I signed the pledge to review for Diamond Open Access Journals in their support; you can do too! forrt.org/diamond-revi... Great initiative @aufdroeseler.bsky.social @forrt.bsky.social

Glad to see this large-scale replication attempt of rule learning in infants finally out. Bottom line: we find no evidence for an effect (650 infants from 30 labs) in a close conceptual replication of Marcus et al. 1999; no effect of potential moderators (e.g., age, method). 1/2

This was a fantastic team effort across 30+ labs 🌍 Paper (open access), data & code all public. > 📄 doi.org/10.1111/desc... > 💻 github.com/manybabies/m... > #ManyBabies #InfantCognition #OpenScience #DevSci, lead team: Andreea Geambaşu, Melanie Soderstrom, and Claartje Levelt

Meta-analytic plot below: only 1 out of the 31 samples find evidence of the effect. Huge effort from the entire ManyBabies 3 team led by @ingmarvisser.bsky.social. Imo an important moment for reflection in infant research (esp. language development) given the centrality of this finding. 2/2

This was a fantastic team effort across 30+ labs 🌍 Paper (open access), data & code all public. > 📄 doi.org/10.1111/desc... > 💻 github.com/manybabies/m... > #ManyBabies #InfantCognition #OpenScience #DevSci, lead team: Andreea Geambaşu, Melanie Soderstrom, and Claartje Levelt

ManyBabies 3: A Multi‐Lab Study of Infant Algebraic Rule Learning

The ability to learn and apply rules lies at the heart of cognition. In a seminal study, Marcus et al. (1999) reported that 7-month-old infants learned abstract rules over syllable sequences and were...

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The result forces us to re-think rule-learning: is early rule-learning a robust, universal ability, or context-dependent? It also shows the value of large, pre-registered, blinded, team-science replication for knowing what our field actually stands on. 6/

Robust finding across different factors: no moderation by age, by mono-/multilingualism, or by method. No leftover heterogeneity between labs. Robust to our pre-processing & analysis choices. 30 of 31 samples showed no rule-learning effect. 5/

The result: no difference in looking to consistent vs inconsistent patterns. No evidence of rule learning. And a Bayesian analysis gives strong evidence for the null (BF₀₁ ≈ 30) — this is a positive finding of “no effect,” not merely a failure to detect one. 4/

ManyBabies 3 is a large, cross-linguistic conceptual replication: 650 analysed infants, ages 5–12 months, 33 primary languages, mono- & multilingual, across 3 paradigms (headturn, central fixation, eye-tracking). Stimuli phonologically balanced across languages. 3/

The original (@garymarcus.bsky.social 1999): infants hear “ga ti ti” (ABB) or “ga ti ga” (ABA), then generalise the pattern to brand-new syllables. It’s been cited 1900+ times as evidence infants learn algebraic, grammar-like rules — a cornerstone of infant cognition. 2/

New paper 🍼📄 ManyBabies 3 is out (open access, registered report in Developmental Science). 30 labs, 33 languages, 839 infants set out to replicate a textbook finding: 7-month-olds learn abstract rules from speech (@garymarcus.bsky.social et al., 1999). We didn’t find it. 🧵

An open letter supporting the international bachelor’s psychology programs threatened for cuts. Proceeding with these cuts would damage some of the most important and impactful psychology departments globally. #supportdutchpsychology openletter.earth/against-lang...

Against Language Barriers: A Call to Protect International Education in Dutch Academia

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🚨 Calling Open Science enthusiasts in Amsterdam! 🚨 OSCA is making a starter pack so people can connect with others in Open Science. Whether you’re new or deeply involved, we’d love to include you! ✨📚 DM or comment. Know someone who fits? Share this post! Let’s grow the OSCA! 🤝 #OpenScience #OSCA