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Reposted by Marc Malmdorf Andersen

Phil Corlett @philcorlett.bsky.social · 21d

somehow I missed this!

Dopamine represents a domain-general teaching signal:

www.science.org/doi/full/10....

Striatal dopamine signals errors in prediction across different informational domains

Dopamine reflects prediction errors not only about reward but also about valueless stimuli, challenging many current theories.

www.science.org

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Reposted by Marc Malmdorf Andersen

Melanie Richter-Montpetit @mellimo.bsky.social · 18d

Academia.edu is changing its Terms and Conditions, and they're so outrageous (AI training; signing over ownership to them etc) I closed my account today.

A thread with some practical tips if you want to delete your account (5 steps):

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Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · 29d

Danish Media covers our recent study (article in danish):
videnskab.dk/kultur-samfu...

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Dorsa Amir @dorsaamir.bsky.social · Jan 25

Does the culture you grow up in shape the way you see the world? In a new Psych Review paper, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & I tackle this centuries-old question using the Müller-Lyer illusion as a case study. Come think through one of history's mysteries with us🧵(1/13):

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Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · Aug 28

@profhelendodd.bsky.social

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Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science (SIPS) @improvingpsych.org · Aug 15

PsyArXiv is seeking new moderators to help combat an increase in AI submissions! If you've ever posted a preprint to PsyArXiv, please consider joining. Minimum commitment 1h/month, there's a training session this Monday @ 1pm ET. More info here: forms.gle/9LB1rEtxHAeZ... #PsychSciSky

Expression of Interest in Serving as a PsyArXiv Moderator

As you might have heard, PsyArXiv is having some issues with an increase in low-quality submissions, ranging from AI generated manuscripts to inflate citation metrics, incoherent or nonsensical docume...

forms.gle

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Reposted by Marc Malmdorf Andersen

tal boger @talboger.bsky.social · Aug 19

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

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Iris van Rooij 💭 @irisvanrooij.bsky.social · Aug 12

AI slop and the destruction of knowledge irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2025/08/12/a...

AI slop and the destruction of knowledge

This week I was looking for info on what cognitive scientists mean when they speak of ‘domain-general’ cognition. I was curious, because the nuances are relevant for something I am researching at t…

irisvanrooijcogsci.com

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Reposted by Marc Malmdorf Andersen

Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · Aug 8

🧟‍♂️🚨 Publication alert! 🚨🧟‍♀️

Holy moly, I'm thrilled to announce our new paper in Emotion! We explored how recreational fear, physiological synchrony, and social closeness interact in a high-intensity haunted house setting. 1/5 🧵

Link: psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?d...

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Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · Aug 8

Our results align with prior research showing that shared experiences can enhance physiological and emotional responses. Heart rate synchrony was higher among socially close individuals, though whether this reflects pre-existing alignment or emerges during shared fear remains unclear.

🧟‍♂️❤️🧟‍♀️

5/5🧵

Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · Aug 8

We found that participants who synchronised their HRs with others in their group reported higher arousal. This synchrony was more pronounced among socially
close dyads, suggesting that social closeness may facilitate physiological alignment during shared emotional experiences of fear. 4/5🧵

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Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · Aug 8

We recruited 347 guests at Denmark's scariest haunted attraction (Dystopia.dk). People go through this haunted house in groups of 4–5, often combining friends and strangers.

Participants reported 1) who they knew and 2) who they felt emotionally close to. Everyone wore heart rate monitors.
3/5🧵

Dystopia Entertainment i Vejle — Vi er eksperter i gys!

Dystopia Entertainment i Vejle er passionerede eventdesignere, der står bag arrangementer som Dystopia Haunted House og Cirkus Dystopia.

Dystopia.dk

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Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · Aug 8

It’s curious that we seek out fear for fun - and even more curious that we almost always do it together. We watch horror films in groups, visit haunted houses with friends, and tell ghost stories around the campfire.

But how social dynamics shape our experience of fear remains largely unknown. 2/5🧵

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Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · Aug 8

🧟‍♂️🚨 Publication alert! 🚨🧟‍♀️

Holy moly, I'm thrilled to announce our new paper in Emotion! We explored how recreational fear, physiological synchrony, and social closeness interact in a high-intensity haunted house setting. 1/5 🧵

Link: psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?d...

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Reposted by Marc Malmdorf Andersen

Tess Forest @tessforest.bsky.social · Aug 6

Happy to share "The Dynamics of Caregiver Unpredictability Shape Moment-to-Moment Infant Looking During Dyadic Interaction," out now in Child Development thanks to a large team of people I worked on this with! srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirec...

<em>Child Development</em> | SRCD Journal | Wiley Online Library

Cognitive development is associated with how predictable caregivers are, but the mechanisms driving this are unclear. One possibility is caregiver predictability initially shapes how infants gather i...

srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Dorsa Amir @dorsaamir.bsky.social · Jul 19

This was such a fun conversation about childhood, play, and agency across cultures. Thanks for having @sheinalew.bsky.social & I on the show!

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · Jul 17

New episode!! 🎙️📣

A chat w/ @sheinalew.bsky.social & @dorsaamir.bsky.social about childhood across cultures.

Humans everywhere go through childhood—a time of learning, growth, and play. But this universal stage of life can look very different in different places.

Listen: disi.org/varieties-of...

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Reposted by Marc Malmdorf Andersen

Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · Jun 16

🚨 Kids LOVE fear?!🚨
Our new study led by Mihaela Taranu from the Recreational Fear Lab uncovers something surprising:
Children across all ages actively seek out scary experiences - for fun!
📄 doi.org/10.1007/s105...
[1/🧵]

Recreational Fear Across Childhood. A Cross-Sectional Study of Scary Activities that Children Enjoy - Child Psychiatry & Human Development

This study investigated the prevalence of children’s engagement in recreational fear activities — i.e., playful engagement with scary stimuli where both fear and enjoyment are experienced. A detailed ...

doi.org

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Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · Jun 16

Fear play is mostly social - done with parents, siblings, or friends. And it might serve a purpose: helping kids manage emotions, evaluate risks, and above all promote learning. This is the first study to show how common that is across childhood.
👏👏 Amazing work, Mihaela! Congratulations! 👏👏
[4/🧵]

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Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · Jun 16

🪶 They ask to poke a dead bird with a stick.
📱 They sneak peeks at horror clips online.
🏚️ They dare each other to jump from the shed roof.
🔪 They test how close their finger can get to a knife’s edge.
These might sound concerning or odd - but they’re developmentally typical!
[3/🧵]

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Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · Jun 16

We asked 1,600 parents of kids aged 1–17 what scares their kids - in a fun way. Climbing trees till their legs shake. Racing bikes downhill. Watching scary movies. Pretending to be monsters. Teasing older siblings. Playing with fire.
👉 93% enjoy at least one scary activity.
[2/🧵]

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Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · Jun 16

🚨 Kids LOVE fear?!🚨
Our new study led by Mihaela Taranu from the Recreational Fear Lab uncovers something surprising:
Children across all ages actively seek out scary experiences - for fun!
📄 doi.org/10.1007/s105...
[1/🧵]

Recreational Fear Across Childhood. A Cross-Sectional Study of Scary Activities that Children Enjoy - Child Psychiatry & Human Development

This study investigated the prevalence of children’s engagement in recreational fear activities — i.e., playful engagement with scary stimuli where both fear and enjoyment are experienced. A detailed ...

doi.org

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Reposted by Marc Malmdorf Andersen

Riccardo Fusaroli @fusaroli.bsky.social · May 9

Our daily lives are packed w complex behaviours: reading a novel & piecing together the plot; negotiating decisions w family... How do we build mathematical models of the underlying cognitive mechanisms? Our new preprint osf.io/d2v54_v1 argues for a community approach A 🧵 1/

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Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · May 6

Well deserved!

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Reposted by Marc Malmdorf Andersen

Mette Terp Hoybye @mettehoybye.bsky.social · Apr 24

Now is the time to go write 📝 your application for this exciting postdoc position in our project exploring how the shift from animal to human-based research models shapes science and society 🔬🌍
Deadline Monday Apr 27

www.au.dk/om/stillinge...
@interacting-minds.bsky.social

Postdoc in medical anthropology/STS - Ledig stilling på Aarhus Universitet

Ledig stilling ved Institut for Klinisk Medicin - Interacting Minds Centre (IMC), Aarhus Universitet

www.au.dk

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Marc Malmdorf Andersen @ndersen.bsky.social · Apr 22

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Exclusive: a Nature analysis signals the beginnings of a US science brain drain

A trawl of job views and application data suggests jobseekers are looking abroad as the Trump administration’s cuts to science take hold.

www.nature.com

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