a smaller scale

Rebekah Tromble@rebekahtromble.bsky.social · last yr.

NSF has posted an “update on priorities.” They’re canceling all “DEI and misinformation/disinformation” grants. And the guidance on how to fulfill the longstanding, legally mandated Broadening Participation requirement is utterly incoherent. www.nsf.gov/updates-on-p...