Erin Westgate
@erinwestgate.bsky.social
Social psychologist, studying boredom, interest, and thinking (...and why it's so hard for so many of us!). Assistant Professor @ University of Florida 🐊
🌐 erinwestgate.com
📸 https://instagram.com/erin.corwin.westgate
🌐 erinwestgate.com
📸 https://instagram.com/erin.corwin.westgate
Pinned
Erin Westgate
@erinwestgate.bsky.social
· Oct 20
🚨🚨 New tenure-track job posting! 🚨🚨
The University of Florida is hiring an Assistant Professor in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, with an open research focus.
Job ad here: explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/53...
Here's some info about why you should apply to this job! 1/
The University of Florida is hiring an Assistant Professor in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, with an open research focus.
Job ad here: explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/53...
Here's some info about why you should apply to this job! 1/
But wait!! There’s MORE!
Missed our social psych job ad? Never fear, cognitive is hiring!! 🔥 🐊
Missed our social psych job ad? Never fear, cognitive is hiring!! 🔥 🐊
Reposted by Erin Westgate
This is the funniest piece imaginable in the dull world of the otherwise sickly sycophantic tech review.
For real. Read it, even if you don’t give a rat’s ass about printers.
For real. Read it, even if you don’t give a rat’s ass about printers.
November 23, 2025 at 1:59 AM
This is the funniest piece imaginable in the dull world of the otherwise sickly sycophantic tech review.
For real. Read it, even if you don’t give a rat’s ass about printers.
For real. Read it, even if you don’t give a rat’s ass about printers.
Reposted by Erin Westgate
It’s really hard to defend industry academic collaborations with meta as earnest, if they’re internally burying evidence of harm.
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
November 23, 2025 at 6:22 PM
It’s really hard to defend industry academic collaborations with meta as earnest, if they’re internally burying evidence of harm.
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Our new paper is out in Nature Communications! nature.com/articles/s41...
We combined psychophysics, 7T fMRI, and computational modeling of vision with placebo, 5mg, and 10mg psilocybin, in the same group of participants, to clarify the computational mechanisms of psychedelics. 🧵
We combined psychophysics, 7T fMRI, and computational modeling of vision with placebo, 5mg, and 10mg psilocybin, in the same group of participants, to clarify the computational mechanisms of psychedelics. 🧵
November 23, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Our new paper is out in Nature Communications! nature.com/articles/s41...
We combined psychophysics, 7T fMRI, and computational modeling of vision with placebo, 5mg, and 10mg psilocybin, in the same group of participants, to clarify the computational mechanisms of psychedelics. 🧵
We combined psychophysics, 7T fMRI, and computational modeling of vision with placebo, 5mg, and 10mg psilocybin, in the same group of participants, to clarify the computational mechanisms of psychedelics. 🧵
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Empirically, more extensive project descriptions do not affect the eventual decision anyway:
"We find that withholding proposal texts from panelists did not
detectibly impact their proposal rankings."
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
"We find that withholding proposal texts from panelists did not
detectibly impact their proposal rankings."
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Do grant proposal texts matter for funding decisions? A field experiment - Scientometrics
Scientists and funding agencies invest considerable resources in writing and evaluating grant proposals. But do grant proposal texts noticeably change panel decisions in single blind review? We report...
link.springer.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Empirically, more extensive project descriptions do not affect the eventual decision anyway:
"We find that withholding proposal texts from panelists did not
detectibly impact their proposal rankings."
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
"We find that withholding proposal texts from panelists did not
detectibly impact their proposal rankings."
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Statement regarding the Bloomberg article "Oxford University Has Failed Women Over Harassment Concerns, Staff Say" by Oliver Christ, Mathias Kauff (@matkau.bsky.social), Sybille Neji, Sarina J. Schäfer (@dr-in.bsky.social)
ICRN Statement: contactresearch.substack.com/p/icrn-respo...
ICRN Statement: contactresearch.substack.com/p/icrn-respo...
November 24, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Statement regarding the Bloomberg article "Oxford University Has Failed Women Over Harassment Concerns, Staff Say" by Oliver Christ, Mathias Kauff (@matkau.bsky.social), Sybille Neji, Sarina J. Schäfer (@dr-in.bsky.social)
ICRN Statement: contactresearch.substack.com/p/icrn-respo...
ICRN Statement: contactresearch.substack.com/p/icrn-respo...
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Tell readers everything they need to know to understand your studies & nothing more. Eg in a study comparing X & Y year olds, explain why you expect your DV to change between that age, don't review everything that is currently known about kids of those ages.
Dear #AcademicSky,
What are your tips for an efficient but not too long #LiteratureReview in order to also start #AcWri?
Yours,
Georgios.
What are your tips for an efficient but not too long #LiteratureReview in order to also start #AcWri?
Yours,
Georgios.
November 24, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Tell readers everything they need to know to understand your studies & nothing more. Eg in a study comparing X & Y year olds, explain why you expect your DV to change between that age, don't review everything that is currently known about kids of those ages.
Reposted by Erin Westgate
12th grade girls are now less likely to say they want to get married someday
1993: 83%
2023: 61%
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
1993: 83%
2023: 61%
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
November 23, 2025 at 11:30 PM
12th grade girls are now less likely to say they want to get married someday
1993: 83%
2023: 61%
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
1993: 83%
2023: 61%
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Taonius borealis has a special place in my heart because of this one photo. It looks so sad that it just tugs at the heart strings.
Why are you sad, Taonius borealis? I hope you feel better soon...
Why are you sad, Taonius borealis? I hope you feel better soon...
November 24, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Taonius borealis has a special place in my heart because of this one photo. It looks so sad that it just tugs at the heart strings.
Why are you sad, Taonius borealis? I hope you feel better soon...
Why are you sad, Taonius borealis? I hope you feel better soon...
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Social psych friends, please help me out with a class discussion by responding to the following (and sharing):
What do you see as the biggest challenge for social and personality psychology in the immediate future? What should we as a field be doing better than we are now?
What do you see as the biggest challenge for social and personality psychology in the immediate future? What should we as a field be doing better than we are now?
November 23, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Social psych friends, please help me out with a class discussion by responding to the following (and sharing):
What do you see as the biggest challenge for social and personality psychology in the immediate future? What should we as a field be doing better than we are now?
What do you see as the biggest challenge for social and personality psychology in the immediate future? What should we as a field be doing better than we are now?
Reposted by Erin Westgate
The Professors Who Stayed Close With Epstein www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/u...
The Professors Who Stayed Close With Epstein
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:49 PM
The Professors Who Stayed Close With Epstein www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/u...
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Jumping spiders can recognise one another. This ability to learn, remember and represent images is quite surprising for such a tiny-brained animal!
buff.ly/dCkwPr0
buff.ly/dCkwPr0
November 23, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Jumping spiders can recognise one another. This ability to learn, remember and represent images is quite surprising for such a tiny-brained animal!
buff.ly/dCkwPr0
buff.ly/dCkwPr0
Reposted by Erin Westgate
@sjdm-tweets.bsky.social
Why does "1-in-X" (e.g., 1 in 50 vs. 20 in 1000) feel riskier? The answer: It's the availability heuristic! We found that the 1-in-X ratio is easier to mentally visualize and recall examples for.
Risk Communication Poster at #SJDM2025 in Denver, Colorado!
Why does "1-in-X" (e.g., 1 in 50 vs. 20 in 1000) feel riskier? The answer: It's the availability heuristic! We found that the 1-in-X ratio is easier to mentally visualize and recall examples for.
Risk Communication Poster at #SJDM2025 in Denver, Colorado!
November 23, 2025 at 1:25 AM
@sjdm-tweets.bsky.social
Why does "1-in-X" (e.g., 1 in 50 vs. 20 in 1000) feel riskier? The answer: It's the availability heuristic! We found that the 1-in-X ratio is easier to mentally visualize and recall examples for.
Risk Communication Poster at #SJDM2025 in Denver, Colorado!
Why does "1-in-X" (e.g., 1 in 50 vs. 20 in 1000) feel riskier? The answer: It's the availability heuristic! We found that the 1-in-X ratio is easier to mentally visualize and recall examples for.
Risk Communication Poster at #SJDM2025 in Denver, Colorado!
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Origins of language, one of humanity’s most distinctive traits, may be best explained as a unique convergence of multiple capacities each with its own evolutionary history, involving intertwined roles of biology & culture. This framing can expand research horizons. A 🧵 on our @science.org paper.🧪1/n
What enables human language? A biocultural framework
Explaining the origins of language is a key challenge in understanding ourselves as a species. We present an empirical framework that draws on synergies across fields to facilitate robust studies of l...
www.science.org
November 23, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Origins of language, one of humanity’s most distinctive traits, may be best explained as a unique convergence of multiple capacities each with its own evolutionary history, involving intertwined roles of biology & culture. This framing can expand research horizons. A 🧵 on our @science.org paper.🧪1/n
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Building previously hidden moderators into a theory as boundary conditions can lead to overspecification and reduced parsimony.
New work by Johannes Ziegler and @mariogollwitzer.bsky.social
Open Access: doi.org/10.1027/2151...
New work by Johannes Ziegler and @mariogollwitzer.bsky.social
Open Access: doi.org/10.1027/2151...
November 23, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Building previously hidden moderators into a theory as boundary conditions can lead to overspecification and reduced parsimony.
New work by Johannes Ziegler and @mariogollwitzer.bsky.social
Open Access: doi.org/10.1027/2151...
New work by Johannes Ziegler and @mariogollwitzer.bsky.social
Open Access: doi.org/10.1027/2151...
Reposted by Erin Westgate
New paper building a theory of stereotype negotiation. How people don't just let stereotypes happen to them; instead they constantly and actively navigate social impressions and others' evaluations by @cydneydupree.bsky.social: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
A theory of stereotype negotiation
Inequality is pervasive, challenging people and organizations. Yet we lack a clear picture of how people navigate inequality in everyday social and or…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:47 PM
New paper building a theory of stereotype negotiation. How people don't just let stereotypes happen to them; instead they constantly and actively navigate social impressions and others' evaluations by @cydneydupree.bsky.social: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Erin Westgate
For nearly two decades the field has been asking why heritability estimates from molecular studies are so far below estimates from twin studies (nature.com/news/2008/08...). Are molecular studies missing important genetic variation or are twin studies biased by strong assumptions?
November 21, 2025 at 10:34 PM
For nearly two decades the field has been asking why heritability estimates from molecular studies are so far below estimates from twin studies (nature.com/news/2008/08...). Are molecular studies missing important genetic variation or are twin studies biased by strong assumptions?
Reposted by Erin Westgate
This is an amazing, gutting story. Grifters make bank by peddling misinformation about the harms of medical or midwife-assisted births, and moms and babies suffer and die. www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world
A year-long investigation reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:08 PM
This is an amazing, gutting story. Grifters make bank by peddling misinformation about the harms of medical or midwife-assisted births, and moms and babies suffer and die. www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Yet another important project cancelled--a clinical trial on mentoring trans and gender minority youth. 🧪
September 30, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Yet another important project cancelled--a clinical trial on mentoring trans and gender minority youth. 🧪
My wonderful undergrads in my Peak Experiences seminar decided it was Friendsgiving today - homemade empanadas, sushi, pizza, Cajun pasta, shrimp, chocolate coke, rice crispie treats. Tres leche, and more…
The kids are alright
The kids are alright
November 21, 2025 at 3:59 AM
My wonderful undergrads in my Peak Experiences seminar decided it was Friendsgiving today - homemade empanadas, sushi, pizza, Cajun pasta, shrimp, chocolate coke, rice crispie treats. Tres leche, and more…
The kids are alright
The kids are alright
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Team fish - we need your help! We are trying to build a database of all the fish chromosome-scale genomes where sex chromosomes have been identified. Have you build one or some? Do you know someone who has? Can you post the link in the comments? Please spread the word and repost! Thank you!
November 20, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Team fish - we need your help! We are trying to build a database of all the fish chromosome-scale genomes where sex chromosomes have been identified. Have you build one or some? Do you know someone who has? Can you post the link in the comments? Please spread the word and repost! Thank you!
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Starting the week strong with a newly accepted paper in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, co-authored with postdoc @lizsnoland.bsky.social and Sohad Murrar! We merged two largely independent research lines to call for data disaggregation of Asian Americans and MENA Americans
Unpacking Broad Racial Labels: The Disaggregation of Data on Race and Ethnicity: https://osf.io/eyv7b
November 17, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Starting the week strong with a newly accepted paper in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, co-authored with postdoc @lizsnoland.bsky.social and Sohad Murrar! We merged two largely independent research lines to call for data disaggregation of Asian Americans and MENA Americans
Dive buddy: So yeah, there's some mold at work and I cultured it to see if its toxic
Me: you what?
Dive buddy: I keep them in a drawer in my office.
Me: you what?!
(IT GETS WORSE)
Me: you what?
Dive buddy: I keep them in a drawer in my office.
Me: you what?!
(IT GETS WORSE)
November 20, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Dive buddy: So yeah, there's some mold at work and I cultured it to see if its toxic
Me: you what?
Dive buddy: I keep them in a drawer in my office.
Me: you what?!
(IT GETS WORSE)
Me: you what?
Dive buddy: I keep them in a drawer in my office.
Me: you what?!
(IT GETS WORSE)
It's time for my annual reminder that Thanksgiving will (likely) be more meaningful than you think 🦃
November 20, 2025 at 1:51 PM
It's time for my annual reminder that Thanksgiving will (likely) be more meaningful than you think 🦃
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Turns out my coffee sips appear to have roughly similar volume.
November 20, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Turns out my coffee sips appear to have roughly similar volume.
Reposted by Erin Westgate
70 teaspoons placed in tearooms around the institute & observed weekly over 5 months. 80% of spoons disappeared; spoon halflife~81 days. Communal room halflife lower than in specific labs. 250 spoons annually required to maintain 70 spoon population.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
The case of the disappearing teaspoons: longitudinal cohort study of the displacement of teaspoons in an Australian research institute
Objectives To determine the overall rate of loss of workplace teaspoons and whether attrition and displacement are correlated with the relative value of the teaspoons or type of tearoom. Design Longitudinal cohort study. Setting Research institute ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
November 20, 2025 at 3:44 AM
70 teaspoons placed in tearooms around the institute & observed weekly over 5 months. 80% of spoons disappeared; spoon halflife~81 days. Communal room halflife lower than in specific labs. 250 spoons annually required to maintain 70 spoon population.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...