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Christopher Petsko

@chrispetsko.bsky.social

1.1K followers 380 following 320 posts

Social Psychologist | Assistant Professor of Org. Behavior at UNC Chapel Hill | Stereotyping Researcher | Views are for sure my own | https://www.christopherpetsko.com

www.christopherpetsko.com

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Christopher Petsko @chrispetsko.bsky.social · Feb 27

I've been named a Rising Star by APS!

I'm so grateful to my nominators, and also to every person who's supported my career over the years. And of course I'm so flattered to get to share this title with so many people I admire. Congrats, all. 🙌🏻

Association for Psychological Science @psychscience.bsky.social · Feb 27

Congratulations to the newest class of APS Rising Stars ⭐! www.psychologicalscience.org/members/awar...

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Reposted by Christopher Petsko

Adrienne Wood @adriennewood.bsky.social · 3d

Over 400 faculty and staff from the #uva College of Arts and Sciences convened for an emergency vote. 97% of eligible voters endorsed a resolution demanding President Mahoney refuse to consider the Trump admin's Compact for Academic Freedom!!

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Reposted by Christopher Petsko

Jay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 7d

In a new paper, we find that sycophantic #AI chatbots make people more extreme--operating like an echo chamber

Yet, people prefer sycophantic chatbots and see them as less biased

Only open-minded people prefer disagreeable chatbots: osf.io/preprints/ps...

Led by @steverathje.bsky.social

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Reposted by Christopher Petsko

Robert Kelchen @robertkelchen.com · 7d

The government is officially shut down, but the Trump administration is trying to get nine selective colleges to agree to major controls on their operations in order to get a leg up on federal funding.

www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...

Letters on Wednesday were going out to solicit agreement and feedback from Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas, the University of Arizona, Brown University and the University of Virginia, according to an administration official.

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Christopher Petsko @chrispetsko.bsky.social · 11d

Happy birthday and congratulations, Erin!!

Reposted by Christopher Petsko

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 11d

2020: Biden, 51.3% popular vote, 306 EV; Trump, 46.8%, 232 EV
2024: Trump, 49.7% popular vote, 312 EV; Harris, 48.2%, 226 EV

Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 11d

separate from everything, the idea that 2020 was a squeaker but 2024 represents a historical mandate will simply be the death of me

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Reposted by Christopher Petsko

Calvin Lai @calvinklai.bsky.social · Sep 9

🚨We're hiring!🚨 The Dept of Psychology at Rutgers is hiring an Assistant Professor in Social Psychology. Review of applications begin on Oct 18. Details here: jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/259...

I'm chairing the search committee and am happy to field questions about the position. 🧵

Assistant Professor in Social Psychology, Tenure-Track

The Department of Psychology at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, NJ, plans to hire a tenure-track Assistant Professor in SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, with a start date of September 1, 2026. We seek a candidate...

jobs.rutgers.edu

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Reposted by Christopher Petsko

Mark Thornton @markthornton.bsky.social · Sep 3

The psych job market may not be dead... but it is gravely injured 😬 So far it's looking like the Trump administration's attacks on higher ed/research are going to have more than 2x the impact on the job market as the covid-19 pandemic. #psychjobs #neurojobs #academicjobs

Bar plot showing the number of psychology jobs posted each year by area. There are major dips in 2020 due to covid, and in 2025 (now).

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Reposted by Christopher Petsko

Jay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · Sep 3

Self-care is overrated—helping others has the biggest benefits for everyone involved

A new 2-week intervention finds that helping others improves well-being more than "self-kindness", with benefits for depressed mood, anxiety, and loneliness due to social connection psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...

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Christopher Petsko @chrispetsko.bsky.social · Aug 4

After a brief, injury-induced hiatus from libraries, I’m pleased to report that I am BACK IN THE MIX.

Hello from the reading room of DuPont Circle’s Masonic Temple! 👋

Reposted by Christopher Petsko

Neil Lewis, Jr. @neillewisjr.bsky.social · Aug 2

"CPB informed employees that the majority of staff positions will be eliminated with the close of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025."

www.npr.org/2025/08/01/n...

Corporation for Public Broadcasting says it's shutting down

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funnels federal money to public media stations, says it's winding down operations after President Trump signed a law rescinding all funding.

www.npr.org

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Christopher Petsko @chrispetsko.bsky.social · Aug 1

Look, it's like I always tell my students. If you don't like the data, just fire the person who told you about them!

Bada bing, bada boom.

apnews.com/article/trum...

Trump removes official overseeing jobs data after dismal employment report

President Donald Trump on Friday had his team remove the head of the agency that produces the monthly jobs figures, after a weak report showed hiring slowed and was much weaker in April and May than p...

apnews.com

Christopher Petsko @chrispetsko.bsky.social · Jul 23

I can’t imagine the courage it takes to be whistleblower, but I’m so grateful for those working to shed light on government corruption.

If you want a credible snapshot of what’s happening in the DOJ right now, I highly recommend listening to this interview.

open.spotify.com/episode/3eO0...

A D.O.J. Whistleblower Speaks Out

The Daily · Episode

open.spotify.com

Christopher Petsko @chrispetsko.bsky.social · Jul 22

Oh goodness.

The UNC Board of Governors is now requiring every campus to form “compliance committees” to audit whether hiring, training, and departmental practices are sufficiently ideologically neutral.

www.theassemblync.com/education/hi...

UNC Board of Governors Demands New DEI Compliance Committees

The campus-level committees will scrutinize whether schools have complied with policies targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

www.theassemblync.com

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Reposted by Christopher Petsko

Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · Jul 19

Been a busy year in the data mines.📊 Just published my mid-year roundup: 29 data visualizations on the state of US democracy, tracking everything from judicial resistance to billionaire influence to why Dems have a mobilization crisis, not a moderation problem.

All charts free to use:

On Data and Democracy (Mid-Year Roundup): Charting the Assault on American Democracy and A Path Forward

A narrative of a democracy in the balance, told through 29 data visualizations.

open.substack.com

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Christopher Petsko @chrispetsko.bsky.social · Jul 19

I’m so grateful for this life. ❤️

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Christopher Petsko @chrispetsko.bsky.social · Jul 15

❤️❤️❤️

Christopher Petsko @chrispetsko.bsky.social · Jul 15

It’s official!

Thanks to my lovely colleagues, I now hold an adjunct faculty appointment in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience on top of my primary academic appointment in the Kenan-Flagler Business School.

It feels good to get to be a bridge between departments. 🩵

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Christopher Petsko @chrispetsko.bsky.social · Jul 11

Day 136 request(s):

Please (1) oppose the nomination of Emile Bove, who openly encouraged members of the justice department to break the law, and (2) stop the Trump admin from engaging in unlawful deportation practices.

Christopher Petsko @chrispetsko.bsky.social · Jul 11

Day 135 request(s):

Please (1) oppose the nomination of Emile Bove, and (2) demand that the government bring back (and provide a real day in court) to anyone deported without due process.

Christopher Petsko @chrispetsko.bsky.social · Jul 11

Day 134 request(s):

Please (1) oppose the nomination of Emile Bove as a federal judge; (2) restore funding for weather forecasting; and (3) demand that the government return anyone who’s been unlawfully deported.

Christopher Petsko @chrispetsko.bsky.social · Jul 11

Day 133 request(s):

Please call upon the Trump administration to facilitate the return of anyone who’s been unlawfully deported to El Salvador.

Christopher Petsko @chrispetsko.bsky.social · Jul 11

Day 132 request:

Please oppose the nomination of Emile Bove as a federal judge.

Reposted by Christopher Petsko

Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · Jul 10

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee released a trove of documents Thursday that back up a whistleblower’s claim that Emil Bove, a senior Department of Justice (DOJ) official, crudely told subordinates to defy court orders. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

DOJ Records Back Claim That Trump Judicial Nominee Urged Court Defiance