✍️ New Preprint:

"Sticks and stones may break my bones..." but can words really harm?

We created the Words Can Harm Scale (WCHS) to measure the belief that speech can cause lasting psychological harm.

You can take the online assessment here: sampratt99.github.io/Words-Can-Ha...

New preprint: Do people care more about their pet dog than about other people? 🐶 > 🫂

Our findings suggest that increases in "soulmate" emotional reliance on dogs is associated with reduced moral concern for people. 🧵

This week's Science to Impact symposium at Ohio State hosted experts in all kinds of science communication!

Grateful to have helped organize this event and heard from these minds in one room. 🧠 🧪

Smile if you’re moving to Columbus!!

It was a great year at UNC. This summer, @mshastry.bsky.social and I are moving with @kurtjgray.bsky.social ’s Deepest Beliefs Lab to Ohio State! Excited to join.

(forever Go Blue, though 🤗〽️)

New post: What do a physicist in a strip club, a pop star in a church, and government officials making war plans in a group chat have in common? 🔬🎤💣

The setting is all wrong—so wrong that their decisions start to feel immoral.

(🔗 in thread)

Last month, I attended @aplssc.bsky.social in sunny San Juan! 🌤️ #APLS2025

I presented work showing that humans are worse at judging guilt based on walking style than a computer algorithm trained on the same dataset.

w/ @kurtjgray.bsky.social

Poster: tinyurl.com/devineposter...

I had a great time at #SPSP25 in Denver this weekend! 🏔️🧸
I presented research on 1) how social influences change consent requests and 2) how fear of crime may explain increased victim blaming rhetoric.

More on both in this thread!
🧵(1/3)

Looking forward to presenting at @SPSPnews next week! Come find me 😊

⚖️ Flash talk at legal precon: Keep your friends close, but your rights closer: Social support and compliance with consent requests (Thurs 9a)
📢 Poster on how fear of crime shapes victim blaming (Thurs 6-7p)

Why are so many people celebrating the recent assassination of UnitedHealthcare's CEO?

Insights from psychology can help explain why the perpetrator has become a 'Robin Hood'-like vigilante. 🏹

Well. What's next?

This platform is full of frustration. Animosity will likely rise. It's easy to hate everything. And yet...

with @kurtjgray @sampratt99

New @DeepBeliefsLab substack: Why do some of us get so enraged by minor social norm violations? Turns out anger over slow walkers and double parkers can be adaptive—and in some cases, actually improve— our society. 🤯

w/ @kurtjgray & @sampratt99

www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/the-psycho...

So excited to be joining @UNCPsych as a lab manager working in @kurtjgray 's Deepest Beliefs lab!! I *deeply believe* it's going to be a great time. 😆