David Barner
@drbarner.bsky.social
Professor of Psychology at UCSD interested in language & conceptual development.
Reposted by David Barner
My review of Michal Pollan's book on consciousness: www.science.org/eprint/FTJG7...
The elusive nature of consciousness
A writer grapples with neuroscience’s hardest problem
www.science.org
February 12, 2026 at 7:37 PM
My review of Michal Pollan's book on consciousness: www.science.org/eprint/FTJG7...
Reposted by David Barner
Very cool new article by @urvi.bsky.social, Jessica Sullivan and @drbarner.bsky.social comparing English and Hindi speaking kids' ideas about infinity, showing a subtly more complicated view of how numerical morphological opacity relates to infinity beliefs.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Counting without end: A cross-linguistic exploration of infinity beliefs in English and Hindi learners
Recent studies (Cheung et al., 2017; Chu et al., 2020; Sullivan et al., 2023) argue that children may infer the existence of infinite magnitudes throu…
www.sciencedirect.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:48 PM
Very cool new article by @urvi.bsky.social, Jessica Sullivan and @drbarner.bsky.social comparing English and Hindi speaking kids' ideas about infinity, showing a subtly more complicated view of how numerical morphological opacity relates to infinity beliefs.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
It never ends (you’ll see): another paper from @urvi.bsky.social this time on how language structure impacts children’s intuition that numbers are infinite (see?)!
By age 6, many children in the US believe that numbers are infinite, despite initially representing counting as a meaningless & finite chain of words. In a new paper w/ Jess Sullivan & @drbarner.bsky.social, we explored the basis for this conceptual change. 1/n
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Counting without end: A cross-linguistic exploration of infinity beliefs in English and Hindi learners
Recent studies (Cheung et al., 2017; Chu et al., 2020; Sullivan et al., 2023) argue that children may infer the existence of infinite magnitudes throu…
www.sciencedirect.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:57 PM
It never ends (you’ll see): another paper from @urvi.bsky.social this time on how language structure impacts children’s intuition that numbers are infinite (see?)!
Reposted by David Barner
By age 6, many children in the US believe that numbers are infinite, despite initially representing counting as a meaningless & finite chain of words. In a new paper w/ Jess Sullivan & @drbarner.bsky.social, we explored the basis for this conceptual change. 1/n
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Counting without end: A cross-linguistic exploration of infinity beliefs in English and Hindi learners
Recent studies (Cheung et al., 2017; Chu et al., 2020; Sullivan et al., 2023) argue that children may infer the existence of infinite magnitudes throu…
www.sciencedirect.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:44 PM
By age 6, many children in the US believe that numbers are infinite, despite initially representing counting as a meaningless & finite chain of words. In a new paper w/ Jess Sullivan & @drbarner.bsky.social, we explored the basis for this conceptual change. 1/n
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
For the first time ever I actually started tracking how often I review & realized I actually review MORE than my implicit goal of 2 reviews / submission. For the first time in a while, I don't feel guilt when declining a review request. Highly recommend.
February 6, 2026 at 3:28 PM
For the first time ever I actually started tracking how often I review & realized I actually review MORE than my implicit goal of 2 reviews / submission. For the first time in a while, I don't feel guilt when declining a review request. Highly recommend.
Reposted by David Barner
We are hiring next year in semantics- one year positions of course less exciting and good for the field than straight up tenure track postings, but on the other hand hiring in something that isn’t computational feels like a win anymore in linguistics. Come bring some innovative takes on meaning!
Lecturer in Linguistics (Semantics)
The Department of Linguistics seeks applications for a lecturer in linguistics, with a focus on teaching and advising in formal semantics. The ability to teach and advise students in another area in a...
academicpositions.harvard.edu
February 6, 2026 at 1:48 PM
We are hiring next year in semantics- one year positions of course less exciting and good for the field than straight up tenure track postings, but on the other hand hiring in something that isn’t computational feels like a win anymore in linguistics. Come bring some innovative takes on meaning!
Reposted by David Barner
So excited that this textbook, edited by @dfareri.bsky.social @dvsmith.bsky.social & @thepsychologist.bsky.social is out now! And so happy to have been invited to contribute. Here’s my chapter on the role of memory, esp. semantic memory, in temporal discounting: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
The Role of Memory in Temporal Discounting
A widely observed phenomenon in intertemporal choice is temporal discounting; people prefer to have rewards sooner rather than later, even if the delayed rewards are larger. Despite the universality o...
link.springer.com
February 5, 2026 at 10:14 PM
So excited that this textbook, edited by @dfareri.bsky.social @dvsmith.bsky.social & @thepsychologist.bsky.social is out now! And so happy to have been invited to contribute. Here’s my chapter on the role of memory, esp. semantic memory, in temporal discounting: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
Reposted by David Barner
New preprint on spatial bias in visual attention and how to counter it. In a two-alternative forced choice task, we show a 300% increase in statistical power when left-bias is neutralized. More is possible. Implications for visual world paradigm and perhaps the maze task.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
February 6, 2026 at 3:15 PM
New preprint on spatial bias in visual attention and how to counter it. In a two-alternative forced choice task, we show a 300% increase in statistical power when left-bias is neutralized. More is possible. Implications for visual world paradigm and perhaps the maze task.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Buying a single use parking pass at UCSD takes just 22 simple steps!
February 3, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Buying a single use parking pass at UCSD takes just 22 simple steps!
The puppets are here to save us!
abc.com/news/8806813...
abc.com/news/8806813...
'The Muppet Show' Returns for a Special Event on Disney+ and ABC February 4 | ABC Updates
"The Muppet Show" returns Feb. 4 for a triumphant special event on Disney+ and ABC.
abc.com
February 3, 2026 at 3:19 PM
The puppets are here to save us!
abc.com/news/8806813...
abc.com/news/8806813...
Reposted by David Barner
The Visual Learning Lab is hiring TWO lab coordinators!
Both positions are ideal for someone looking for research experience before applying to graduate school. Application deadline is Feb 10th (approaching fast!)—with flexible summer start dates.
Both positions are ideal for someone looking for research experience before applying to graduate school. Application deadline is Feb 10th (approaching fast!)—with flexible summer start dates.
January 30, 2026 at 11:21 PM
The Visual Learning Lab is hiring TWO lab coordinators!
Both positions are ideal for someone looking for research experience before applying to graduate school. Application deadline is Feb 10th (approaching fast!)—with flexible summer start dates.
Both positions are ideal for someone looking for research experience before applying to graduate school. Application deadline is Feb 10th (approaching fast!)—with flexible summer start dates.
Reposted by David Barner
Really cool new project from @urvi.bsky.social that finds that kids are much better at temporal reasoning than previously reported, if we test them with REAL passing time, rather than hypothetical past or future events and differentiate past and future at 3 years old.
New w/ @drbarner.bsky.social! We argue that children's struggle to represent the past and future in common tests of knowledge may stem from difficulties in hypothetical reasoning about imaginary timelines, rather than a lack of knowledge about time. 1/n
academic.oup.com/chidev/advan...
academic.oup.com/chidev/advan...
Back to reality: Children's early temporal reasoning applies to real but not hypothetical events
Abstract. Time words like “yesterday” and “tomorrow” are hard for children to learn, and for researchers to study, because their referents change from day
academic.oup.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:09 PM
Really cool new project from @urvi.bsky.social that finds that kids are much better at temporal reasoning than previously reported, if we test them with REAL passing time, rather than hypothetical past or future events and differentiate past and future at 3 years old.
Reposted by David Barner
New w/ @drbarner.bsky.social! We argue that children's struggle to represent the past and future in common tests of knowledge may stem from difficulties in hypothetical reasoning about imaginary timelines, rather than a lack of knowledge about time. 1/n
academic.oup.com/chidev/advan...
academic.oup.com/chidev/advan...
Back to reality: Children's early temporal reasoning applies to real but not hypothetical events
Abstract. Time words like “yesterday” and “tomorrow” are hard for children to learn, and for researchers to study, because their referents change from day
academic.oup.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:22 PM
New w/ @drbarner.bsky.social! We argue that children's struggle to represent the past and future in common tests of knowledge may stem from difficulties in hypothetical reasoning about imaginary timelines, rather than a lack of knowledge about time. 1/n
academic.oup.com/chidev/advan...
academic.oup.com/chidev/advan...
Really cool new project from @urvi.bsky.social that finds that kids are much better at temporal reasoning than previously reported, if we test them with REAL passing time, rather than hypothetical past or future events and differentiate past and future at 3 years old.
New w/ @drbarner.bsky.social! We argue that children's struggle to represent the past and future in common tests of knowledge may stem from difficulties in hypothetical reasoning about imaginary timelines, rather than a lack of knowledge about time. 1/n
academic.oup.com/chidev/advan...
academic.oup.com/chidev/advan...
Back to reality: Children's early temporal reasoning applies to real but not hypothetical events
Abstract. Time words like “yesterday” and “tomorrow” are hard for children to learn, and for researchers to study, because their referents change from day
academic.oup.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:09 PM
Really cool new project from @urvi.bsky.social that finds that kids are much better at temporal reasoning than previously reported, if we test them with REAL passing time, rather than hypothetical past or future events and differentiate past and future at 3 years old.
Reposted by David Barner
Same. When I'm checking BlueSky each day I'm usually too wiped to generate any fun lingx content myself, & instead mostly just wind up reposting critiques of AI, academia, & AI in academia 🫠 Not gonna call it a "resolution" but I *will* try to post more about linguistics here in 2026!
I wish more people posted about linguistics on bsky. Even if I try to follow all linguists, people end up talking about politics all the time. When #bsky is just another ragebait or anxietybait machine, people avoid it.
I care about politics of course, but I try to have boundaries too.
I care about politics of course, but I try to have boundaries too.
It is unclear to me how much traction Glossa: a journal of general linguistics is getting on BlueSky. I am thinking of switching communication about new papers to LinkedIn, which gives better insight into the # of views garnered. Give us a like if you want Glossa to stay on the Blue side of things.
December 31, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Same. When I'm checking BlueSky each day I'm usually too wiped to generate any fun lingx content myself, & instead mostly just wind up reposting critiques of AI, academia, & AI in academia 🫠 Not gonna call it a "resolution" but I *will* try to post more about linguistics here in 2026!
Reposted by David Barner
Despite frequent remonstrations from digital archivists, Persephone never accepted that she could not photocopy a whole book in one go.
December 21, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Despite frequent remonstrations from digital archivists, Persephone never accepted that she could not photocopy a whole book in one go.
What's your favorite fiction of 2025? Looking for a next read.
December 27, 2025 at 11:49 PM
What's your favorite fiction of 2025? Looking for a next read.
Reposted by David Barner
1/ If you read this NY Times piece but ACTUALLY want to do something to reduce screen time, there's really only one way to do this w/ an iPhone (and it's not switching to greyscale). www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/o...
Opinion | I Killed Color on My Phone. The Result Shocked Me.
www.nytimes.com
December 27, 2025 at 1:52 AM
1/ If you read this NY Times piece but ACTUALLY want to do something to reduce screen time, there's really only one way to do this w/ an iPhone (and it's not switching to greyscale). www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/o...
1/ If you read this NY Times piece but ACTUALLY want to do something to reduce screen time, there's really only one way to do this w/ an iPhone (and it's not switching to greyscale). www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/o...
Opinion | I Killed Color on My Phone. The Result Shocked Me.
www.nytimes.com
December 27, 2025 at 1:52 AM
1/ If you read this NY Times piece but ACTUALLY want to do something to reduce screen time, there's really only one way to do this w/ an iPhone (and it's not switching to greyscale). www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/o...
Reposted by David Barner
Super cool study led by Haleh Yazdi - a simple demonstration that applying oft-used measures to novel contexts isn’t enough for inclusive & effective cross-cultural research. Measures designed for western populations do not always capture cross-cultural variability, nor within-group patterns.
A common problem w/ studies testing non-WEIRD groups is they compare multiple groups using the same WEIRD measure. How can we compare groups w/ apples-apples measures w/o distorting cross-cultural differences? We explore this in this new paper! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
The Development of Morality and Conventionality Across Cultures: Implementing a Two‐Stage Model for Cross‐Cultural Research
Establishing a shared sense of right and wrong is an essential milestone for human cooperation, raising the question of whether a universal set of moral intuitions exists. However, tests of universa.....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 17, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Super cool study led by Haleh Yazdi - a simple demonstration that applying oft-used measures to novel contexts isn’t enough for inclusive & effective cross-cultural research. Measures designed for western populations do not always capture cross-cultural variability, nor within-group patterns.
Reposted by David Barner
A common problem w/ studies testing non-WEIRD groups is they compare multiple groups using the same WEIRD measure. How can we compare groups w/ apples-apples measures w/o distorting cross-cultural differences? We explore this in this new paper! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
The Development of Morality and Conventionality Across Cultures: Implementing a Two‐Stage Model for Cross‐Cultural Research
Establishing a shared sense of right and wrong is an essential milestone for human cooperation, raising the question of whether a universal set of moral intuitions exists. However, tests of universa.....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:11 AM
A common problem w/ studies testing non-WEIRD groups is they compare multiple groups using the same WEIRD measure. How can we compare groups w/ apples-apples measures w/o distorting cross-cultural differences? We explore this in this new paper! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
A common problem w/ studies testing non-WEIRD groups is they compare multiple groups using the same WEIRD measure. How can we compare groups w/ apples-apples measures w/o distorting cross-cultural differences? We explore this in this new paper! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
The Development of Morality and Conventionality Across Cultures: Implementing a Two‐Stage Model for Cross‐Cultural Research
Establishing a shared sense of right and wrong is an essential milestone for human cooperation, raising the question of whether a universal set of moral intuitions exists. However, tests of universa.....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:11 AM
A common problem w/ studies testing non-WEIRD groups is they compare multiple groups using the same WEIRD measure. How can we compare groups w/ apples-apples measures w/o distorting cross-cultural differences? We explore this in this new paper! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by David Barner
Several people have mentioned online that they get terrible responses from online services such as Prolific, e.g., bots, LLM responses. I'm curious if anyone who has experienced that in a memorable way would mind sharing the details of their project (code, etc.).
December 15, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Several people have mentioned online that they get terrible responses from online services such as Prolific, e.g., bots, LLM responses. I'm curious if anyone who has experienced that in a memorable way would mind sharing the details of their project (code, etc.).