My main PhD paper is finally out in Nature Human Behaviour! The question: what cognitive strategies do people use when they teach, and can we nudge them toward a better one? Work with my PhD mentors @yaelniv.bsky.social, @markkho.bsky.social and @cocoscilab.bsky.social. 1/5

Nature Human Behaviour@nathumbehav.nature.com · 2mo ago

Mentalizing and heuristics as distinct cognitive strategies in human teaching

The New Jersey Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (NJ ASPA) honored public servants and graduate students at its 2026 Awards Reception. Dr. Julia Sass Rubin received the NJ ASPA Academic Excellence Award and Juan Flores-Serrano, MPP ('26) received a Student of the Year Award.

This position is still open! Come join us!

Yael@yaelniv.bsky.social · 8mo ago

The Rutgers-Princeton Center for Computational Cognitive NeuroPsychiatry (ccnp.princeton.edu) is looking for a new clinical research coordinator! This is a long-term (at least 2 years, more is preferred) position for someone with a BA or MA who is interested in... /1

The Rutgers-Princeton Center for Computational Cognitive NeuroPsychiatry (ccnp.princeton.edu) is looking for a new clinical research coordinator! This is a long-term (at least 2 years, more is preferred) position for someone with a BA or MA who is interested in... /1

Rutgers-Princeton Center for Computational Cognitive Neuropsychiatry

Visit the post for more.

ccnp.princeton.edu

A new preprint "Anxiety Modulates Event Segmentation" with @yaelniv.bsky.social and colleagues! osf.io/preprints/ps...

Are you a junior faculty member interested in spending 2-4 weeks at Princeton Psych? Please apply for our Microsabbatical program! It’s a fully funded visit for professional development and creating long-term collaborations. psych.princeton.edu/diversity/mi...

Job Alert! 🚨 We are seeking a clinical coordinator for the Rutgers-Princeton Center for Computational Cognitive Neuroscience. >>

🚨Out now in @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social 🚨 We explore the use of cognitive theories/models with real-world data for understanding mental health. We review emerging studies and discuss challenges and opportunities of this approach. With @yaelniv.bsky.social and @eriknook.bsky.social Thread ⬇️

Online Now: The adaptive value of stubborn goals

The adaptive value of stubborn goals

Humans exhibit a striking tendency to persist with chosen goals. This strong attachment to goals can often appear irrational – a perspective captured by terms such as perseverance or sunk-cost biases. In this review, we explore how goal commitment could stem from several adaptive mechanisms, including those that optimise cognitive resources, shield decisions from interference, and scaffold motivation in the absence of accessible reward signals. We propose that these computational considerations have important implications for algorithmic architectures supporting decision making, including separate algorithms for goal selection and implementation, and for monitoring ongoing goals versus alternative sources of reward. Finally, we discuss how a variety of mechanisms supporting goal commitment and abandonment could relate to dimensions affected in mental health.

dlvr.it

Super happy to see this review out! We ask why people are so reluctant to abandon goals and how this commitment could be understood computationally. Work with Jill O'Reilly & @yaelniv.bsky.social

Trends in Cognitive Sciences@cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Online Now: The adaptive value of stubborn goals

Having fun facilitating this amazing group of young Profs at the #Neuro4Pros workshop with @kordinglab.bsky.social and @meganakpeters.bsky.social, @yaelniv.bsky.social, and Hannah Bayer. Watch out world: this is the next generation of leaders! compneurosci.com/Neuro4Pros/i...

Come work with us! @princetonneuro.bsky.social and the Department of Psychology at Princeton University are searching for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the area of human cognitive neuroscience, to be hired jointly in Psychology and Neuroscience: puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/app...

a message; a word.

cool & fun to live in an era that constantly promises magical scientific solutions to every problem, and then when there actually ARE magical scientific solutions (mRNA vaccines, renewables) they're like lol no fuck you

"Any selective admissions process that ignores income, privilege and structural access while targeting race‑based efforts to increase diversity isn’t leveling the playing field. It’s cementing it." www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/u... (gift link)

Trump’s Deals With Top Colleges May Give Rich Applicants a Bigger Edge

nytimes.com

Friends who vote in New Jersey, can you please fill out this short 1-minute survey for GGCNJ? tinyurl.com/NJvoters2025 (feel free to share this link too)

Another great #RLDM conference! Thank you @coolscontrol.bsky.social (general chair), Anne Collins and Stefano Albrecht (program chairs -- a TON of work!), @clairegillan.bsky.social and @redmondoconnell.bsky.social (local chairs -- a gazillion amount of work) and all others who made this happen!

Congratulations to Dr. Jungsun Yoo (@jungsuy.bsky.social) on her successful PhD defense! We're sad that her time with us is past, but excited to see how her future research trajectory unfolds working with @yaelniv.bsky.social and @nathanieldaw.bsky.social

Thrilled to have received the 2025 Psychology of Technology Dissertation Award for my work on understanding mental health through digital behavior! Thank you to the institute, and so grateful to my amazing advisors @yaelniv.bsky.social and @eriknook.bsky.social for their unwavering support!

Nate Fast@natefast.bsky.social · last yr.

We're excited to announce the 2025 Psychology of Technology Dissertation Award winners! Please join us in congratulating them!

At #RLDM2025? Come to our workshop on real-world RL tomorrow! Including: - amazing line-up: @bjornlindstrom.bsky.social, Aaron Heller, Sugandha Sharma, @arossotto.bsky.social + flash talks - panel debate (chair: @yaelniv.bsky.social) - group brainstorming session! Mailing list: tinyurl.com/rlinwild

🚨 New preprint alert! 🚨 Thrilled to share new research on teaching! Work supervised by @cocoscilab.bsky.social, @yaelniv.bsky.social, and @markkho.bsky.social. This project asks: When do people teach by mentalizing vs with heuristics? 1/3 osf.io/preprints/os...

Shout out to all of the faculty and students who made it through this semester in particular. What a time to be teaching and learning in spaces that are directly under attack from people who benefited from having access to the same resources themselves.

This is just not true. The majority view among researchers at this point is that work requirements do not work. There is a reason they do not cite a single study here.

Current Affairs@currentaffairs.bsky.social · last yr.

love that the NYT op-ed page is giving space to RFK and Dr Oz to call for throwing people off welfare

I’m thrilled to announce that I will start as a presidential assistant professor in Neuroscience at the City U of Hong Kong in Jan 2026! I have RA, PhD, and postdoc positions available! Come work with me on neural network models + experiments on human memory! RT appreciated! (1/5)

Despite the world being on fire, I can't help but be thrilled to announce that I'll be starting as an Assistant Professor in the Cognitive Science Program at Dartmouth in Fall '26. I'll be recruiting grad students this upcoming cycle—get in touch if you're interested!

Applying computational models of reinforcement learning can help to improve psychotherapeutic interventions by helping to identify the therapeutic mechanisms of change and identifying for whom therapies will be most effective. @yaelniv.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Using computational models of learning to advance cognitive behavioral therapy - Communications Psychology

Applying computational models of reinforcement learning can help to improve psychotherapeutic interventions by helping to identify the therapeutic mechanisms of change and identifying for whom therapi...

nature.com

what’s happening in Gaza keeps me up at night

Last night was the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's midnight ride to warn the Minutemen of approaching British troops. I want to take a moment to share an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence's grievances against King George III. Remind you of anyone?

Insult to injury: no new funding announcements this Friday, AND early expiration of HEAL initiative to "develop clinical-grade prototype devices..for safe, effective, non-addictive diagnostics/ treatments for pain/ opioid use disorder.' NOT making America Healthy 🙃 grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...