Rodney Tompkins
@rtompkins.bsky.social
Psychology PhD student at UC San Diego, interested in what younger and older humans think about care and protection. Also a meerkat enthusiast.
https://sites.google.com/view/rtompkins/
https://sites.google.com/view/rtompkins/
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
New perspective paper (w/ @sedaakbiyik.bsky.social, Joseph Outa, & @minjaek.bsky.social ) in @natrevpsychol.nature.com ⚽💭🧠👶 : www.nature.com/articles/s44...
How physical information is used to make sense of the psychological world - Nature Reviews Psychology
Reasoning about minds and reasoning about physical objects are governed by two distinct systems. In this Perspective, Liu et al. review research from developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscienc...
www.nature.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:14 PM
New perspective paper (w/ @sedaakbiyik.bsky.social, Joseph Outa, & @minjaek.bsky.social ) in @natrevpsychol.nature.com ⚽💭🧠👶 : www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
👉 Our new paper uses daily mobility data to show that spatial isolation is much more common today among those living in advantaged neighborhoods than the converse.
👩🏻💻 Lots of massive data wrangling and careful assumptions about mobility data needed - but check it out here! doi.org/10.1177/0042...
👩🏻💻 Lots of massive data wrangling and careful assumptions about mobility data needed - but check it out here! doi.org/10.1177/0042...
November 24, 2025 at 5:20 PM
👉 Our new paper uses daily mobility data to show that spatial isolation is much more common today among those living in advantaged neighborhoods than the converse.
👩🏻💻 Lots of massive data wrangling and careful assumptions about mobility data needed - but check it out here! doi.org/10.1177/0042...
👩🏻💻 Lots of massive data wrangling and careful assumptions about mobility data needed - but check it out here! doi.org/10.1177/0042...
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
🚨🚨🚨
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 Rodney Tompkins
Are you a US-based PhD student WITHOUT summer funding who is interested in adolescent development, trans youth, and/or gender? Reach out to me about applying to join my lab in Summer 2026 for the VIPS program! psych.princeton.edu/diversity/vi...
Visiting Internship for Ph.D. Students (VIPS) Program
The VIPS program is an initiative of the DEI committee of the Department of Psychology at Princeton University. VIPS will support up to 4 Ph.D. students who are full-time students at other universitie...
psych.princeton.edu
October 31, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Are you a US-based PhD student WITHOUT summer funding who is interested in adolescent development, trans youth, and/or gender? Reach out to me about applying to join my lab in Summer 2026 for the VIPS program! psych.princeton.edu/diversity/vi...
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
We are recruiting a lab manager/research assistant to start in early 2026! The successful candidate will conduct awake infant fMRI, meet cute babies, and join a fun team!
More details (e.g. responsibilities): soc.stanford.edu/people/#join...
Apply here: careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/social-...
More details (e.g. responsibilities): soc.stanford.edu/people/#join...
Apply here: careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/social-...
People – Scaffolding of Cognition Team
soc.stanford.edu
November 21, 2025 at 12:16 AM
We are recruiting a lab manager/research assistant to start in early 2026! The successful candidate will conduct awake infant fMRI, meet cute babies, and join a fun team!
More details (e.g. responsibilities): soc.stanford.edu/people/#join...
Apply here: careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/social-...
More details (e.g. responsibilities): soc.stanford.edu/people/#join...
Apply here: careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/social-...
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
Happy to share this new entry on numerical cognition for the OECS. Thanks to @hbaum.bsky.social and @mcxfrank.bsky.social for making this happen! Apologies if your work isn’t cited! Had to limit cites!!! oecs.mit.edu/pub/rek9756r...
Numerical Cognition
oecs.mit.edu
November 20, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Happy to share this new entry on numerical cognition for the OECS. Thanks to @hbaum.bsky.social and @mcxfrank.bsky.social for making this happen! Apologies if your work isn’t cited! Had to limit cites!!! oecs.mit.edu/pub/rek9756r...
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
Shopping for a hot take on nativism? Here's an argument that "strong nativist" accounts of concepts (here, numerical concepts) often fail to explain ontogenesis because they lack an account of "rational causation" - i.e., how innate contents are brought to bear in experience osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
November 13, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Shopping for a hot take on nativism? Here's an argument that "strong nativist" accounts of concepts (here, numerical concepts) often fail to explain ontogenesis because they lack an account of "rational causation" - i.e., how innate contents are brought to bear in experience osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
Just in: @drbarner.bsky.social & I find that blind adults and children who have symbols for large numbers, and use 1:1 correspondence to count, do not extend a similar 1:1 strategy to a set-matching task, which assesses their knowledge of Hume’s principle. A 🧵:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Exact numerical reasoning in blind children and adults
What is the origin of exact numerical reasoning in humans? Previous studies report that innumerate humans are unable to recognize that two sets placed…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 26, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Just in: @drbarner.bsky.social & I find that blind adults and children who have symbols for large numbers, and use 1:1 correspondence to count, do not extend a similar 1:1 strategy to a set-matching task, which assesses their knowledge of Hume’s principle. A 🧵:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
Are humans really the only rational animals? Our NEW PAPER 🎉 out in @science.org suggests otherwise! In a large collaboration led with my joint first author @hanna-schleihauf.bsky.social, we show that “Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs” 🧵
Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs
The selective revision of beliefs in light of new evidence has been considered one of the hallmarks of human-level rationality. However, tests of this ability in other species are lacking. We examined...
www.science.org
October 30, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Are humans really the only rational animals? Our NEW PAPER 🎉 out in @science.org suggests otherwise! In a large collaboration led with my joint first author @hanna-schleihauf.bsky.social, we show that “Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs” 🧵
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
New article w/ M Pabla & @orifriedman.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
When children claim an unexpected event is impossible they also claim it's never happened, even for immoral events, suggesting their judgments reflect beliefs about what could happen & not merely what should.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
When children claim an unexpected event is impossible they also claim it's never happened, even for immoral events, suggesting their judgments reflect beliefs about what could happen & not merely what should.
October 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
New article w/ M Pabla & @orifriedman.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
When children claim an unexpected event is impossible they also claim it's never happened, even for immoral events, suggesting their judgments reflect beliefs about what could happen & not merely what should.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
When children claim an unexpected event is impossible they also claim it's never happened, even for immoral events, suggesting their judgments reflect beliefs about what could happen & not merely what should.
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
Excited to announce DID lab's first paper!
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
We find that children as young as 6 show political ingroup preference!
First paper of very talented @annie-schw.bsky.social!
In JEP: General's special issue on political development (1/3)
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
We find that children as young as 6 show political ingroup preference!
First paper of very talented @annie-schw.bsky.social!
In JEP: General's special issue on political development (1/3)
October 10, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Excited to announce DID lab's first paper!
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
We find that children as young as 6 show political ingroup preference!
First paper of very talented @annie-schw.bsky.social!
In JEP: General's special issue on political development (1/3)
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
We find that children as young as 6 show political ingroup preference!
First paper of very talented @annie-schw.bsky.social!
In JEP: General's special issue on political development (1/3)
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
We’re recruiting a postdoctoral fellow to join our team! 🎉
I’m happy to share that I’ve opened back up the search for this position (it was temporarily closed due to funding uncertainty).
See lab page and doc below for details!
I’m happy to share that I’ve opened back up the search for this position (it was temporarily closed due to funding uncertainty).
See lab page and doc below for details!
The Visual Learning Lab at UC San Diego is looking for a postdoctoral research fellow to join our lab!
Read more about our lab at www.vislearnlab.org
Read more about our lab at www.vislearnlab.org
Home | The Visual Learning Lab at UCSD
Lab webpage for the Visual Learning Lab at UCSD, lead by Dr. Bria Long, Ph.D. Launching in July 2024!
www.vislearnlab.org
October 7, 2025 at 2:39 AM
We’re recruiting a postdoctoral fellow to join our team! 🎉
I’m happy to share that I’ve opened back up the search for this position (it was temporarily closed due to funding uncertainty).
See lab page and doc below for details!
I’m happy to share that I’ve opened back up the search for this position (it was temporarily closed due to funding uncertainty).
See lab page and doc below for details!
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
Spread the word: I'm looking to recruit a PhD student for Fall 2026 to @ucsb.bsky.social! Reach out if you are applying this cycle and hoping to study infant and child social cognition, specifically expectations about friendship and/or groups. Bonus: live in paradise! And.. 1/3
October 2, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Spread the word: I'm looking to recruit a PhD student for Fall 2026 to @ucsb.bsky.social! Reach out if you are applying this cycle and hoping to study infant and child social cognition, specifically expectations about friendship and/or groups. Bonus: live in paradise! And.. 1/3
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
New work! Kristin Shutts and I review how help can in some cases backfire and lead to detriments in children’s self-views, views of others, and motivation, especially when help is distributed unequally. Check it out here (open access!):
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
April 29, 2025 at 3:17 PM
New work! Kristin Shutts and I review how help can in some cases backfire and lead to detriments in children’s self-views, views of others, and motivation, especially when help is distributed unequally. Check it out here (open access!):
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
Excited to share a new paper in Current Directions on the theme of merging in close relationships, with @emmamcgorray.bsky.social, @erinhughes.bsky.social , and @abdoe.bsky.social! In the paper, we discuss merging in the domains of selves, goals, processing, and reality. tinyurl.com/ynbedzys (1/4)
April 14, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Excited to share a new paper in Current Directions on the theme of merging in close relationships, with @emmamcgorray.bsky.social, @erinhughes.bsky.social , and @abdoe.bsky.social! In the paper, we discuss merging in the domains of selves, goals, processing, and reality. tinyurl.com/ynbedzys (1/4)
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
📣 new paper! people use some categories to generalize (e.g., we generalize something we learn about one tiger 🐯 to other tigers 🐅), but not others (e.g., we don't generalize from one pedestrian 🚶 to other pedestrians 🚶♂️). how do people learn what categories allow for generalization? 🧵
July 31, 2025 at 6:10 AM
📣 new paper! people use some categories to generalize (e.g., we generalize something we learn about one tiger 🐯 to other tigers 🐅), but not others (e.g., we don't generalize from one pedestrian 🚶 to other pedestrians 🚶♂️). how do people learn what categories allow for generalization? 🧵
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
I and my lab are happy to be at #cogsci2025! Here's a shortcut to find work from the fabulous folks in my lab (and me) 😄
July 30, 2025 at 1:13 AM
I and my lab are happy to be at #cogsci2025! Here's a shortcut to find work from the fabulous folks in my lab (and me) 😄
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
The SoCal Lab is headed to #cogsci2025 this week! Here's where you can find us:
July 28, 2025 at 3:56 PM
The SoCal Lab is headed to #cogsci2025 this week! Here's where you can find us:
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
A new piece - well, almost a whole book! - by our team, reflecting more than a decade of work.
💙 SRCD is pleased to announce the latest Monograph on gender identities and sexual orientation across childhood and adolescence. Read the full issue here: srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
July 23, 2025 at 6:10 PM
A new piece - well, almost a whole book! - by our team, reflecting more than a decade of work.
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
New preprint! Led by Bill Pepe, with @brandonwoo.bsky.social and @ashleyjthomas.bsky.social. We asked if infants think helping and hindering stem from actors' dispositions (i.e. good/nice v bad/mean) or their social relationships, by testing expectations for future behavior: osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
July 17, 2025 at 1:29 PM
New preprint! Led by Bill Pepe, with @brandonwoo.bsky.social and @ashleyjthomas.bsky.social. We asked if infants think helping and hindering stem from actors' dispositions (i.e. good/nice v bad/mean) or their social relationships, by testing expectations for future behavior: osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
⭐ Out now in Developmental Science ⭐
"Sounds of Hidden Agents: The development of causal reasoning about musical sounds"
(by Minju Kim and me)
causal reasoning, music/auditory cognition, event reconstruction, kids' integration of information...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
"Sounds of Hidden Agents: The development of causal reasoning about musical sounds"
(by Minju Kim and me)
causal reasoning, music/auditory cognition, event reconstruction, kids' integration of information...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
July 3, 2025 at 9:12 PM
⭐ Out now in Developmental Science ⭐
"Sounds of Hidden Agents: The development of causal reasoning about musical sounds"
(by Minju Kim and me)
causal reasoning, music/auditory cognition, event reconstruction, kids' integration of information...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
"Sounds of Hidden Agents: The development of causal reasoning about musical sounds"
(by Minju Kim and me)
causal reasoning, music/auditory cognition, event reconstruction, kids' integration of information...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
I'm hiring a full-time #labmanager for my new Lab for Infant Learning and Cognition (LILAC) at UCSB! The start date is flexible, but could be as early as August 1, 2025. Application review begins July 17th and will continue until the position is filled 👶🪴
recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02992
#academicjobs
recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02992
#academicjobs
Junior Specialist-Lab for Infant Learning And Cognition (LILAC), Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
University of California Santa Barbara is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ap.ucsb.edu
July 2, 2025 at 7:26 PM
I'm hiring a full-time #labmanager for my new Lab for Infant Learning and Cognition (LILAC) at UCSB! The start date is flexible, but could be as early as August 1, 2025. Application review begins July 17th and will continue until the position is filled 👶🪴
recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02992
#academicjobs
recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02992
#academicjobs
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
Experimentology is out today!!! A group of us wrote a free online textbook for experimental methods, available at experimentology.io - the idea was to integrate open science into all aspects of the experimental workflow from planning to design, analysis, and writing.
July 1, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Experimentology is out today!!! A group of us wrote a free online textbook for experimental methods, available at experimentology.io - the idea was to integrate open science into all aspects of the experimental workflow from planning to design, analysis, and writing.
Reposted by Rodney Tompkins
Excited that this paper is finally out (in collaboration with @zoeliberman.bsky.social @saraburke.bsky.social & Brenda Major) in PSPB!
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
The Comparative Status Hypothesis: Inferences About Discrimination Vary Based on Identity Salience - Elizabeth A. Quinn-Jensen, Anh L. K. Tran, Sara E. Burke, Brenda Major, Zoe Liberman, 2025
Past research examining when people label an outcome as discrimination has largely ignored contextual factors beyond the victim–perpetrator dyad. We contend tha...
journals.sagepub.com
July 1, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Excited that this paper is finally out (in collaboration with @zoeliberman.bsky.social @saraburke.bsky.social & Brenda Major) in PSPB!
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
New paper with past honors student Vanessa Chao and @zoeliberman.bsky.social in press at JECP:
“Children can consider social relationships when evaluating liars”
By the early elementary school years, people judge it as worse and meaner for a friend (vs. classmate) to lie.
doi.org/10.1016/j.je...
“Children can consider social relationships when evaluating liars”
By the early elementary school years, people judge it as worse and meaner for a friend (vs. classmate) to lie.
doi.org/10.1016/j.je...
Redirecting
doi.org
June 22, 2025 at 4:54 PM
New paper with past honors student Vanessa Chao and @zoeliberman.bsky.social in press at JECP:
“Children can consider social relationships when evaluating liars”
By the early elementary school years, people judge it as worse and meaner for a friend (vs. classmate) to lie.
doi.org/10.1016/j.je...
“Children can consider social relationships when evaluating liars”
By the early elementary school years, people judge it as worse and meaner for a friend (vs. classmate) to lie.
doi.org/10.1016/j.je...