Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
@drlarisa.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Psychology at Columbia studying how kids and adults think about morality, religion, and law. Lover of balloons. Lab website: columbiasamclab.weebly.com
January's office hours are 1/29 10-12 Eastern. Theme=your professional goals for 2026 (how best to achieve them etc). More info in thread below, sign-ups here: calendly.com/lah2201/open...
#AcademicSky #PhdSky #PsychSciSky #SocialPsyc #DevPsyc #CogPsyc
#AcademicSky #PhdSky #PsychSciSky #SocialPsyc #DevPsyc #CogPsyc
January 12, 2026 at 7:44 PM
January's office hours are 1/29 10-12 Eastern. Theme=your professional goals for 2026 (how best to achieve them etc). More info in thread below, sign-ups here: calendly.com/lah2201/open...
#AcademicSky #PhdSky #PsychSciSky #SocialPsyc #DevPsyc #CogPsyc
#AcademicSky #PhdSky #PsychSciSky #SocialPsyc #DevPsyc #CogPsyc
This paper about inferences that kids draw on the basis of parental incarceration is now published! Pretty version here: psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-.... Link to full text & summary in thread below.
🧪 #PsychSciSky #SocialPsyc #DevPsyc @socphilpsych.bsky.social
🧪 #PsychSciSky #SocialPsyc #DevPsyc @socphilpsych.bsky.social
January 12, 2026 at 7:19 PM
This paper about inferences that kids draw on the basis of parental incarceration is now published! Pretty version here: psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-.... Link to full text & summary in thread below.
🧪 #PsychSciSky #SocialPsyc #DevPsyc @socphilpsych.bsky.social
🧪 #PsychSciSky #SocialPsyc #DevPsyc @socphilpsych.bsky.social
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
Now out in JEP: General, "How working memory and reinforcement learning interact when avoiding punishment and pursuing reward concurrently"
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
Preprint with final version: osf.io/preprints/ps...
1/n
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
Preprint with final version: osf.io/preprints/ps...
1/n
September 13, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Now out in JEP: General, "How working memory and reinforcement learning interact when avoiding punishment and pursuing reward concurrently"
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
Preprint with final version: osf.io/preprints/ps...
1/n
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
Preprint with final version: osf.io/preprints/ps...
1/n
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
How appealing an explanation is, is only in part down to how well it actually *explains*, research by klopfenstein.bsky.social & @hugoreasoning.bsky.social suggests.
Usefulness and surprisingness matter too, the latter especially explaining why poor explanations become popular:
buff.ly/NaSAlaJ
Usefulness and surprisingness matter too, the latter especially explaining why poor explanations become popular:
buff.ly/NaSAlaJ
January 12, 2026 at 9:18 AM
How appealing an explanation is, is only in part down to how well it actually *explains*, research by klopfenstein.bsky.social & @hugoreasoning.bsky.social suggests.
Usefulness and surprisingness matter too, the latter especially explaining why poor explanations become popular:
buff.ly/NaSAlaJ
Usefulness and surprisingness matter too, the latter especially explaining why poor explanations become popular:
buff.ly/NaSAlaJ
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
Numerous studies show Christian nationalism's effect on social & political views often varies by race. In a series of papers (& a book), I'm finding CLASS is a big moderating factor. Here I find the link between CN & support for organized labor diverges by class.
Free link: doi.org/10.1093/socr...
Free link: doi.org/10.1093/socr...
January 12, 2026 at 1:19 PM
Numerous studies show Christian nationalism's effect on social & political views often varies by race. In a series of papers (& a book), I'm finding CLASS is a big moderating factor. Here I find the link between CN & support for organized labor diverges by class.
Free link: doi.org/10.1093/socr...
Free link: doi.org/10.1093/socr...
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
Have you noticed how we often describe people from disadvantaged backgrounds as “strivers” or “go-getters” (💪🏼) rather than naturally gifted (🧠)? This may sound benign, but our new KiDLAB research shows that it reveals a harmful, early-emerging stereotype. (1/5)
January 9, 2026 at 10:54 AM
Have you noticed how we often describe people from disadvantaged backgrounds as “strivers” or “go-getters” (💪🏼) rather than naturally gifted (🧠)? This may sound benign, but our new KiDLAB research shows that it reveals a harmful, early-emerging stereotype. (1/5)
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
🧵 New preprint with my advisor, Alex Shaw!
We asked: What does “popularity” actually mean? Is it a distinct status category with specific features? We turned to elementary-schoolers, who have just begun to experience their own "popularity hierarchies," for some answers.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
We asked: What does “popularity” actually mean? Is it a distinct status category with specific features? We turned to elementary-schoolers, who have just begun to experience their own "popularity hierarchies," for some answers.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
January 8, 2026 at 4:25 PM
🧵 New preprint with my advisor, Alex Shaw!
We asked: What does “popularity” actually mean? Is it a distinct status category with specific features? We turned to elementary-schoolers, who have just begun to experience their own "popularity hierarchies," for some answers.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
We asked: What does “popularity” actually mean? Is it a distinct status category with specific features? We turned to elementary-schoolers, who have just begun to experience their own "popularity hierarchies," for some answers.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
Wrapping up the year with this new paper and framework led by the phenomenal, and always innovative, @mdphamm.bsky.social !
💫 Now in PSPR: We theorize a strength-based solidarity framework, wherein members of different marginalized groups recognize common identity-conscious strengths (e.g., community strength, resilience) and work to improve each other's lived experiences. 1/6
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
December 29, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Wrapping up the year with this new paper and framework led by the phenomenal, and always innovative, @mdphamm.bsky.social !
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
The whole point of being an academic is that you need to be willing to spend three days creating a 700-word footnote that you will later delete. And you need to LIKE IT.
December 20, 2025 at 2:15 PM
The whole point of being an academic is that you need to be willing to spend three days creating a 700-word footnote that you will later delete. And you need to LIKE IT.
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
In "The Leniency of Low Expectations: Parental Incarceration, Race, and Teachers’ Evaluations," @erinjmccauley.bsky.social's survey experiment shows that teachers grade less rigorously if they think a student has an incarcerated parent.
-New in Am J Sociol. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10....
-New in Am J Sociol. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10....
December 19, 2025 at 2:33 AM
In "The Leniency of Low Expectations: Parental Incarceration, Race, and Teachers’ Evaluations," @erinjmccauley.bsky.social's survey experiment shows that teachers grade less rigorously if they think a student has an incarcerated parent.
-New in Am J Sociol. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10....
-New in Am J Sociol. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10....
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
New paper in PSPB on the benefits of giving positive feedback to students, especially from underrepresented groups. Although not the norm in STEM, giving positive feedback boosts self-efficacy and belonging, which increases STEM performance, attitudes, interest
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
December 18, 2025 at 2:27 PM
New paper in PSPB on the benefits of giving positive feedback to students, especially from underrepresented groups. Although not the norm in STEM, giving positive feedback boosts self-efficacy and belonging, which increases STEM performance, attitudes, interest
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
A thread on our recent paper (w/Raihan Alam @raihanalam) in PNAS on why punishment often fails and what it means for crime, cooperation, democracy, and the rule of law. I’m super excited for it, it’s the lab’s most extensive experimental work to date. Check it out! 1/
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
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
November 19, 2025 at 11:40 PM
A thread on our recent paper (w/Raihan Alam @raihanalam) in PNAS on why punishment often fails and what it means for crime, cooperation, democracy, and the rule of law. I’m super excited for it, it’s the lab’s most extensive experimental work to date. Check it out! 1/
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
New paper with Junyi Chu, Tomer Ullman et al showing that kids think more difficulty is more fun!
Fun isn't easy: Children selectively manipulate task difficulty when “playing for fun” versus “playing to win”. psycnet.apa.org/record/2027-...
Fun isn't easy: Children selectively manipulate task difficulty when “playing for fun” versus “playing to win”. psycnet.apa.org/record/2027-...
APA PsycNet
psycnet.apa.org
December 14, 2025 at 2:37 PM
New paper with Junyi Chu, Tomer Ullman et al showing that kids think more difficulty is more fun!
Fun isn't easy: Children selectively manipulate task difficulty when “playing for fun” versus “playing to win”. psycnet.apa.org/record/2027-...
Fun isn't easy: Children selectively manipulate task difficulty when “playing for fun” versus “playing to win”. psycnet.apa.org/record/2027-...
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
New paper out with Heidi Vuletich and Ayla Winegar: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/.... We discuss public policy implications of the Bias of Crowds model: How do environments activate and perpetuate biases and what can we do against it?
Systemic Problems Require Systemic Solutions: How Regional Variation
in Implicit Bias Can Inform Public Policy - Heidi A. Vuletich, Maximilian A. Primbs, Ayla Winegar, 2025
Traditional psychological approaches to reduce discrimination typically focus on addressing the biases of people. This paper recommends policies aimed at changi...
journals.sagepub.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:01 PM
New paper out with Heidi Vuletich and Ayla Winegar: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/.... We discuss public policy implications of the Bias of Crowds model: How do environments activate and perpetuate biases and what can we do against it?
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
A global study of minimal groups finds discrimination in favor of the in-group in all 20 countries, yielding a large overall effect (OR = 4.58).
The degree of intergroup discrimination was related to higher societal uncertainty www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
The degree of intergroup discrimination was related to higher societal uncertainty www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
December 14, 2025 at 5:52 PM
A global study of minimal groups finds discrimination in favor of the in-group in all 20 countries, yielding a large overall effect (OR = 4.58).
The degree of intergroup discrimination was related to higher societal uncertainty www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
The degree of intergroup discrimination was related to higher societal uncertainty www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
New preprint: Empathy, Thick and Thin
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
It is perhaps foolhardy to attempt to say something new about a topic as widely studied as empathy. I tried anyway! 1/
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
It is perhaps foolhardy to attempt to say something new about a topic as widely studied as empathy. I tried anyway! 1/
December 11, 2025 at 8:50 PM
New preprint: Empathy, Thick and Thin
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
It is perhaps foolhardy to attempt to say something new about a topic as widely studied as empathy. I tried anyway! 1/
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
It is perhaps foolhardy to attempt to say something new about a topic as widely studied as empathy. I tried anyway! 1/
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
🧵1/4 New paper alert! psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
Can you celebrate diversity while undermining it? Our new paper in American Psychologist discusses how people/organizations can appear committed to diversity while their conceptualizations of diversity actively undercut it.
Can you celebrate diversity while undermining it? Our new paper in American Psychologist discusses how people/organizations can appear committed to diversity while their conceptualizations of diversity actively undercut it.
December 8, 2025 at 1:29 PM
🧵1/4 New paper alert! psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
Can you celebrate diversity while undermining it? Our new paper in American Psychologist discusses how people/organizations can appear committed to diversity while their conceptualizations of diversity actively undercut it.
Can you celebrate diversity while undermining it? Our new paper in American Psychologist discusses how people/organizations can appear committed to diversity while their conceptualizations of diversity actively undercut it.
"Joy is not meant to be a crumb"
www.best-poems.net/mary-oliver/...
www.best-poems.net/mary-oliver/...
December 7, 2025 at 4:53 AM
"Joy is not meant to be a crumb"
www.best-poems.net/mary-oliver/...
www.best-poems.net/mary-oliver/...
Another link - which hopefully works! - to the earlier paper I was trying to link in the post below, on how infants understand relationships: direct.mit.edu/daed/article...
December 5, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Another link - which hopefully works! - to the earlier paper I was trying to link in the post below, on how infants understand relationships: direct.mit.edu/daed/article...
Thank you to Christina Steele for sharing her work with @ashleyjthomas.bsky.social in lab meeting today! Christina shared neat findings on implicit attitudes toward interracial couples, building on her prior work on development of understanding about relationships. Interesting & important project!
watermark02.silverchair.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Thank you to Christina Steele for sharing her work with @ashleyjthomas.bsky.social in lab meeting today! Christina shared neat findings on implicit attitudes toward interracial couples, building on her prior work on development of understanding about relationships. Interesting & important project!
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
December 1, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
Excited to announce DID lab's first paper!
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
We find that children as young as 6 show political ingroup preference!
First paper of very talented @annie-schw.bsky.social!
In JEP: General's special issue on political development (1/3)
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
We find that children as young as 6 show political ingroup preference!
First paper of very talented @annie-schw.bsky.social!
In JEP: General's special issue on political development (1/3)
October 10, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Excited to announce DID lab's first paper!
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
We find that children as young as 6 show political ingroup preference!
First paper of very talented @annie-schw.bsky.social!
In JEP: General's special issue on political development (1/3)
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
We find that children as young as 6 show political ingroup preference!
First paper of very talented @annie-schw.bsky.social!
In JEP: General's special issue on political development (1/3)
Reposted by Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
1/ Does growing up poor always lead to political apathy?
Very happy to share my first paper published (open access) in @electoralstudies.bsky.social, where I show that parents' influence mitigates the poverty gap in participation, while economic mobility does not.
🔗 shorturl.at/p5Bac
Very happy to share my first paper published (open access) in @electoralstudies.bsky.social, where I show that parents' influence mitigates the poverty gap in participation, while economic mobility does not.
🔗 shorturl.at/p5Bac
December 4, 2025 at 10:54 AM
1/ Does growing up poor always lead to political apathy?
Very happy to share my first paper published (open access) in @electoralstudies.bsky.social, where I show that parents' influence mitigates the poverty gap in participation, while economic mobility does not.
🔗 shorturl.at/p5Bac
Very happy to share my first paper published (open access) in @electoralstudies.bsky.social, where I show that parents' influence mitigates the poverty gap in participation, while economic mobility does not.
🔗 shorturl.at/p5Bac
"What am I thinking?" --> I am a psychologist, not a psychic.
"Why do I feel sad all the time?" --> I am not that kind of psychologist.
"Why do I feel sad all the time?" --> I am not that kind of psychologist.
What’s the worst question someone can ask after you tell them your profession? For linguists, it’s definitely “how many languages do you speak?”, but I’m curious what else is happening to the rest of y’all out there?!
December 2, 2025 at 12:33 AM
"What am I thinking?" --> I am a psychologist, not a psychic.
"Why do I feel sad all the time?" --> I am not that kind of psychologist.
"Why do I feel sad all the time?" --> I am not that kind of psychologist.
Excited to share that former SAMC Lab grad student @dymoral.bsky.social has accepted a postdoc at @cornellbctr.bsky.social. He'll be studying purpose, identity, and well-being among adolescents and adults. Sad not to have Daniel in the lab anymore & also very excited for his new adventure! 🎉🎉🎉
December 1, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Excited to share that former SAMC Lab grad student @dymoral.bsky.social has accepted a postdoc at @cornellbctr.bsky.social. He'll be studying purpose, identity, and well-being among adolescents and adults. Sad not to have Daniel in the lab anymore & also very excited for his new adventure! 🎉🎉🎉