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Brandon Woo @brandonwoo.bsky.social · 1h

I forgot that Megan’s also on Bluesky: @megan-richardson.bsky.social

Brandon Woo @brandonwoo.bsky.social · 21h

Our work sheds light on how children apply their theories of the mind and of relationships to navigate the social world.

This is just the start of research that my collaborators and I are doing on mental state reasoning in close relationships. More soon!

A conceptual schematic, depicting how children apply their intuitive theories of the mind and of the relationships to reason about mental state reasoning within close relationships

The abstract for the paper: "To maintain and develop close relationships, people need to accurately represent the minds of their social partners. Although studies have characterized many aspects of children’s intuitive theory of the mind and children’s intuitive theory of relationships, it is largely unknown whether and how children think about mental state reasoning within relationships. In three experiments, we asked whether children think accurate mental state reasoning is a cue to social closeness. In Experiment 1 (n = 145), we found that 5- to 9-year-old children, but not 4-year-old children, inferred that characters who engage in affective touch (making physical contact, as though nuzzling, while moving together in synchrony) are socially closer and know about each other’s goals and desires. In Experiment 2 (n = 137), we found that 6- to 9-year-old children, but not younger children, inferred that characters who are correct about each other’s minds are socially close. Children did not think that being correct about external states of the world was evidence that a character was close to another. In Experiment 3 (n = 79), we conceptually replicated the main findings from Experiments 1 and 2, and we found that 6- to 9-year-old children did not form the same inferences concerning knowledge about observable features of individuals (e.g., an individual’s outfit); children’s inferences were specific to unobservable mental content. Thus, by 6 years of age, children integrate their intuitive theories of the mind and relationships to make sense of whether and how people are connected to each other, as well as the strength and nature of those connections."

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Brandon Woo @brandonwoo.bsky.social · 21h

New paper in Open Mind, with @emmayu23.bsky.social, Megan Richardson, and @ashleyjthomas.bsky.social! We find that by 6 years of age, children think that close friends know the content of each other’s minds.

direct.mit.edu/opmi/article...

@openmindjournal.bsky.social

Developing Intuitions That Close Friends Know the Content of Each Other’s Minds

Abstract. To maintain and develop close relationships, people need to accurately represent the minds of their social partners. Although studies have characterized many aspects of children’s intuitive ...

direct.mit.edu

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Brandon Woo @brandonwoo.bsky.social · 1d

Good lab news: Welcome to Emma Yu (@emmayu23.bsky.social), our team's first graduate student! So excited to be doing science together and growing the team.

Here's a picture of some of the members of our team on a visit to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

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Reposted by Brandon Woo

Mark Ho @markkho.bsky.social · 2d

I'm recruiting grad students!! 🎓

The CoDec Lab @ NYU (codec-lab.github.io) is looking for PhD students (Fall 2026) interested in computational approaches to social cognition & problem solving 🧠

Applications through Psych (tinyurl.com/nyucp) are due Dec 1. Reach out with Qs & please repost! 🙏

codec lab

codec-lab.github.io

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Reposted by Brandon Woo

Zoe Liberman @zoeliberman.bsky.social · 5d

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

UCSB Campus. Meadow in the foreground with Storke Tower and mountains in the distance

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Reposted by Brandon Woo

Evan Westra @evanwestra.bsky.social · 6d

Very cool new RL-based approach to modeling the emergence of social norms
www.researchgate.net/publication/...

How Social Norms Emerge: The Interindividual Actor–Critic

Download Citation | How Social Norms Emerge: The Interindividual Actor–Critic | Social norms shape a vast range of human behaviors, from everyday interactions to major life choices. Yet, existing theo...

www.researchgate.net

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Reposted by Brandon Woo

Mike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · 8d

Ever wonder how habituation works? Here's our attempt to understand:

A stimulus-computable rational model of visual habituation in infants and adults doi.org/10.7554/eLif...

This is the thesis of two wonderful students: @anjiecao.bsky.social @galraz.bsky.social, w/ @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social

conceptual schema for different habituation models

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Reposted by Brandon Woo

Lindsey Powell @lindseypowell.bsky.social · 11d

Seems like a particularly cruel change to make without warning given the stress that reviewers often put on applicants' publication record. Presumably many strong students waited based on this apparent criterion, not because they didn't already have great ideas to propose.

Kosta Boskovic @kostaboskovic.bsky.social · 11d

Extremely disappointing decision from the NSF today to exclude second-year graduate students from eligibility for the GRFP. I and many other second-year grads purposely held off from applying in our first year to be able to do so now...

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Reposted by Brandon Woo

Daniel Coppersmith @danielcoppersmith.bsky.social · 11d

I’m starting a suicide prevention research lab at UMass Amherst! I’ll be reviewing applications for our clinical psychology PhD program. Come to our virtual open house to learn more about the program and speak with faculty accepting students.
www.umass.edu/psychologica...

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Reposted by Brandon Woo

John Anderson 🇨🇦 @janderz8.bsky.social · 19d

Hi #canadian researchers - please sign this petition to help ensure funding isn’t cut to tri council agencies (NSERC, SSHRC, and CIHR). We’re looking at potential 15% cuts to ALL federal spending including grants win.newmode.net/canadianasso...

New/Mode | Make your voice impossible to ignore

win.newmode.net

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aaron bornstein @aaronbornstein.bsky.social · 26d

Come work with us! UC Irvine Cognitive Sciences is looking for a new Assistant Professor to join our team: recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09896

I'm not on the committee, but happy to talk if you're interested.

Assistant Professor - Cognitive Sciences

University of California, Irvine is hiring. Apply now!

recruit.ap.uci.edu

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Reposted by Brandon Woo

Samantha Joel @datingdecisions.bsky.social · 27d

For potential grad students: if you're interested in this kind of work on assessing and improving close relationships measures, our group just got a grant to do five more years of it. Join our team!

Samantha Joel @datingdecisions.bsky.social · 27d

In a new paper, my colleagues and I set out to demonstrate how method biases can create spurious findings in relationship science, by using a seemingly meaningless scale (e.g., "My relationship has very good Saturn") to predict relationship outcomes. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Pseudo Effects: How Method Biases Can Produce Spurious Findings About Close Relationships - Samantha Joel, John K. Sakaluk, James J. Kim, Devinder Khera, Helena Yuchen Qin, Sarah C. E. Stanton, 2025

Research on interpersonal relationships frequently relies on accurate self-reporting across various relationship facets (e.g., conflict, trust, appreciation). Y...

journals.sagepub.com

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Reposted by Brandon Woo

Tracey Mills @traceym.bsky.social · 28d

If you’re applying to grad school this cycle, consider signing up for the MIT BCS application assistance program!

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Reposted by Brandon Woo

Larisa Heiphetz Solomon @drlarisa.bsky.social · Sep 8

My lab is hiring a lab manager! Application deadline = 11/1, start date sometime between June & September 2026 (to be arranged with finalist). Please spread the word & apply here: opportunities.columbia.edu/jobs/a3f80f7....
#AcademicSky #PhdSky #PsychSciSky #SocialPsyc #DevPsyc #psychjobs

Research Staff Assistant - Morningside, New York, United States

Job Type: Support Staff - Non-Union Regular/Temporary: Regular Hours Per Week: 35 Salary Range: $41,000- $41,000 The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of fa...

opportunities.columbia.edu

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Evan Westra @evanwestra.bsky.social · Sep 8

A nice post in praise of the @socphilpsych.bsky.social and the virtue of interdisplinary-mindedness.

Paul Bloom @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social · Sep 8

smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net/p/the-only-i...

The only interdisciplinary conversations worth having

(This is a niche post of interest to a relatively narrow community of scholars.

smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net

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Sam Gershman @gershbrain.bsky.social · Sep 5

I had an illuminating interaction with a colleague who said that they try to find time to do a few paper reviews per year. It made me realize that different researchers have widely varying expectations about reviewing, probably because there are no public norms.

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Ashley Thomas @ashleyjthomas.bsky.social · Sep 5

Interested in applying to graduate programs or research positions in psychology? Want more information and feedback on your submission materials? Then Harvard’s Prospective Ph.D. & RA Event in Psychology (PPREP) Is for you!! psychology.fas.harvard.edu/pprep
More info in the link!! Please retweet!

PPREP Program | Department of Psychology

psychology.fas.harvard.edu

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Kristin Andrews 🇨🇦🇺🇸 @kristinandrews.bsky.social · Sep 4

As a Fellow in CIFAR's Future Flourishing Program, I've seen the real impact of the Global Scholar program for ECRs. New call for GS in:

Child & Brain Development
Multiscale Human
Future Flourishing
Humanity’s Urban Future
Learning in Machines & Brains
Quantum Materials

cifar.ca/global-scholars

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Reposted by Brandon Woo

Jenny Wang 👶 🧮 @jinjingjenny1.bsky.social · Aug 12

📢 Come join us on Sunday, November 9th for the Rutgers Symposium of Learning with an amazing list of speakers and great company! More details: sites.rutgers.edu/symposium-le...

Rutgers Symposium of Learning

sites.rutgers.edu

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Reposted by Brandon Woo

Oren Samet @osamet.bsky.social · Aug 28

I know there's a lot happening today, but this is sneaking in under the radar. This proposed new rule would absolutely crush foreign PhD students, potentially making it impossible for them to enroll with any certainty of their ability to finish www.politico.com/news/2025/08...

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Diana Tamir @dianatamir.bsky.social · Aug 18

Come be my colleague! The Department of Psychology at Princeton and @princetonneuro.bsky.social‬ are jointly searching for an Assistant Prof in Cog Neuro. puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/app...

puwebp.princeton.edu

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Reposted by Brandon Woo

mark brandt @mjbsp.bsky.social · Aug 19

The Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) Postdoctoral Research Fellowships at NSF are no more?

But hopefully I misunderstand?

www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

screenshot of SBE fellowship webpage with words "archive" circled in red.

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Chris Krupenye @chriskrupenye.bsky.social · Aug 20

When an animals' groupmates go out of sight, do they also go out of mind?

In a new paper in Proc B @royalsocietypublishing.org, Luz Carvajal and I show that a bonobo (Kanzi) can keep mental tabs on the whereabouts of multiple hidden social partners

royalsocietypublishing.org/eprint/4GI7G...

Mental representation of the locations and identities of multiple hidden agents or objects by a bonobo | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Humans are adept at navigating the social world in part because we flexibly map the locations and identities of agents around us. While field studies suggest primates can track individual conspecifics...

royalsocietypublishing.org

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Reposted by Brandon Woo

Jin X. Goh | 吴晋勋 @jinxungoh.bsky.social · Aug 20

If this is helpful for anyone going on the social psych tenure track job market in US, here are my Colby (in 2018) and UIC (2023) statements: osf.io/ef7s3/files/...

My lab website has links to other people's materials. Of course the markets were very different back then.
www.pbandjlab.com/resources

The PB&J Lab - Resources

Resources

www.pbandjlab.com

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