Marius Mercier
@mariusmercier.bsky.social
PhD student in Cognitive Psychology | ENS-PSL. Currently working on the dynamics of impression formation, reputation management, and how it impacts our behavior.
https://mariusmercier.github.io
https://mariusmercier.github.io
Pinned
🎉 New preprint: Bayesian Competence Inference guides Knowledge Attribution and Information search
If someone knows that Venus is the only planet in the Solar System that rotates clockwise, will they also know what Earth’s only natural satellite is? What about which planets have no moons at all?
If someone knows that Venus is the only planet in the Solar System that rotates clockwise, will they also know what Earth’s only natural satellite is? What about which planets have no moons at all?
Reposted by Marius Mercier
It takes 225 million years or so for the Solar System to make one orbit around the galaxy. Sharks evolved long enough ago that they’ve done it twice.
Man, everything is so bleak, anyone got a fun fact or little bit of trivia they want to share
November 21, 2025 at 3:14 AM
It takes 225 million years or so for the Solar System to make one orbit around the galaxy. Sharks evolved long enough ago that they’ve done it twice.
🎉 New preprint: Bayesian Competence Inference guides Knowledge Attribution and Information search
If someone knows that Venus is the only planet in the Solar System that rotates clockwise, will they also know what Earth’s only natural satellite is? What about which planets have no moons at all?
If someone knows that Venus is the only planet in the Solar System that rotates clockwise, will they also know what Earth’s only natural satellite is? What about which planets have no moons at all?
November 13, 2025 at 5:16 PM
🎉 New preprint: Bayesian Competence Inference guides Knowledge Attribution and Information search
If someone knows that Venus is the only planet in the Solar System that rotates clockwise, will they also know what Earth’s only natural satellite is? What about which planets have no moons at all?
If someone knows that Venus is the only planet in the Solar System that rotates clockwise, will they also know what Earth’s only natural satellite is? What about which planets have no moons at all?
Nice to see our research featured on the eHRAF Academic Quarterly!
I also discovered some interesting papers that I missed :)
I also discovered some interesting papers that I missed :)
October 16, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Nice to see our research featured on the eHRAF Academic Quarterly!
I also discovered some interesting papers that I missed :)
I also discovered some interesting papers that I missed :)
Reposted by Marius Mercier
Help us strengthen trust in climate scientists in the US! Join our megastudy 👇
October 15, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Help us strengthen trust in climate scientists in the US! Join our megastudy 👇
Very cool paper!
Now out in Cognition, work with the great @gershbrain.bsky.social @tobigerstenberg.bsky.social on formalizing self-handicapping as rational signaling!
📃 authors.elsevier.com/a/1lo8f2Hx2-...
📃 authors.elsevier.com/a/1lo8f2Hx2-...
October 3, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Very cool paper!
"Depressed? Anxious? Insecure? Don’t worry about it. As long as you produce good science, you don’t have to be happy about it. We’ll be happy for you." 🙃
As I am going over old blog posts, here is a nice blog by @bwroberts.bsky.social on qualities in graduate students that, in his opinion, lead to a successful career in academia. Still very good advice. pigee.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/a...
A Lay Theory of the Successful Graduate Student/Academic
Just recently, the Chronicle of Higher Education ran a piece on what it takes to be successful in an academic career. It was a pleasant essay, which emphasized some of the usual suspects like indu…
pigee.wordpress.com
July 10, 2025 at 2:45 PM
"Depressed? Anxious? Insecure? Don’t worry about it. As long as you produce good science, you don’t have to be happy about it. We’ll be happy for you." 🙃
Reposted by Marius Mercier
🎙️ EP #17
Most of us struggle w/ work-life balance. Long before the existence of long commutes and busy calendars, our ancestors lived as hunter-gatherers (HGs). Do HGs have more free time? @adigitaltanay.bsky.social discusses this & much more with Mark Dyble
tinyurl.com/y6hd8ur5
(1/2)
Most of us struggle w/ work-life balance. Long before the existence of long commutes and busy calendars, our ancestors lived as hunter-gatherers (HGs). Do HGs have more free time? @adigitaltanay.bsky.social discusses this & much more with Mark Dyble
tinyurl.com/y6hd8ur5
(1/2)
EP #17 | The Anthropology of Leisure Time | Mark Dyble
Cognitations · Episode
tinyurl.com
June 27, 2025 at 4:39 PM
🎙️ EP #17
Most of us struggle w/ work-life balance. Long before the existence of long commutes and busy calendars, our ancestors lived as hunter-gatherers (HGs). Do HGs have more free time? @adigitaltanay.bsky.social discusses this & much more with Mark Dyble
tinyurl.com/y6hd8ur5
(1/2)
Most of us struggle w/ work-life balance. Long before the existence of long commutes and busy calendars, our ancestors lived as hunter-gatherers (HGs). Do HGs have more free time? @adigitaltanay.bsky.social discusses this & much more with Mark Dyble
tinyurl.com/y6hd8ur5
(1/2)
Reposted by Marius Mercier
Over the years, a lot of our guests have recommended various books and/or media relating to various aspects of cognitive science.
A 🧵
EP #1 | @hugoreasoning.bsky.social recommends
A 🧵
EP #1 | @hugoreasoning.bsky.social recommends
June 26, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Over the years, a lot of our guests have recommended various books and/or media relating to various aspects of cognitive science.
A 🧵
EP #1 | @hugoreasoning.bsky.social recommends
A 🧵
EP #1 | @hugoreasoning.bsky.social recommends
Hi! I'm attending #SBDM2025 conference over the next few days. Come find me at Poster #61 if you're interested in computational models of social cognition!
Looking forward to discussing and meeting new people :)
Looking forward to discussing and meeting new people :)
June 16, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Hi! I'm attending #SBDM2025 conference over the next few days. Come find me at Poster #61 if you're interested in computational models of social cognition!
Looking forward to discussing and meeting new people :)
Looking forward to discussing and meeting new people :)
I presented this paper at the Explaining Culture Conference last week, and I couldn't resist creating a new plot specifically for the talk.
It's definitely not a good time management strategy to create new plot for each talk, but it's a lot of fun!
It's definitely not a good time management strategy to create new plot for each talk, but it's a lot of fun!
June 2, 2025 at 2:41 PM
I presented this paper at the Explaining Culture Conference last week, and I couldn't resist creating a new plot specifically for the talk.
It's definitely not a good time management strategy to create new plot for each talk, but it's a lot of fun!
It's definitely not a good time management strategy to create new plot for each talk, but it's a lot of fun!
Very interesting feature of our social cognition!
We often have to judge who is knowledgeable—precisely when we are not. Can humans really do that? Our new paper in Psychological Science shows that, surprisingly, we can. drive.google.com/file/d/1b15E...
June 2, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Very interesting feature of our social cognition!
My first podcast interview is out!
We had the chance to speak with a fascinating guest, and I was especially intrigued by our discussion on the hidden challenges the brain creates when designing hearing aids.
Give it a listen, it’s accessible to non-specialists!
We had the chance to speak with a fascinating guest, and I was especially intrigued by our discussion on the hidden challenges the brain creates when designing hearing aids.
Give it a listen, it’s accessible to non-specialists!
🎙️ EP #16
Two people can hear different things when listening to the same sound (see 🧵): how does our auditory system really work? Cindy & @mariusmercier.bsky.social discuss this and much more with Daniel Pressnitzer
shorturl.at/w6Y0w
Two people can hear different things when listening to the same sound (see 🧵): how does our auditory system really work? Cindy & @mariusmercier.bsky.social discuss this and much more with Daniel Pressnitzer
shorturl.at/w6Y0w
EP #16 | What do Auditory Illusions Reveal about the Brain? | Daniel Pressnitzer
Cognitations · Episode
shorturl.at
May 30, 2025 at 3:37 PM
My first podcast interview is out!
We had the chance to speak with a fascinating guest, and I was especially intrigued by our discussion on the hidden challenges the brain creates when designing hearing aids.
Give it a listen, it’s accessible to non-specialists!
We had the chance to speak with a fascinating guest, and I was especially intrigued by our discussion on the hidden challenges the brain creates when designing hearing aids.
Give it a listen, it’s accessible to non-specialists!
"Such “drumming” allows chimps to communicate across long distances. Now, two studies show the animals also drum to a distinct beat, which varies across chimp societies."
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Chimpanzee drumming may give clues to the roots of rhythm
Behavior is more complex than scientists realized, could reveal origins of musicality
www.science.org
May 12, 2025 at 7:59 PM
"Such “drumming” allows chimps to communicate across long distances. Now, two studies show the animals also drum to a distinct beat, which varies across chimp societies."
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Marius Mercier
Our #CogSci2025 paper led by Madeleine Horner (with Adam Moore) explores people's lay conception of empathy.
Main finding: people have a robust expectation that agents who feel empathy are more likely to help, especially when helping is costly.
quillienlab.github.io/Horner%20et%...
Main finding: people have a robust expectation that agents who feel empathy are more likely to help, especially when helping is costly.
quillienlab.github.io/Horner%20et%...
April 29, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Our #CogSci2025 paper led by Madeleine Horner (with Adam Moore) explores people's lay conception of empathy.
Main finding: people have a robust expectation that agents who feel empathy are more likely to help, especially when helping is costly.
quillienlab.github.io/Horner%20et%...
Main finding: people have a robust expectation that agents who feel empathy are more likely to help, especially when helping is costly.
quillienlab.github.io/Horner%20et%...
Reposted by Marius Mercier
The full paper is open access, for those who want to dive deeper into methods, robustness checks, and open datasets. Thanks for reading. Thanks to my co-authors! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Charting the rise of imaginary worlds in history - Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
Humanities and Social Sciences Communications - Charting the rise of imaginary worlds in history
www.nature.com
April 29, 2025 at 12:42 PM
The full paper is open access, for those who want to dive deeper into methods, robustness checks, and open datasets. Thanks for reading. Thanks to my co-authors! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Marius Mercier
Imaginary worlds like Star Wars and Game of Thrones dominate global culture. Are they really a recent phenomenon, or have they always been central to storytelling? In our latest paper, we investigate the historical trajectory of imaginary worlds with new large-scale data.
April 29, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Imaginary worlds like Star Wars and Game of Thrones dominate global culture. Are they really a recent phenomenon, or have they always been central to storytelling? In our latest paper, we investigate the historical trajectory of imaginary worlds with new large-scale data.
"What goes on four feet in the morning, two feet at midday, and three feet in the evening?"
This riddle is thousands of years old, but why does it stick with us?
In our new paper, we argue that the feeling of insight might explain the lasting success of some cultural products: tinyurl.com/4j756h9a
This riddle is thousands of years old, but why does it stick with us?
In our new paper, we argue that the feeling of insight might explain the lasting success of some cultural products: tinyurl.com/4j756h9a
April 22, 2025 at 2:02 PM
"What goes on four feet in the morning, two feet at midday, and three feet in the evening?"
This riddle is thousands of years old, but why does it stick with us?
In our new paper, we argue that the feeling of insight might explain the lasting success of some cultural products: tinyurl.com/4j756h9a
This riddle is thousands of years old, but why does it stick with us?
In our new paper, we argue that the feeling of insight might explain the lasting success of some cultural products: tinyurl.com/4j756h9a
Reposted by Marius Mercier
This statement from the NSF is insane.
Science is, in essence, designed to separate the true from the false.
Understanding how falsehoods spread is key to the scientific endeavor. It is not a violation of free speech to be proven wrong.
Science is, in essence, designed to separate the true from the false.
Understanding how falsehoods spread is key to the scientific endeavor. It is not a violation of free speech to be proven wrong.
April 18, 2025 at 8:51 PM
This statement from the NSF is insane.
Science is, in essence, designed to separate the true from the false.
Understanding how falsehoods spread is key to the scientific endeavor. It is not a violation of free speech to be proven wrong.
Science is, in essence, designed to separate the true from the false.
Understanding how falsehoods spread is key to the scientific endeavor. It is not a violation of free speech to be proven wrong.
Super happy to have presented our research at @ehbea.bsky.social !
How to predict competence judgements??
Marius Mercier uses #Bayesian models to predict particiapant judgements
➡️ finds that that competence judgments are well described by Bayesian models
➡️ predicts participant answers on new questions & integrate info
@mariusmercier.bsky.social #ehbea2025
Marius Mercier uses #Bayesian models to predict particiapant judgements
➡️ finds that that competence judgments are well described by Bayesian models
➡️ predicts participant answers on new questions & integrate info
@mariusmercier.bsky.social #ehbea2025
April 16, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Super happy to have presented our research at @ehbea.bsky.social !
A few photos of this weekend's hike to Royaumont Abbey, near Paris.
(Accessible super easily with public transport from Paris)
(Accessible super easily with public transport from Paris)
March 31, 2025 at 8:56 AM
A few photos of this weekend's hike to Royaumont Abbey, near Paris.
(Accessible super easily with public transport from Paris)
(Accessible super easily with public transport from Paris)
Reposted by Marius Mercier
🎙️ EP #14
What are the multiple ways in which social media 'might' affect mental health? What can parents do, given the messy state of the scientific literature? @adigitaltanay.bsky.social discusses this & much more with @orbenamy.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/5eum2vxm
[Jon Haidt Easter Egg in 🧵 below]
What are the multiple ways in which social media 'might' affect mental health? What can parents do, given the messy state of the scientific literature? @adigitaltanay.bsky.social discusses this & much more with @orbenamy.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/5eum2vxm
[Jon Haidt Easter Egg in 🧵 below]
EP #14 | How can Social Media Affect Mental Health? | Amy Orben
Cognitations · Episode
tinyurl.com
March 28, 2025 at 11:55 AM
🎙️ EP #14
What are the multiple ways in which social media 'might' affect mental health? What can parents do, given the messy state of the scientific literature? @adigitaltanay.bsky.social discusses this & much more with @orbenamy.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/5eum2vxm
[Jon Haidt Easter Egg in 🧵 below]
What are the multiple ways in which social media 'might' affect mental health? What can parents do, given the messy state of the scientific literature? @adigitaltanay.bsky.social discusses this & much more with @orbenamy.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/5eum2vxm
[Jon Haidt Easter Egg in 🧵 below]
March 27, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Reposted by Marius Mercier
Based on recent incidents like this one, I can't in good conscience, recommend that any (non-U.S.) prospective PhD student or Postdoc seek a position in the U.S. at this time.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/u...
Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts Student, Is Detained by ICE
The university was told that the student’s visa had been terminated, its president said in a late-night email to students and faculty members.
www.nytimes.com
March 27, 2025 at 4:09 AM
Based on recent incidents like this one, I can't in good conscience, recommend that any (non-U.S.) prospective PhD student or Postdoc seek a position in the U.S. at this time.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/u...
Reposted by Marius Mercier
"The Appeal of Insight: Why Riddles and Whodunits Captivate Us" - These studies contribute to a growing literature in which the cultural success of fictional stories is explained by their ability to tap into specific cognitive mechanisms.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
March 26, 2025 at 6:44 AM
"The Appeal of Insight: Why Riddles and Whodunits Captivate Us" - These studies contribute to a growing literature in which the cultural success of fictional stories is explained by their ability to tap into specific cognitive mechanisms.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io/preprints/ps...