Melissa Kibbe
@levelsof.bsky.social
Cognitive Scientist, Associate Professor at Boston University, Director of the Developing Minds Lab https://www.bu.edu/cdl/developing-minds-lab/
Pinned
Melissa Kibbe
@levelsof.bsky.social
· May 21
So excited to share my *first* first-author paper, out now in @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social!! In this review, we argue that even if you don’t remember being a baby, evidence that infants form episodic-like memories is actually all around us: authors.elsevier.com/c/1l82g4sIRv...
authors.elsevier.com
Evidence for episodic-like memory in infancy is everywhere, if you know how to look for it! It was such a pleasure to write this paper with @lillianbehm.bsky.social and Nick Turk-Browne, out now in @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social. #psychscisky #cogscisky #philsky #cogdev
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
The 52nd annual meeting of the SPP will be at JHU, June 17-20
📣 Submit your work by January 16! 📣
📣 Submit your work by January 16! 📣
January 9, 2026 at 2:09 PM
The 52nd annual meeting of the SPP will be at JHU, June 17-20
📣 Submit your work by January 16! 📣
📣 Submit your work by January 16! 📣
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
no they do not, thanks for coming to my tedtalk.
January 8, 2026 at 9:55 PM
no they do not, thanks for coming to my tedtalk.
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
a project I really like, now officially out!
"Shape Guides Visual Pretense"
by Qian and me
paper link: direct.mit.edu/opmi/article...
I'll walk through a quick version here
To get a sense of it, first consider:
Would it make more sense to pretend that this block is a car, or a strawberry?
"Shape Guides Visual Pretense"
by Qian and me
paper link: direct.mit.edu/opmi/article...
I'll walk through a quick version here
To get a sense of it, first consider:
Would it make more sense to pretend that this block is a car, or a strawberry?
January 6, 2026 at 2:34 PM
a project I really like, now officially out!
"Shape Guides Visual Pretense"
by Qian and me
paper link: direct.mit.edu/opmi/article...
I'll walk through a quick version here
To get a sense of it, first consider:
Would it make more sense to pretend that this block is a car, or a strawberry?
"Shape Guides Visual Pretense"
by Qian and me
paper link: direct.mit.edu/opmi/article...
I'll walk through a quick version here
To get a sense of it, first consider:
Would it make more sense to pretend that this block is a car, or a strawberry?
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, but rather underwent fission into two separate streams of consciousness which we may, for convenience, dub Lefty and Righty...
December 25, 2025 at 2:58 AM
And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, but rather underwent fission into two separate streams of consciousness which we may, for convenience, dub Lefty and Righty...
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
somebody at UChicago is feeding preprints to LLMs without authors' consent, in a research study
they have the gall to suggest to authors they've opted-in that they volunteer to evaluate the LLMs' suggestions regarding their own work.
lol, lmao even. here is the invite and my reply
they have the gall to suggest to authors they've opted-in that they volunteer to evaluate the LLMs' suggestions regarding their own work.
lol, lmao even. here is the invite and my reply
January 5, 2026 at 10:55 PM
somebody at UChicago is feeding preprints to LLMs without authors' consent, in a research study
they have the gall to suggest to authors they've opted-in that they volunteer to evaluate the LLMs' suggestions regarding their own work.
lol, lmao even. here is the invite and my reply
they have the gall to suggest to authors they've opted-in that they volunteer to evaluate the LLMs' suggestions regarding their own work.
lol, lmao even. here is the invite and my reply
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
Beautiful experimental philosophy paper on what people ordinarily mean when they say that a statement is “true”
Turns out it’s not always about corresponding correctly to the facts. Sometimes it’s more closely related to a moral ideal of “truthfulness”
philarchive.org/archive/ZYGTJN
Turns out it’s not always about corresponding correctly to the facts. Sometimes it’s more closely related to a moral ideal of “truthfulness”
philarchive.org/archive/ZYGTJN
January 1, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Beautiful experimental philosophy paper on what people ordinarily mean when they say that a statement is “true”
Turns out it’s not always about corresponding correctly to the facts. Sometimes it’s more closely related to a moral ideal of “truthfulness”
philarchive.org/archive/ZYGTJN
Turns out it’s not always about corresponding correctly to the facts. Sometimes it’s more closely related to a moral ideal of “truthfulness”
philarchive.org/archive/ZYGTJN
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
Publication day! It’s been a long journey to get to this point, and I’m grateful to everyone who’s supported that, and to @routledgebooks.bsky.social for publishing it.
December 23, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Publication day! It’s been a long journey to get to this point, and I’m grateful to everyone who’s supported that, and to @routledgebooks.bsky.social for publishing it.
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
He sees you when you’re sleeping. Hmmm. He knows when you’re awake. Okay. He knows if you've been bad or good. Interesting... What else does Santa Claus know, and how does he know it?
Just What Exactly Does Santa Know, and How? (guest post) - Daily Nous
He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. What else does Santa Claus know, and how does he know it? These are the questions Derek Anderson (Boston University) examines in his timel...
dailynous.com
December 23, 2025 at 12:55 PM
He sees you when you’re sleeping. Hmmm. He knows when you’re awake. Okay. He knows if you've been bad or good. Interesting... What else does Santa Claus know, and how does he know it?
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (seems accurate)
December 19, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (seems accurate)
A theoretical physics answer to the age old question of whether God could make a rock so heavy he himself could not lift it: "The physical universe when pushed far past its
natural limits does allow the creation of an unliftable rock"
#philosophy #philpapers philpapers.org/rec/ANDCGM
natural limits does allow the creation of an unliftable rock"
#philosophy #philpapers philpapers.org/rec/ANDCGM
Derek Anderson, Could God Make A Rock So Heavy He Himself Could Not Lift it? - PhilPapers
I argue for the controversial view that God could indeed create a rock so heavy that He Himself could not lift it. This paper is in the tradition of modal metaphysics ...
philpapers.org
December 18, 2025 at 2:36 PM
A theoretical physics answer to the age old question of whether God could make a rock so heavy he himself could not lift it: "The physical universe when pushed far past its
natural limits does allow the creation of an unliftable rock"
#philosophy #philpapers philpapers.org/rec/ANDCGM
natural limits does allow the creation of an unliftable rock"
#philosophy #philpapers philpapers.org/rec/ANDCGM
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
I know of some work vaguely in this direction (e.g., studies on how non-human primates don't learn language) but wanted to ask: does anyone know studies/literature on whether non-human animals ask questions?
(My understanding is they don't but want to read the lit before I form a strong view.)
(My understanding is they don't but want to read the lit before I form a strong view.)
December 17, 2025 at 2:00 PM
I know of some work vaguely in this direction (e.g., studies on how non-human primates don't learn language) but wanted to ask: does anyone know studies/literature on whether non-human animals ask questions?
(My understanding is they don't but want to read the lit before I form a strong view.)
(My understanding is they don't but want to read the lit before I form a strong view.)
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
A new project to digitize the complete works of Rudolf Carnap will be getting underway...
The Complete Carnap: Online and Open-Access - Daily Nous
The Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (MCMP) and the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BAdW) are launching a joint project to digitize and place online the complete works of Rudolf ...
dailynous.com
December 16, 2025 at 1:01 PM
A new project to digitize the complete works of Rudolf Carnap will be getting underway...
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
This platform is so important! It allows researchers regardless of their university prestige to do research! So important for leveling the playing field for many developmental psychologist scientist from under resourced institutions. Please consider donating - donations will be matched!
This is a fundraising post!
An anonymous donor is matching contributions to Children Helping Science up to 100K through the end of the year - if it's in your giving budget, please consider supporting open science infrastructure!
giving.mit.edu/search/node/...
Details below...
An anonymous donor is matching contributions to Children Helping Science up to 100K through the end of the year - if it's in your giving budget, please consider supporting open science infrastructure!
giving.mit.edu/search/node/...
Details below...
Fund Search Results | Giving to MIT
giving.mit.edu
December 15, 2025 at 4:51 PM
This platform is so important! It allows researchers regardless of their university prestige to do research! So important for leveling the playing field for many developmental psychologist scientist from under resourced institutions. Please consider donating - donations will be matched!
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
/ UH OH
/ FROM COMMUNICATION #1 @ communication.weatherishappening.com/weather-is-h... (SUBSCREYEB)
/ UR NEW ENGLAND IS WARMING DRAMATICALLY FASTER THAN THE REST OF UR EMPIRE
/ THAN THE REST OF UR WHOLE PLANET
/ "WILL WE EVER GET REAL SNOWBLOBS AGAIN?"
/ IDK
/ U NEED 2 REPENT 2 UR WEATHER LORDS
/ FROM COMMUNICATION #1 @ communication.weatherishappening.com/weather-is-h... (SUBSCREYEB)
/ UR NEW ENGLAND IS WARMING DRAMATICALLY FASTER THAN THE REST OF UR EMPIRE
/ THAN THE REST OF UR WHOLE PLANET
/ "WILL WE EVER GET REAL SNOWBLOBS AGAIN?"
/ IDK
/ U NEED 2 REPENT 2 UR WEATHER LORDS
December 10, 2025 at 12:54 PM
/ UH OH
/ FROM COMMUNICATION #1 @ communication.weatherishappening.com/weather-is-h... (SUBSCREYEB)
/ UR NEW ENGLAND IS WARMING DRAMATICALLY FASTER THAN THE REST OF UR EMPIRE
/ THAN THE REST OF UR WHOLE PLANET
/ "WILL WE EVER GET REAL SNOWBLOBS AGAIN?"
/ IDK
/ U NEED 2 REPENT 2 UR WEATHER LORDS
/ FROM COMMUNICATION #1 @ communication.weatherishappening.com/weather-is-h... (SUBSCREYEB)
/ UR NEW ENGLAND IS WARMING DRAMATICALLY FASTER THAN THE REST OF UR EMPIRE
/ THAN THE REST OF UR WHOLE PLANET
/ "WILL WE EVER GET REAL SNOWBLOBS AGAIN?"
/ IDK
/ U NEED 2 REPENT 2 UR WEATHER LORDS
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
When we see something that's moving, our memories about it end up projected forward in time: We remember it further along than it was. In a new paper in 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, out today and led by @dillonplunkett.bsky.social, we demonstrate that this happens even when there is 𝙣𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙨𝙤𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧.🧵
Representational Momentum Transcends Motion
Dillon Plunkett & Jorge Morales (2025) Psychological Science
subjectivitylab.org
December 9, 2025 at 3:37 PM
When we see something that's moving, our memories about it end up projected forward in time: We remember it further along than it was. In a new paper in 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, out today and led by @dillonplunkett.bsky.social, we demonstrate that this happens even when there is 𝙣𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙨𝙤𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧.🧵
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
This is a fundraising post!
An anonymous donor is matching contributions to Children Helping Science up to 100K through the end of the year - if it's in your giving budget, please consider supporting open science infrastructure!
giving.mit.edu/search/node/...
Details below...
An anonymous donor is matching contributions to Children Helping Science up to 100K through the end of the year - if it's in your giving budget, please consider supporting open science infrastructure!
giving.mit.edu/search/node/...
Details below...
Fund Search Results | Giving to MIT
giving.mit.edu
December 8, 2025 at 3:50 PM
This is a fundraising post!
An anonymous donor is matching contributions to Children Helping Science up to 100K through the end of the year - if it's in your giving budget, please consider supporting open science infrastructure!
giving.mit.edu/search/node/...
Details below...
An anonymous donor is matching contributions to Children Helping Science up to 100K through the end of the year - if it's in your giving budget, please consider supporting open science infrastructure!
giving.mit.edu/search/node/...
Details below...
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
DONT DO IT open.substack.com/pub/backofmi...
December 5, 2025 at 11:24 PM
DONT DO IT open.substack.com/pub/backofmi...
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
There's no rationale, no theory, no evidence that connects chasing replicability to actual scientific progress or discovery. We're looking for ways to bypass the laborious scientific process of exploration. It's a pity that we waste our increasingly limited research resources on futile searches.
December 3, 2025 at 2:33 AM
There's no rationale, no theory, no evidence that connects chasing replicability to actual scientific progress or discovery. We're looking for ways to bypass the laborious scientific process of exploration. It's a pity that we waste our increasingly limited research resources on futile searches.
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
🚨🚨🚨
Our 52nd Annual Meeting will be held from June 18–20, 2026 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, with a pre-conference on Mental Control and Agency held at JHU on June 17
🚨🚨🚨
We are currently inviting submissions of papers (talks and posters)!
Our 52nd Annual Meeting will be held from June 18–20, 2026 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, with a pre-conference on Mental Control and Agency held at JHU on June 17
🚨🚨🚨
We are currently inviting submissions of papers (talks and posters)!
November 22, 2025 at 11:04 PM
🚨🚨🚨
Our 52nd Annual Meeting will be held from June 18–20, 2026 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, with a pre-conference on Mental Control and Agency held at JHU on June 17
🚨🚨🚨
We are currently inviting submissions of papers (talks and posters)!
Our 52nd Annual Meeting will be held from June 18–20, 2026 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, with a pre-conference on Mental Control and Agency held at JHU on June 17
🚨🚨🚨
We are currently inviting submissions of papers (talks and posters)!
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
Notre Dame has three *open-rank* faculty positions in the Institute for Educational Initiatives. These positions are part of a strategic initiative to build on our excellence in educational research and action--both within education and across associated disciplines. Details in thread.
December 1, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Notre Dame has three *open-rank* faculty positions in the Institute for Educational Initiatives. These positions are part of a strategic initiative to build on our excellence in educational research and action--both within education and across associated disciplines. Details in thread.
My typos making the concepts I write about so diminutive and cute - representinos. functinos. computatinos
November 29, 2025 at 2:25 PM
My typos making the concepts I write about so diminutive and cute - representinos. functinos. computatinos
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
If I've done my sums right, the book is available to pre-order on Tuesday, and Tuesday is also the final day of Routledge's 'Black Friday' sale which means everything is 25% off. So if anyone was thinking about pre-ordering, Tuesday might be a good day for it.
Epistemic Injustice: An Introduction
Epistemic injustice is one of the most important yet complex subjects to have emerged in philosophy in recent years. It refers to the idea that a person can be wronged when they are not properly belie...
www.routledge.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:13 PM
If I've done my sums right, the book is available to pre-order on Tuesday, and Tuesday is also the final day of Routledge's 'Black Friday' sale which means everything is 25% off. So if anyone was thinking about pre-ordering, Tuesday might be a good day for it.
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
My lab at USC is recruiting!
1) research coordinator: perfect for a recent graduate looking for research experience before applying to PhD programs: usccareers.usc.edu REQ20167829
2) PhD students: see FAQs on lab website dornsife.usc.edu/hklab/faq/
1) research coordinator: perfect for a recent graduate looking for research experience before applying to PhD programs: usccareers.usc.edu REQ20167829
2) PhD students: see FAQs on lab website dornsife.usc.edu/hklab/faq/
September 28, 2025 at 9:46 PM
My lab at USC is recruiting!
1) research coordinator: perfect for a recent graduate looking for research experience before applying to PhD programs: usccareers.usc.edu REQ20167829
2) PhD students: see FAQs on lab website dornsife.usc.edu/hklab/faq/
1) research coordinator: perfect for a recent graduate looking for research experience before applying to PhD programs: usccareers.usc.edu REQ20167829
2) PhD students: see FAQs on lab website dornsife.usc.edu/hklab/faq/
Reposted by Melissa Kibbe
We know that, for a ton of reasons, a lot of folks don't have as much to spend as they'd like this holiday season. Sooooooo, here's a thread of things you can do that will support your local indie bookstore or other business WITHOUT spending any more than you intended...
November 26, 2025 at 10:26 PM
We know that, for a ton of reasons, a lot of folks don't have as much to spend as they'd like this holiday season. Sooooooo, here's a thread of things you can do that will support your local indie bookstore or other business WITHOUT spending any more than you intended...