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qinyuxiao.bsky.social
Qinyu Xiao
@qinyuxiao.bsky.social
570 followers 730 following 40 posts
PhD candidate in behavioural science at the University of Vienna (@univie.ac.at @vdscobene.bsky.social). I study human cooperation, conflict, and social institutions. https://qinyuxiao.github.io https://social-econ-psych.univie.ac.at/team/qinyu-xiao
qinyuxiao.github.io
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simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 2d
This week's Cooperation Colloquium:

Setayesh Radkani @setayeshradkani.bsky.social:

What people learn from punishment: A cognitive model

Date: Friday, Oct 10
Time: 15:00 UTC+2 Vienna / 9 am NYC

Sign up: list.ku.dk/postorius/li...
Abstract: Authorities, from parents of toddlers to leaders of formal institutions, use punishment to communicate disapproval and enforce social norms. However, punishment is often interpreted in contrasting ways: at times it teaches and enforces norms, but at other times it fails or even backfires, undermining the authority’s legitimacy. We show that these seemingly contradictory effects of punishment can only be understood by considering the cognitive processes in the minds of human observers of punishment. In a series of experiments, we showed the systematic variability in how adults and children interpret punishment. We developed a formal cognitive model, derived from a standard model of how people make sense of each others’ actions (Inverse Planning), that captures and explains these inferences quantitatively and parsimoniously. This work reveals the rational logic behind how people learn from punishment, and a key constraint on the function of punishment in establishing shared social norms.
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qinyuxiao.bsky.social
Qinyu Xiao @qinyuxiao.bsky.social · 5d
I had the great pleasure of spending the past week with Jörg Gross’s group in Zurich. Inspiring conversations, exciting projects, and a wonderful atmosphere throughout. Zurich itself was absolutely stunning.
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
mattansb.msbstats.info
Mattan S. Ben-Shachar 🎗️🇮🇱🇺🇦 @mattansb.msbstats.info · 6d
Added 3 slides to my "dear students, don't use LLMs" slidedeck. Here's how it works:

1. Generated map of <our country/city> from prompt "Generate an image: a schematic map of the <X> with major roads, cities, and landmarks."
Discuss how obviously wrong it is. Very fun, many lolz, silly LLM. 🤣
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qinyuxiao.bsky.social
Qinyu Xiao @qinyuxiao.bsky.social · 12d
Inspiration from @simoncolumbus.bsky.social!
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qinyuxiao.bsky.social
Qinyu Xiao @qinyuxiao.bsky.social · 12d
When asked who beyond my immediate circle has shaped my thinking the most, I often point to two names: Toshio Yamagishi and Gary Bornstein. It was an honour for me to write this short piece to pay tribute to Bornstein's classic work on intergroup conflicts.

Open-access link: rdcu.be/eH8te
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
nathumbehav.nature.com
Nature Human Behaviour @nathumbehav.nature.com · 12d
In an online study with 3,371 participants from 13 societies, Jin et al. found that perceived societal honour norms predicted both greater competition and cooperation.
@shuxianjin.bsky.social
@ayseuskul.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Honour, competition and cooperation across 13 societies - Nature Human Behaviour
This online study with 3,371 participants from 13 societies found that perceived societal honour norms predicted both greater competition and greater cooperation at both societal and individual levels.
www.nature.com
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 12d
Join us in three hours for this week's Cooperation Colloquium!
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 16d
Cooperation Colloquium this week:

Talbot M. Andrews @talbotmandrews.bsky.social (Cornell):

Overcoming the social dilemma of climate change

Friday, Sep 26, 15:00 UTC+2 Vienna / 9 am NYC

Sign up: list.ku.dk/postorius/li...
Abstract: Mitigating the increasing threat of climate change poses a uniquely challenging cooperative problem. Multiple strategic features of climate change impede coordinating around successful action. For example, there is uncertainty about the timing and dynamics of climate change impacts. Different actors vary in their historic contribution to the problem and vulnerability now. There are many solutions available to mitigate climate change, but they differ in their effectiveness and probability of success. And, compounding all of this, there are asymmetries in information between elite decision-makers and the publics that they govern. In this talk, I argue economic games are well-suited to understand both how these strategic features delay successful climate action and provide insights into how to overcome these problems through public policy. Focusing on the case of governing emerging mitigation technologies, I will present the empirical evidence that people are willing to pay costs to avert climate disaster. While mistrust between the public and policymakers erodes cooperation, I will also present solutions that emerge from these experiments. I conclude by discussing how insights from the lab can inform real-world messaging and policymaking to encourage successful climate change mitigation.
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
robertboehm.bsky.social
Robert Böhm @robertboehm.bsky.social · 13d
My PhD student @qinyuxiao.bsky.social has written a wonderful tribute to Gary Bornstein’s influential paper on team games (doi.org/10.1207/S153...) — a paper that remains as relevant today as it was over 20 years ago. You can read Qinyu’s short piece here: doi.org/10.1038/s441...
The multi-level social dilemmas of intergroup interactions - Nature Reviews Psychology
Nature Reviews Psychology - The multi-level social dilemmas of intergroup interactions
doi.org
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qinyuxiao.bsky.social
Qinyu Xiao @qinyuxiao.bsky.social · 13d
We all rock!
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
leonhardreiter.bsky.social
Lenni @leonhardreiter.bsky.social · 13d
📢 New SysRev + Meta-Analysis out in Health Psychology Review!
Together with the amazing Martin Voracek, @corneliabetsch.bsky.social & @robertboehm.bsky.social

Do messages about herd immunity increase or decrease vaccination motivation? 🤔
Read more to find out! 🧵
OA: doi.org/10.1080/1743...
Emphasising herd immunity in vaccine advocacy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Emphasising herd immunity in vaccine communication may affect vaccine uptake by eliciting prosocial or selfish motivations. While experimental evidence has accumulated, quantitative syntheses are l...
doi.org
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qinyuxiao.bsky.social
Qinyu Xiao @qinyuxiao.bsky.social · 13d
Congrats, Lenni. You rock!
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
pholme.bsky.social
Petter Holme @pholme.bsky.social · 14d
New paper in NHB 📄🚨
We ran extensive experiments to show that making the rules of some canonical economic games looser, makes people more cooperative
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Social networking agency and prosociality are inextricably linked in economic games - Nature Human Behaviour
Jia et al. experimentally show that when individuals can tailor their actions to each neighbour—a freedom termed social networking agency—they display higher levels of cooperation, trust and fairness in economic games.
www.nature.com
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 16d
Cooperation Colloquium this week:

Talbot M. Andrews @talbotmandrews.bsky.social (Cornell):

Overcoming the social dilemma of climate change

Friday, Sep 26, 15:00 UTC+2 Vienna / 9 am NYC

Sign up: list.ku.dk/postorius/li...
Abstract: Mitigating the increasing threat of climate change poses a uniquely challenging cooperative problem. Multiple strategic features of climate change impede coordinating around successful action. For example, there is uncertainty about the timing and dynamics of climate change impacts. Different actors vary in their historic contribution to the problem and vulnerability now. There are many solutions available to mitigate climate change, but they differ in their effectiveness and probability of success. And, compounding all of this, there are asymmetries in information between elite decision-makers and the publics that they govern. In this talk, I argue economic games are well-suited to understand both how these strategic features delay successful climate action and provide insights into how to overcome these problems through public policy. Focusing on the case of governing emerging mitigation technologies, I will present the empirical evidence that people are willing to pay costs to avert climate disaster. While mistrust between the public and policymakers erodes cooperation, I will also present solutions that emerge from these experiments. I conclude by discussing how insights from the lab can inform real-world messaging and policymaking to encourage successful climate change mitigation.
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 20d
Come to Scotland, everybody!
renemottus.bsky.social
René Mõttus @renemottus.bsky.social · 20d
Submissions are now open for 22nd European Conference on Personality (Edinburgh, 2026); deadline 7/12/25.
Keynote speakers and pre-conference workshops have also been confirmed.
www.ecp22edinburgh.org/submission
European Conference on Personality, Edinburgh, 2026
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
kai-arzheimer.com
Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 21d
Want some free career advice? #AcademicChatter
Two-panel meme. Top panel: A distressed, shadowy figure with the text “struggling in your field of work”. Bottom panel: A smiling figure with the text “struggling in multiple fields at once but your combination is unique enough so you’re still one of the interdisciplinary experts”.
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
haneuljang.bsky.social
Haneul Jang @haneuljang.bsky.social · 24d
💙New paper!💙

How is knowledge transmitted across generations in a foraging society?

With @danielredhead.bsky.social
we found: In BaYaka foragers, long-term skills pass in smaller, sparser networks, while short-term food info circulates broadly & reciprocally

academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Transmission networks of long-term and short-term knowledge in a foraging society
Abstract. Cultural transmission across generations is key to cumulative cultural evolution. While several mechanisms—such as vertical, horizontal, and obli
academic.oup.com
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qinyuxiao.bsky.social
Qinyu Xiao @qinyuxiao.bsky.social · 26d
The first colloquium will take place in four hours, at 14:00 CEST.
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · Sep 8
First Cooperation Colloquium of the semester!

Doruk İriş @dorukiris.bsky.social:
Normative expectations of reciprocal negotiators

Friday Sep 12, 14:00 UTC+2 (Vienna) / 8 am NYC

Sign up: list.ku.dk/postorius/li...
Abstract: This paper develops a theoretical framework to examine how normative expectations--what one considers others should do based on their fairness perceptions--in shaping the behavior of players with reciprocal preferences in a public goods game. Standard reciprocity models typically assume uniform, exogenously determined, and moderate expectations. By contrast, I allow players to (i) vary in how demanding they are of others, (ii) disagree about what counts as fair, and (iii) form self-centered normative expectations endogenously. In noncooperative play, strong reciprocal concerns transform the payoff structure from a material payoff dilemma into a coordination game in utilities, with one exception. In coalition formation, three central results emerge: (i) the empty coalition is always stable, (ii) the grand coalition becomes stable once reciprocal concerns are sufficiently strong, and (iii) partial coalitions can be stable under specific conditions. Exogenous expectations create distinct effects on cooperation: lower expectations facilitate the stability of the grand coalition, whereas higher expectations increase the size of partial coalitions, potentially leading to a majority coalition. This latter finding is more consistent with empirical observation.
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
qinyuxiao.bsky.social
Qinyu Xiao @qinyuxiao.bsky.social · Aug 28
I will be travelling tomorrow (29th) to Florence for SPUDM #spudm #spudm25, and heading to Lucca the next day. If you also arrive early, happy to meet up!
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qinyuxiao.bsky.social
Qinyu Xiao @qinyuxiao.bsky.social · Aug 28
Stakeholder altruism!
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qinyuxiao.bsky.social
Qinyu Xiao @qinyuxiao.bsky.social · Aug 28
I will be travelling tomorrow (29th) to Florence for SPUDM #spudm #spudm25, and heading to Lucca the next day. If you also arrive early, happy to meet up!
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qinyuxiao.bsky.social
Qinyu Xiao @qinyuxiao.bsky.social · Aug 26
We are excited to announce the line-up for the 2025 autumn edition of the Cooperation Colloquia, which will start on 12 September!
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · Aug 26
⚡ Autumn 2025 Cooperation Colloquia ⚡

We are excited to announce the next run of Cooperation Colloquia. With @talbotmandrews.bsky.social, @setayeshradkani.bsky.social, @kris-smith.bsky.social, @alexmesoudi.com, & more.

Every second Friday, 15:00 CE(S)T

Sign up here: list.ku.dk/postorius/li...
Speaker list for the Autumn 2025 Cooperation Colloquia: 2025-09-12 | Doruk İriş (Sogang University) 2025-09-26 | Talbot M. Andrews (Cornell University) 2025-10-10 | Setayesh Radkani (MIT) 2025-10-24 | Christian Ruff (University of Zürich) 2025-11-07 | Bianca Beersma (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) 2025-11-21 | Kristopher M. Smith (Washington State University) 2025-12-05 | Alex Mesoudi (University of Exeter)
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
wilhelmhofmann.bsky.social
Wilhelm Hofmann @wilhelmhofmann.bsky.social · Aug 26
🚨 We’re hiring! 🚨
The Social&Environmental Psychology Group @ruhr-uni-bochum.de is recruiting 2 PhDs and 1 Postdoc
as part of the ERC-funded SUSCON project on sustainable consumption.

Details here:

PhDs:👉 jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/jobposting/7...

Postdoc:👉 jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/jobposting/e...
Doctoral Researcher (m,f,x)
jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
humbehevosoc.bsky.social
Human Behavior & Evolution Society @humbehevosoc.bsky.social · Aug 20
Postdoc Opening | University of Arizona
The SPECIEs Lab is hiring a 3-year postdoc.
Focus: interdependence, cooperation, fieldwork w/ the Mayangna (Nicaragua), cross-cultural surveys, experiments.
🔗
Postdoc focusing on interdependence and cooperation - University of Arizona - HBES
Dear colleagues, I wanted to circulate an opening for a postdoctoral position, and would like to kindly ask that you share this opportunity with grad students who may be interested in working with me…
www.hbes.com
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · Aug 20
Trying to revive the old Twitter thing: @qinyuxiao.bsky.social and I just got to Tilburg for TIBER -- anybody else already in town?
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Reposted by Qinyu Xiao
cmolho.bsky.social
Catherine Molho @cmolho.bsky.social · Aug 18
📣 New registered report in @nathumbehav.nature.com with Ivan Soraperra, @jonathanschulz.bsky.social, and Shaul Shalvi: rdcu.be/eAcMA

With data from 7,978 participants in 20 countries, we find that information about negative externalities promotes prosociality, especially in guilt-prone individuals.
Guilt drives prosociality across 20 countries
Nature Human Behaviour - This Registered Report of 7,978 people in 20 countries found that guilt and information about consequences drive prosocial behaviour. Guilt-prone individuals gave more when...
rdcu.be
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