Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
@diegoreinero.bsky.social
MindCORE postdoctoral research fellow @Penn studying how moral and political views change through conversations and social networks
💥New preprint!💥
For democracy to be truly representative we need to include many more voices. But young voters (18-25yo) face unique barriers and are often overlooked.
We describe these barriers, and propose a psychologically-informed approach to support and increase voter turnout among youth.
For democracy to be truly representative we need to include many more voices. But young voters (18-25yo) face unique barriers and are often overlooked.
We describe these barriers, and propose a psychologically-informed approach to support and increase voter turnout among youth.
November 10, 2025 at 7:59 PM
💥New preprint!💥
For democracy to be truly representative we need to include many more voices. But young voters (18-25yo) face unique barriers and are often overlooked.
We describe these barriers, and propose a psychologically-informed approach to support and increase voter turnout among youth.
For democracy to be truly representative we need to include many more voices. But young voters (18-25yo) face unique barriers and are often overlooked.
We describe these barriers, and propose a psychologically-informed approach to support and increase voter turnout among youth.
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
Young voters played a key role in elections across the country last week. It’s fantastic to see record turnout in so many communities AND we still have so much room to grow!
For ideas on how to motivate and support youth to vote check out our new commentary:
osf.io/kyzh9_v1
Key points in 🧵
For ideas on how to motivate and support youth to vote check out our new commentary:
osf.io/kyzh9_v1
Key points in 🧵
OSF
osf.io
November 10, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Young voters played a key role in elections across the country last week. It’s fantastic to see record turnout in so many communities AND we still have so much room to grow!
For ideas on how to motivate and support youth to vote check out our new commentary:
osf.io/kyzh9_v1
Key points in 🧵
For ideas on how to motivate and support youth to vote check out our new commentary:
osf.io/kyzh9_v1
Key points in 🧵
UPenn's MindCORE Postdoctoral Fellowship is accepting applications (due Dec 1)! mindcore.sas.upenn.edu/post-doctora...
Funding is available for 3 years. Fellows receive ~$70k in salary, $20k in a research/travel budget, assistance in relocation (e.g., $5k), and benefits.
Funding is available for 3 years. Fellows receive ~$70k in salary, $20k in a research/travel budget, assistance in relocation (e.g., $5k), and benefits.
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship | MindCORE
mindcore.sas.upenn.edu
November 7, 2025 at 1:49 PM
UPenn's MindCORE Postdoctoral Fellowship is accepting applications (due Dec 1)! mindcore.sas.upenn.edu/post-doctora...
Funding is available for 3 years. Fellows receive ~$70k in salary, $20k in a research/travel budget, assistance in relocation (e.g., $5k), and benefits.
Funding is available for 3 years. Fellows receive ~$70k in salary, $20k in a research/travel budget, assistance in relocation (e.g., $5k), and benefits.
AI chatbots are sycophantic— a propensity to people-please.
It’s like a genius with imposter syndrome, who always defers to the user and assumes the user is correct. With a dash of hallucination. A real misunderstood genius! www.nature.com/articles/d41...
It’s like a genius with imposter syndrome, who always defers to the user and assumes the user is correct. With a dash of hallucination. A real misunderstood genius! www.nature.com/articles/d41...
AI chatbots are sycophants — researchers say it's harming science
Nature asked researchers who use artificial intelligence how its propensity for people-pleasing affects their work — and what they are doing to mitigate it.
www.nature.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:03 PM
AI chatbots are sycophantic— a propensity to people-please.
It’s like a genius with imposter syndrome, who always defers to the user and assumes the user is correct. With a dash of hallucination. A real misunderstood genius! www.nature.com/articles/d41...
It’s like a genius with imposter syndrome, who always defers to the user and assumes the user is correct. With a dash of hallucination. A real misunderstood genius! www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Interesting! Although it actually looks like the proportion of political tweets that a user posts—not their *potential exposure* to toxic tweets by accounts they follow—is the strongest consistent predictor of a user's likelihood of posting BOTH impolite or intolerant tweets.
October 22, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Interesting! Although it actually looks like the proportion of political tweets that a user posts—not their *potential exposure* to toxic tweets by accounts they follow—is the strongest consistent predictor of a user's likelihood of posting BOTH impolite or intolerant tweets.
Last day to submit an abstract for a poster or data blitz talk at the Moral Psychology pre-conference at #SPSP2026! Submit here by Oct 23 at 11:59pm PT: t.co/k3aOQsySSh.
It's a can't miss lineup! Registration is now open too; sign up before we sell out (we did last year)! spsp.org/events/annua...
It's a can't miss lineup! Registration is now open too; sign up before we sell out (we did last year)! spsp.org/events/annua...
October 22, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Last day to submit an abstract for a poster or data blitz talk at the Moral Psychology pre-conference at #SPSP2026! Submit here by Oct 23 at 11:59pm PT: t.co/k3aOQsySSh.
It's a can't miss lineup! Registration is now open too; sign up before we sell out (we did last year)! spsp.org/events/annua...
It's a can't miss lineup! Registration is now open too; sign up before we sell out (we did last year)! spsp.org/events/annua...
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
Only 9 days left to submit!! Come join us in Chicago in Feb!
🚨Excited to announce the full-day Moral Psychology pre-conference at #SPSP2026!
We sold out last year, and with this year’s incredible speaker lineup, we expect the same.
Submit your poster or data blitz abstract by Oct. 23! spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p... There’s a best poster award!
We sold out last year, and with this year’s incredible speaker lineup, we expect the same.
Submit your poster or data blitz abstract by Oct. 23! spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p... There’s a best poster award!
October 14, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Only 9 days left to submit!! Come join us in Chicago in Feb!
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
🚨Excited to announce the full-day Moral Psychology pre-conference at #SPSP2026!
We sold out last year, and with this year’s incredible speaker lineup, we expect the same.
Submit your poster or data blitz abstract by Oct. 23! spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p... There’s a best poster award!
We sold out last year, and with this year’s incredible speaker lineup, we expect the same.
Submit your poster or data blitz abstract by Oct. 23! spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p... There’s a best poster award!
October 7, 2025 at 4:36 PM
🚨Excited to announce the full-day Moral Psychology pre-conference at #SPSP2026!
We sold out last year, and with this year’s incredible speaker lineup, we expect the same.
Submit your poster or data blitz abstract by Oct. 23! spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p... There’s a best poster award!
We sold out last year, and with this year’s incredible speaker lineup, we expect the same.
Submit your poster or data blitz abstract by Oct. 23! spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p... There’s a best poster award!
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
🥳🥳 New paper in @nathumbehav.nature.com: “When development constricts our moral circle." Contrary to popular belief, younger kids may start out with broader moral circles than older ones. Check it out here 👉 rdcu.be/eoaSe
w/ @mattiwilks.bsky.social @karrineldner.bsky.social & Lucius Caviola
w/ @mattiwilks.bsky.social @karrineldner.bsky.social & Lucius Caviola
When development constricts our moral circle
Nature Human Behaviour - Although many believe our moral circles expand with age, this Perspective discusses an early-emerging tendency to care for others.
rdcu.be
May 28, 2025 at 5:49 PM
🥳🥳 New paper in @nathumbehav.nature.com: “When development constricts our moral circle." Contrary to popular belief, younger kids may start out with broader moral circles than older ones. Check it out here 👉 rdcu.be/eoaSe
w/ @mattiwilks.bsky.social @karrineldner.bsky.social & Lucius Caviola
w/ @mattiwilks.bsky.social @karrineldner.bsky.social & Lucius Caviola
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
🚨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
🧵
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
Why do we derogate effective altruists, activists, & other radically prosocial individuals? In new work, we discuss how doing good that deviates from social norms gets stigmatized. New preprint w/ @dcameron.bsky.social @tlau.bsky.social @desmond-ong.bsky.social: osf.io/preprints/ps...
October 8, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Why do we derogate effective altruists, activists, & other radically prosocial individuals? In new work, we discuss how doing good that deviates from social norms gets stigmatized. New preprint w/ @dcameron.bsky.social @tlau.bsky.social @desmond-ong.bsky.social: osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
I'm excited to share the news that our climate change project won the @spspnews.bsky.social Robert Cialdini Prize for a "paper that uses field methods and demonstrates the relevance of social psychology to outside groups and communities"!
You can read it here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
You can read it here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
October 7, 2025 at 9:11 PM
I'm excited to share the news that our climate change project won the @spspnews.bsky.social Robert Cialdini Prize for a "paper that uses field methods and demonstrates the relevance of social psychology to outside groups and communities"!
You can read it here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
You can read it here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🚨Excited to announce the full-day Moral Psychology pre-conference at #SPSP2026!
We sold out last year, and with this year’s incredible speaker lineup, we expect the same.
Submit your poster or data blitz abstract by Oct. 23! spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p... There’s a best poster award!
We sold out last year, and with this year’s incredible speaker lineup, we expect the same.
Submit your poster or data blitz abstract by Oct. 23! spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p... There’s a best poster award!
October 7, 2025 at 4:36 PM
🚨Excited to announce the full-day Moral Psychology pre-conference at #SPSP2026!
We sold out last year, and with this year’s incredible speaker lineup, we expect the same.
Submit your poster or data blitz abstract by Oct. 23! spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p... There’s a best poster award!
We sold out last year, and with this year’s incredible speaker lineup, we expect the same.
Submit your poster or data blitz abstract by Oct. 23! spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p... There’s a best poster award!
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
🌟 Excited to share that I'm recruiting PhD students in Psychology for my new lab at Rice University this cycle (Signal boost appreciated!)
To learn more, check out the Learning & Behavior Change Lab website:
www.sinclairlab-rice.com
Applications are due Dec 1st: psychology.rice.edu/graduate/pro...
To learn more, check out the Learning & Behavior Change Lab website:
www.sinclairlab-rice.com
Applications are due Dec 1st: psychology.rice.edu/graduate/pro...
Sinclair Lab
The Learning & Behavior Change Lab at Rice University, directed by Dr. Sinclair
www.sinclairlab-rice.com
September 8, 2025 at 3:45 PM
🌟 Excited to share that I'm recruiting PhD students in Psychology for my new lab at Rice University this cycle (Signal boost appreciated!)
To learn more, check out the Learning & Behavior Change Lab website:
www.sinclairlab-rice.com
Applications are due Dec 1st: psychology.rice.edu/graduate/pro...
To learn more, check out the Learning & Behavior Change Lab website:
www.sinclairlab-rice.com
Applications are due Dec 1st: psychology.rice.edu/graduate/pro...
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
In this @pnas.org Letter, we respond to a comment on our paper about behavioral interventions to motivate action on climate change. In new analyses exploring individual differences, we find that our leading interventions were effective across the political spectrum. 🧵⤵️
www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10....
www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10....
September 5, 2025 at 3:48 PM
In this @pnas.org Letter, we respond to a comment on our paper about behavioral interventions to motivate action on climate change. In new analyses exploring individual differences, we find that our leading interventions were effective across the political spectrum. 🧵⤵️
www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10....
www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10....
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
Original paper here. @falklab.bsky.social @michaelemann.bsky.social @dcosme.bsky.social @diegoreinero.bsky.social @curse10.bsky.social
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Behavioral interventions motivate action to address climate change | PNAS
Mitigating climate change requires urgent action at individual, collective, and institutional
levels. However, individuals may fail to act because ...
www.pnas.org
September 5, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
The psych job market may not be dead... but it is gravely injured 😬 So far it's looking like the Trump administration's attacks on higher ed/research are going to have more than 2x the impact on the job market as the covid-19 pandemic. #psychjobs #neurojobs #academicjobs
September 3, 2025 at 6:27 PM
The psych job market may not be dead... but it is gravely injured 😬 So far it's looking like the Trump administration's attacks on higher ed/research are going to have more than 2x the impact on the job market as the covid-19 pandemic. #psychjobs #neurojobs #academicjobs
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
In this letter in @pnas.org, we respond to a comment on our recent paper.
Although multiple factors shape whether we act on our intentions, intentions are valuable precursors of behavior that can guide the iterative development of behavior change interventions.
www.pnas.org/doi/epub/10....
Although multiple factors shape whether we act on our intentions, intentions are valuable precursors of behavior that can guide the iterative development of behavior change interventions.
www.pnas.org/doi/epub/10....
July 3, 2025 at 5:40 PM
In this letter in @pnas.org, we respond to a comment on our recent paper.
Although multiple factors shape whether we act on our intentions, intentions are valuable precursors of behavior that can guide the iterative development of behavior change interventions.
www.pnas.org/doi/epub/10....
Although multiple factors shape whether we act on our intentions, intentions are valuable precursors of behavior that can guide the iterative development of behavior change interventions.
www.pnas.org/doi/epub/10....
Cool new paper in PNAS from @vanessachg.bsky.social et al. When it comes to moral dilemmas, LLM's:
1) are more altruistic than humans
2) exhibit a stronger omission bias than humans
3) are biased toward answering "no"
These biases may come from fine-tuning.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
1) are more altruistic than humans
2) exhibit a stronger omission bias than humans
3) are biased toward answering "no"
These biases may come from fine-tuning.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
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...
www.pnas.org
June 27, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Cool new paper in PNAS from @vanessachg.bsky.social et al. When it comes to moral dilemmas, LLM's:
1) are more altruistic than humans
2) exhibit a stronger omission bias than humans
3) are biased toward answering "no"
These biases may come from fine-tuning.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
1) are more altruistic than humans
2) exhibit a stronger omission bias than humans
3) are biased toward answering "no"
These biases may come from fine-tuning.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
New paper suggests economists’ political preferences may influence their writing/work.
E.g., Papers on the left imply a higher optimal top tax rate (77%) vs. ones on the right (60%), though note our actual federal top tax rate is just 37%.
What should we takeaway?
academic.oup.com/ej/article/1...
E.g., Papers on the left imply a higher optimal top tax rate (77%) vs. ones on the right (60%), though note our actual federal top tax rate is just 37%.
What should we takeaway?
academic.oup.com/ej/article/1...
Political Language in Economics
Abstract. Does academic writing in economics reflect the political orientation of economists? We use machine learning to measure partisanship in academic e
academic.oup.com
November 26, 2024 at 12:06 AM
New paper suggests economists’ political preferences may influence their writing/work.
E.g., Papers on the left imply a higher optimal top tax rate (77%) vs. ones on the right (60%), though note our actual federal top tax rate is just 37%.
What should we takeaway?
academic.oup.com/ej/article/1...
E.g., Papers on the left imply a higher optimal top tax rate (77%) vs. ones on the right (60%), though note our actual federal top tax rate is just 37%.
What should we takeaway?
academic.oup.com/ej/article/1...
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
That being said, scientists are people too. Read Helen Longino's "Science as Social Knowledge" for a nice discussion of the inherent subjectivity of science. jstor.org/stable/j.ctv....
So we shouldn't be that surprised by this latest econ paper's finding.
So we shouldn't be that surprised by this latest econ paper's finding.
Science as Social Knowledge: Values and Objectivity in Scientific Inquiry on JSTOR
Conventional wisdom has it that the sciences, properly pursued, constitute a pure, value-free method of obtaining knowledge about the natural world. In light o...
jstor.org
November 26, 2024 at 12:06 AM
That being said, scientists are people too. Read Helen Longino's "Science as Social Knowledge" for a nice discussion of the inherent subjectivity of science. jstor.org/stable/j.ctv....
So we shouldn't be that surprised by this latest econ paper's finding.
So we shouldn't be that surprised by this latest econ paper's finding.
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
🚨New WP🚨
Can AI do "deep canvassing"—the time-intensive, empathic persuasive dialogues that durably reduce prejudice when done by humans?
Spoiler: Yes! We find durable reduction in prejudice toward undocumented immigrants
LLMs make deep canvassing possible at massive scale
osf.io/preprints/os...
Can AI do "deep canvassing"—the time-intensive, empathic persuasive dialogues that durably reduce prejudice when done by humans?
Spoiler: Yes! We find durable reduction in prejudice toward undocumented immigrants
LLMs make deep canvassing possible at massive scale
osf.io/preprints/os...
May 21, 2025 at 4:55 PM
🚨New WP🚨
Can AI do "deep canvassing"—the time-intensive, empathic persuasive dialogues that durably reduce prejudice when done by humans?
Spoiler: Yes! We find durable reduction in prejudice toward undocumented immigrants
LLMs make deep canvassing possible at massive scale
osf.io/preprints/os...
Can AI do "deep canvassing"—the time-intensive, empathic persuasive dialogues that durably reduce prejudice when done by humans?
Spoiler: Yes! We find durable reduction in prejudice toward undocumented immigrants
LLMs make deep canvassing possible at massive scale
osf.io/preprints/os...
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
Since 1954, "The Handbook of Social Psychology" has been the field’s most authoritative reference work, and today is the launch of the 6th edition with 50 new chapters by 100 leading scholars. Best news? The HSP is now an open-access public resource—free to read, download, and share. the-hsp.com
May 19, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Since 1954, "The Handbook of Social Psychology" has been the field’s most authoritative reference work, and today is the launch of the 6th edition with 50 new chapters by 100 leading scholars. Best news? The HSP is now an open-access public resource—free to read, download, and share. the-hsp.com
🚨Excited to see our new paper out in @pnas.org led by @asinclair.bsky.social!🚨
We tested 17 psychological interventions head-to-head in a “tournament” to see what motivated people to take action and share info about climate change.
Winners depicted here for brevity; read our paper for details!
We tested 17 psychological interventions head-to-head in a “tournament” to see what motivated people to take action and share info about climate change.
Winners depicted here for brevity; read our paper for details!
May 13, 2025 at 9:59 PM
🚨Excited to see our new paper out in @pnas.org led by @asinclair.bsky.social!🚨
We tested 17 psychological interventions head-to-head in a “tournament” to see what motivated people to take action and share info about climate change.
Winners depicted here for brevity; read our paper for details!
We tested 17 psychological interventions head-to-head in a “tournament” to see what motivated people to take action and share info about climate change.
Winners depicted here for brevity; read our paper for details!
Reposted by Diego Reinero, Ph.D.
What motivates people to take action and share info about climate change? We tested 17 psychological interventions in a tournament—Discover the winners in our new paper! Out now in @pnas.org w/ @falklab.bsky.social, @michaelemann.bsky.social, & team. Thread ⤵️ 1/9
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Behavioral interventions motivate action to address climate change | PNAS
Mitigating climate change requires urgent action at individual, collective, and institutional
levels. However, individuals may fail to act because ...
www.pnas.org
May 13, 2025 at 8:08 PM
What motivates people to take action and share info about climate change? We tested 17 psychological interventions in a tournament—Discover the winners in our new paper! Out now in @pnas.org w/ @falklab.bsky.social, @michaelemann.bsky.social, & team. Thread ⤵️ 1/9
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...