Tobias Gerstenberg
@tobigerstenberg.bsky.social
Reposted by Tobias Gerstenberg
starting fall 2026 i'll be an assistant professor at @upenn.edu 🥳
my lab will develop scalable models/theories of human behavior, focused on memory and perception
currently recruiting PhD students in psychology, neuroscience, & computer science!
reach out if you're interested 😊
my lab will develop scalable models/theories of human behavior, focused on memory and perception
currently recruiting PhD students in psychology, neuroscience, & computer science!
reach out if you're interested 😊
November 25, 2025 at 9:36 PM
starting fall 2026 i'll be an assistant professor at @upenn.edu 🥳
my lab will develop scalable models/theories of human behavior, focused on memory and perception
currently recruiting PhD students in psychology, neuroscience, & computer science!
reach out if you're interested 😊
my lab will develop scalable models/theories of human behavior, focused on memory and perception
currently recruiting PhD students in psychology, neuroscience, & computer science!
reach out if you're interested 😊
Reposted by Tobias Gerstenberg
Officially out in the current issue of Trends in Cognitive Sciences:
"Physics versus graphics as an organizing dichotomy in cognition"
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
"Physics versus graphics as an organizing dichotomy in cognition"
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
November 17, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Officially out in the current issue of Trends in Cognitive Sciences:
"Physics versus graphics as an organizing dichotomy in cognition"
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
"Physics versus graphics as an organizing dichotomy in cognition"
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
I'm very excited about this work led by @nbalamur.bsky.social Inspired by the classic "Spot the ball ⚽" task, we develop a benchmark for visual social inference. We find that human participants perform much better than vision-language models.
Try it here: v0-new-project-9b5vt6k9ugb.vercel.app
Try it here: v0-new-project-9b5vt6k9ugb.vercel.app
November 13, 2025 at 5:16 PM
I'm very excited about this work led by @nbalamur.bsky.social Inspired by the classic "Spot the ball ⚽" task, we develop a benchmark for visual social inference. We find that human participants perform much better than vision-language models.
Try it here: v0-new-project-9b5vt6k9ugb.vercel.app
Try it here: v0-new-project-9b5vt6k9ugb.vercel.app
It was great to hear from Brian Leahy (brianleahy.net) in the devo lunch at Stanford today!!
He presented a beautiful set of studies that suggest that many 4-year-old children have a minimal concept of possibility: they simulate only once and treat the outcome as a fact. 🎱⬅️➡️🤔💭💡
He presented a beautiful set of studies that suggest that many 4-year-old children have a minimal concept of possibility: they simulate only once and treat the outcome as a fact. 🎱⬅️➡️🤔💭💡
November 5, 2025 at 11:05 PM
It was great to hear from Brian Leahy (brianleahy.net) in the devo lunch at Stanford today!!
He presented a beautiful set of studies that suggest that many 4-year-old children have a minimal concept of possibility: they simulate only once and treat the outcome as a fact. 🎱⬅️➡️🤔💭💡
He presented a beautiful set of studies that suggest that many 4-year-old children have a minimal concept of possibility: they simulate only once and treat the outcome as a fact. 🎱⬅️➡️🤔💭💡
Reposted by Tobias Gerstenberg
I am accepting graduate students for the UCI Cognitive Sciences PhD program for Fall 2026. Check out my lab website - www.relcoglab.org for our recent themes. Our funded work focuses on combinatorial reasoning, moral decision-making, and conceptual cognition in humans and large language models.
Relational Cognition Lab
www.relcoglab.org
November 5, 2025 at 8:09 AM
I am accepting graduate students for the UCI Cognitive Sciences PhD program for Fall 2026. Check out my lab website - www.relcoglab.org for our recent themes. Our funded work focuses on combinatorial reasoning, moral decision-making, and conceptual cognition in humans and large language models.
🚨 New preprint 🚨
How do people's mental models shape memory, prediction, and generalization? We find that people spontaneously construct goal-dependent causal abstractions that compress experience to privilege relevant information.
📃 osf.io/preprints/ps...
🔗 github.com/cicl-stanfor...
How do people's mental models shape memory, prediction, and generalization? We find that people spontaneously construct goal-dependent causal abstractions that compress experience to privilege relevant information.
📃 osf.io/preprints/ps...
🔗 github.com/cicl-stanfor...
October 24, 2025 at 7:15 PM
🚨 New preprint 🚨
How do people's mental models shape memory, prediction, and generalization? We find that people spontaneously construct goal-dependent causal abstractions that compress experience to privilege relevant information.
📃 osf.io/preprints/ps...
🔗 github.com/cicl-stanfor...
How do people's mental models shape memory, prediction, and generalization? We find that people spontaneously construct goal-dependent causal abstractions that compress experience to privilege relevant information.
📃 osf.io/preprints/ps...
🔗 github.com/cicl-stanfor...
Reposted by Tobias Gerstenberg
We're excited to announce that Cognitive Science at Dartmouth is recruiting PhD students to work collaboratively with me, Steven Frankland, and Fred Callaway. Come study the principles and mechanisms that enable us to understand, plan, and act in the world! Info: sites.dartmouth.edu/cogscigrad/
Cognitive Science Graduate Admissions – Information about graduate admissions from the cognitive science faculty
sites.dartmouth.edu
October 23, 2025 at 5:30 PM
We're excited to announce that Cognitive Science at Dartmouth is recruiting PhD students to work collaboratively with me, Steven Frankland, and Fred Callaway. Come study the principles and mechanisms that enable us to understand, plan, and act in the world! Info: sites.dartmouth.edu/cogscigrad/
The Causality in Cognition Lab at Stanford University is recruiting PhD students this cycle!
We are a supportive team who happened to wear bluesky appropriate colors for the lab photo (this wasn't planned). 💙
Lab info: cicl.stanford.edu
Application details: psychology.stanford.edu/admissions/p...
We are a supportive team who happened to wear bluesky appropriate colors for the lab photo (this wasn't planned). 💙
Lab info: cicl.stanford.edu
Application details: psychology.stanford.edu/admissions/p...
October 17, 2025 at 5:43 PM
The Causality in Cognition Lab at Stanford University is recruiting PhD students this cycle!
We are a supportive team who happened to wear bluesky appropriate colors for the lab photo (this wasn't planned). 💙
Lab info: cicl.stanford.edu
Application details: psychology.stanford.edu/admissions/p...
We are a supportive team who happened to wear bluesky appropriate colors for the lab photo (this wasn't planned). 💙
Lab info: cicl.stanford.edu
Application details: psychology.stanford.edu/admissions/p...
Reposted by Tobias Gerstenberg
New preprint!
"Non-commitment in mental imagery is distinct from perceptual inattention, and supports hierarchical scene construction"
(by Li, Hammond, & me)
link: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
-- the title's a bit of a mouthful, but the nice thing is that it's a pretty decent summary
"Non-commitment in mental imagery is distinct from perceptual inattention, and supports hierarchical scene construction"
(by Li, Hammond, & me)
link: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
-- the title's a bit of a mouthful, but the nice thing is that it's a pretty decent summary
October 14, 2025 at 1:22 PM
New preprint!
"Non-commitment in mental imagery is distinct from perceptual inattention, and supports hierarchical scene construction"
(by Li, Hammond, & me)
link: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
-- the title's a bit of a mouthful, but the nice thing is that it's a pretty decent summary
"Non-commitment in mental imagery is distinct from perceptual inattention, and supports hierarchical scene construction"
(by Li, Hammond, & me)
link: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
-- the title's a bit of a mouthful, but the nice thing is that it's a pretty decent summary
🚨New Preprint: We develop a novel task that probes counterfactual thinking without using counterfactual language, and that teases apart genuine counterfactual thinking from related forms of thinking. Using this task, we find that the ability for counterfactual thinking emerges around 5 years of age.
October 13, 2025 at 7:58 PM
🚨New Preprint: We develop a novel task that probes counterfactual thinking without using counterfactual language, and that teases apart genuine counterfactual thinking from related forms of thinking. Using this task, we find that the ability for counterfactual thinking emerges around 5 years of age.
Thanks Evan Orticio (orticio.com) for sharing your fascinating work with us on how children and adults form beliefs without direct evidence.
In one super cool study, he shows how children become more diligent fact checkers in less reliable environments.
📃 orticio.com/assets/Ortic...
In one super cool study, he shows how children become more diligent fact checkers in less reliable environments.
📃 orticio.com/assets/Ortic...
October 10, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Thanks Evan Orticio (orticio.com) for sharing your fascinating work with us on how children and adults form beliefs without direct evidence.
In one super cool study, he shows how children become more diligent fact checkers in less reliable environments.
📃 orticio.com/assets/Ortic...
In one super cool study, he shows how children become more diligent fact checkers in less reliable environments.
📃 orticio.com/assets/Ortic...
I had a wonderful time visiting UC Irvine to give a talk in the cognitive science colloquium. Thank you @annaleshinskaya.bsky.social for being a fantastic host, and to all the other faculty, students, and postdocs I got to meet during my visit 🙏
October 2, 2025 at 8:12 PM
I had a wonderful time visiting UC Irvine to give a talk in the cognitive science colloquium. Thank you @annaleshinskaya.bsky.social for being a fantastic host, and to all the other faculty, students, and postdocs I got to meet during my visit 🙏
Reposted by Tobias Gerstenberg
"A signaling theory of self-handicapping"
📢New from: @yangxiang.bsky.social @gershbrain.bsky.social @tobigerstenberg.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
📢New from: @yangxiang.bsky.social @gershbrain.bsky.social @tobigerstenberg.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
A signaling theory of self-handicapping
People use various strategies to bolster the perception of their competence. One strategy is self-handicapping, by which people deliberately impede th…
www.sciencedirect.com
September 22, 2025 at 2:06 PM
"A signaling theory of self-handicapping"
📢New from: @yangxiang.bsky.social @gershbrain.bsky.social @tobigerstenberg.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
📢New from: @yangxiang.bsky.social @gershbrain.bsky.social @tobigerstenberg.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Tobias Gerstenberg
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-...
September 19, 2025 at 3:46 AM
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-...
🚨 NEW PREPRINT: Multimodal inference through mental simulation.
We examine how people figure out what happened by combining visual and auditory evidence through mental simulation.
Paper: osf.io/preprints/ps...
Code: github.com/cicl-stanfor...
We examine how people figure out what happened by combining visual and auditory evidence through mental simulation.
Paper: osf.io/preprints/ps...
Code: github.com/cicl-stanfor...
September 16, 2025 at 7:04 PM
🚨 NEW PREPRINT: Multimodal inference through mental simulation.
We examine how people figure out what happened by combining visual and auditory evidence through mental simulation.
Paper: osf.io/preprints/ps...
Code: github.com/cicl-stanfor...
We examine how people figure out what happened by combining visual and auditory evidence through mental simulation.
Paper: osf.io/preprints/ps...
Code: github.com/cicl-stanfor...
This is an epic paper!
I very much enjoyed chatting with @dyamins.bsky.social about the connections between world models and counterfactual simulation.
I very much enjoyed chatting with @dyamins.bsky.social about the connections between world models and counterfactual simulation.
Here is our best thinking about how to make world models. I would apologize for it being a massive 40-page behemoth, but it's worth reading. arxiv.org/pdf/2509.09737
arxiv.org
September 15, 2025 at 11:51 PM
This is an epic paper!
I very much enjoyed chatting with @dyamins.bsky.social about the connections between world models and counterfactual simulation.
I very much enjoyed chatting with @dyamins.bsky.social about the connections between world models and counterfactual simulation.
Reposted by Tobias Gerstenberg
My lab at UCLA is hiring 1-2 PhD students this cycle!
Join us to work at the intersection of cognitive science and AI applied to pressing societal challenges like climate change.
More info about me: rachit-dubey.github.io
My lab: ucla-cocopol.github.io
Please help repost/spread the word!
Join us to work at the intersection of cognitive science and AI applied to pressing societal challenges like climate change.
More info about me: rachit-dubey.github.io
My lab: ucla-cocopol.github.io
Please help repost/spread the word!
September 3, 2025 at 12:19 AM
My lab at UCLA is hiring 1-2 PhD students this cycle!
Join us to work at the intersection of cognitive science and AI applied to pressing societal challenges like climate change.
More info about me: rachit-dubey.github.io
My lab: ucla-cocopol.github.io
Please help repost/spread the word!
Join us to work at the intersection of cognitive science and AI applied to pressing societal challenges like climate change.
More info about me: rachit-dubey.github.io
My lab: ucla-cocopol.github.io
Please help repost/spread the word!
Reposted by Tobias Gerstenberg
*Sharing for our department’s trainees*
🧠 Looking for insight on applying to PhD programs in psychology?
✨ Apply by Sep 25th to Stanford Psychology's 9th annual Paths to a Psychology PhD info-session/workshop to have all of your questions answered!
📝 Application: tinyurl.com/pathstophd2025
🧠 Looking for insight on applying to PhD programs in psychology?
✨ Apply by Sep 25th to Stanford Psychology's 9th annual Paths to a Psychology PhD info-session/workshop to have all of your questions answered!
📝 Application: tinyurl.com/pathstophd2025
September 2, 2025 at 8:01 PM
*Sharing for our department’s trainees*
🧠 Looking for insight on applying to PhD programs in psychology?
✨ Apply by Sep 25th to Stanford Psychology's 9th annual Paths to a Psychology PhD info-session/workshop to have all of your questions answered!
📝 Application: tinyurl.com/pathstophd2025
🧠 Looking for insight on applying to PhD programs in psychology?
✨ Apply by Sep 25th to Stanford Psychology's 9th annual Paths to a Psychology PhD info-session/workshop to have all of your questions answered!
📝 Application: tinyurl.com/pathstophd2025
Reposted by Tobias Gerstenberg
Our department is seeking applicants for an Assistant Professor position with a focus on affective science. Please apply and/or pass this along to anyone who might be interested! facultypositions.stanford.edu/en-us/job/49...
Stanford | Faculty Positions: Details - Assistant Professor, Psychology
facultypositions.stanford.edu
August 20, 2025 at 5:43 AM
Our department is seeking applicants for an Assistant Professor position with a focus on affective science. Please apply and/or pass this along to anyone who might be interested! facultypositions.stanford.edu/en-us/job/49...
Reposted by Tobias Gerstenberg
On the left is a rabbit. On the right is an elephant. But guess what: They’re the *same image*, rotated 90°!
In @currentbiology.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & I show how these images—known as “visual anagrams”—can help solve a longstanding problem in cognitive science. bit.ly/45BVnCZ
In @currentbiology.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & I show how these images—known as “visual anagrams”—can help solve a longstanding problem in cognitive science. bit.ly/45BVnCZ
August 19, 2025 at 4:32 PM
On the left is a rabbit. On the right is an elephant. But guess what: They’re the *same image*, rotated 90°!
In @currentbiology.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & I show how these images—known as “visual anagrams”—can help solve a longstanding problem in cognitive science. bit.ly/45BVnCZ
In @currentbiology.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & I show how these images—known as “visual anagrams”—can help solve a longstanding problem in cognitive science. bit.ly/45BVnCZ
Reposted by Tobias Gerstenberg
How do we predict what others will do next? 🤔
We look for patterns. But what are the limits of this ability?
In our new paper at CCN 2025 (@cogcompneuro.bsky.social), we explore the computational constraints of human pattern recognition using the classic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors 🗿📄✂️
We look for patterns. But what are the limits of this ability?
In our new paper at CCN 2025 (@cogcompneuro.bsky.social), we explore the computational constraints of human pattern recognition using the classic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors 🗿📄✂️
August 12, 2025 at 10:56 PM
How do we predict what others will do next? 🤔
We look for patterns. But what are the limits of this ability?
In our new paper at CCN 2025 (@cogcompneuro.bsky.social), we explore the computational constraints of human pattern recognition using the classic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors 🗿📄✂️
We look for patterns. But what are the limits of this ability?
In our new paper at CCN 2025 (@cogcompneuro.bsky.social), we explore the computational constraints of human pattern recognition using the classic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors 🗿📄✂️
Reposted by Tobias Gerstenberg
🚨Out in PNAS🚨
with @joshtenenbaum.bsky.social & @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social
Punishment, even when intended to teach norms and change minds for the good, may backfire.
Our computational cognitive model explains why!
Paper: tinyurl.com/yc7fs4x7
News: tinyurl.com/3h3446wu
🧵
with @joshtenenbaum.bsky.social & @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social
Punishment, even when intended to teach norms and change minds for the good, may backfire.
Our computational cognitive model explains why!
Paper: tinyurl.com/yc7fs4x7
News: tinyurl.com/3h3446wu
🧵
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
tinyurl.com
August 8, 2025 at 2:04 PM
🚨Out in PNAS🚨
with @joshtenenbaum.bsky.social & @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social
Punishment, even when intended to teach norms and change minds for the good, may backfire.
Our computational cognitive model explains why!
Paper: tinyurl.com/yc7fs4x7
News: tinyurl.com/3h3446wu
🧵
with @joshtenenbaum.bsky.social & @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social
Punishment, even when intended to teach norms and change minds for the good, may backfire.
Our computational cognitive model explains why!
Paper: tinyurl.com/yc7fs4x7
News: tinyurl.com/3h3446wu
🧵
Brilliant keynote by @laurennross.bsky.social at #cogsci2025 on cognitive science and its philosophy. Lauren pointed out the myriad ways in which cogsci and philosophy support and benefit one another, using explanation and causal reasoning as case studies. Thank you for a great talk!! 🙏
August 2, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Brilliant keynote by @laurennross.bsky.social at #cogsci2025 on cognitive science and its philosophy. Lauren pointed out the myriad ways in which cogsci and philosophy support and benefit one another, using explanation and causal reasoning as case studies. Thank you for a great talk!! 🙏
Josh Tenenbaum's inspiring keynote at #cogsci2025 on growing vs scaling AI, the big questions of cognitive science, and the many open questions for the field.
August 1, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Josh Tenenbaum's inspiring keynote at #cogsci2025 on growing vs scaling AI, the big questions of cognitive science, and the many open questions for the field.
Reposted by Tobias Gerstenberg
Last week I had the pleasure of presenting a 2.5-hour tutorial on "Counterfactuals in Minds and Machines" at UAI 2025 in Rio 🇧🇷, prepared together with @autreche.bsky.social and @tobigerstenberg.bsky.social. We've made all materials and references available here: learning.mpi-sws.org/counterfactu...
August 1, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Last week I had the pleasure of presenting a 2.5-hour tutorial on "Counterfactuals in Minds and Machines" at UAI 2025 in Rio 🇧🇷, prepared together with @autreche.bsky.social and @tobigerstenberg.bsky.social. We've made all materials and references available here: learning.mpi-sws.org/counterfactu...