Jessica Sommerville
@jessicas.bsky.social
Psych prof at Univ. of Toronto, studying the dev't of social and moral cognition, learning, and behavio(u)r.
tecl.ca
tecl.ca
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
Are you a US-based PhD student WITHOUT summer funding who is interested in adolescent development, trans youth, and/or gender? Reach out to me about applying to join my lab in Summer 2026 for the VIPS program! psych.princeton.edu/diversity/vi...
Visiting Internship for Ph.D. Students (VIPS) Program
The VIPS program is an initiative of the DEI committee of the Department of Psychology at Princeton University. VIPS will support up to 4 Ph.D. students who are full-time students at other universitie...
psych.princeton.edu
October 31, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Are you a US-based PhD student WITHOUT summer funding who is interested in adolescent development, trans youth, and/or gender? Reach out to me about applying to join my lab in Summer 2026 for the VIPS program! psych.princeton.edu/diversity/vi...
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
October 16, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
Hi #canadian researchers - please sign this petition to help ensure funding isn’t cut to tri council agencies (NSERC, SSHRC, and CIHR). We’re looking at potential 15% cuts to ALL federal spending including grants win.newmode.net/canadianasso...
New/Mode | Make your voice impossible to ignore
win.newmode.net
September 18, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Hi #canadian researchers - please sign this petition to help ensure funding isn’t cut to tri council agencies (NSERC, SSHRC, and CIHR). We’re looking at potential 15% cuts to ALL federal spending including grants win.newmode.net/canadianasso...
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
📣📣📣 Hi Everyone! I'm accepting PhD students for the Fall 2026 cycle! Our lab topics include the developmental origins and elaboration of moral cognition/prosocial behavior, persistence, and optimism. More info below!!
September 11, 2025 at 7:37 PM
📣📣📣 Hi Everyone! I'm accepting PhD students for the Fall 2026 cycle! Our lab topics include the developmental origins and elaboration of moral cognition/prosocial behavior, persistence, and optimism. More info below!!
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
Lazarus et al. (2025): A simple act with a lasting impact: Holding babies skin-to-skin in the NICU helped support their development and reduced differences linked to family income. Early touch can be a powerful way to promote equity from the very start #infancypapers doi.org/10.1111/infa...
doi.org
July 31, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Lazarus et al. (2025): A simple act with a lasting impact: Holding babies skin-to-skin in the NICU helped support their development and reduced differences linked to family income. Early touch can be a powerful way to promote equity from the very start #infancypapers doi.org/10.1111/infa...
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
New paper! Here (in Nature Communications) we (Ale Geraci, Luca Surian, Lucia Gabriella Tina, & I; work led/run by Ale) show that 5-day-old newborns selectively attend to two distinct forms of prosocial over antisocial action: approaching versus avoiding and helping versus hindering.
rdcu.be/evorW
rdcu.be/evorW
Human newborns spontaneously attend to prosocial interactions
Nature Communications - Abilities to distinguish between prosocial and antisocial actions are crucial for sustaining cooperative systems. Here, the authors show that human newborns with just 5 days...
rdcu.be
July 8, 2025 at 8:57 PM
New paper! Here (in Nature Communications) we (Ale Geraci, Luca Surian, Lucia Gabriella Tina, & I; work led/run by Ale) show that 5-day-old newborns selectively attend to two distinct forms of prosocial over antisocial action: approaching versus avoiding and helping versus hindering.
rdcu.be/evorW
rdcu.be/evorW
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
I'm hiring a full-time #labmanager for my new Lab for Infant Learning and Cognition (LILAC) at UCSB! The start date is flexible, but could be as early as August 1, 2025. Application review begins July 17th and will continue until the position is filled 👶🪴
recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02992
#academicjobs
recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02992
#academicjobs
Junior Specialist-Lab for Infant Learning And Cognition (LILAC), Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
University of California Santa Barbara is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ap.ucsb.edu
July 2, 2025 at 7:26 PM
I'm hiring a full-time #labmanager for my new Lab for Infant Learning and Cognition (LILAC) at UCSB! The start date is flexible, but could be as early as August 1, 2025. Application review begins July 17th and will continue until the position is filled 👶🪴
recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02992
#academicjobs
recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02992
#academicjobs
🚨 Postdoc Opportunity!!!
The Toronto Early Cognition Lab (@UofT) is hiring a postdoc to study early optimism in infants & young children.
Work w/ multi-method approach, amazing undergrads & grads.
Start: Fall 2025 or later.
Details: jessica.sommerville@utoronto.ca
RTs appreciated 💫
The Toronto Early Cognition Lab (@UofT) is hiring a postdoc to study early optimism in infants & young children.
Work w/ multi-method approach, amazing undergrads & grads.
Start: Fall 2025 or later.
Details: jessica.sommerville@utoronto.ca
RTs appreciated 💫
June 26, 2025 at 2:48 PM
🚨 Postdoc Opportunity!!!
The Toronto Early Cognition Lab (@UofT) is hiring a postdoc to study early optimism in infants & young children.
Work w/ multi-method approach, amazing undergrads & grads.
Start: Fall 2025 or later.
Details: jessica.sommerville@utoronto.ca
RTs appreciated 💫
The Toronto Early Cognition Lab (@UofT) is hiring a postdoc to study early optimism in infants & young children.
Work w/ multi-method approach, amazing undergrads & grads.
Start: Fall 2025 or later.
Details: jessica.sommerville@utoronto.ca
RTs appreciated 💫
Wow this is cool!!
Eight-month-old infants demonstrate the ability to flexibly adapt their learning strategies in response to changing environments, suggesting early cognitive flexibility. doi.org/g9rc8x
Eight-month-old babies can adapt their learning style to changing situations
Babies as young as eight months old can adapt their learning style to changing situations, according to research by Francesco Poli of the Donders Institute at Radboud University.
medicalxpress.com
June 26, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Wow this is cool!!
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PnO...
Check out this 1 min clip where I describe why it's impossible for AI to 'understand' language.
based on @theconversation.com article lnkd.in/gh97_cbW
#Neuroscience @brocku.ca
Check out this 1 min clip where I describe why it's impossible for AI to 'understand' language.
based on @theconversation.com article lnkd.in/gh97_cbW
#Neuroscience @brocku.ca
Veena Dwivedi discusses limits to AI’s ability to ‘understand’ like a human brain
YouTube video by Brock University
www.youtube.com
June 19, 2025 at 10:31 PM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PnO...
Check out this 1 min clip where I describe why it's impossible for AI to 'understand' language.
based on @theconversation.com article lnkd.in/gh97_cbW
#Neuroscience @brocku.ca
Check out this 1 min clip where I describe why it's impossible for AI to 'understand' language.
based on @theconversation.com article lnkd.in/gh97_cbW
#Neuroscience @brocku.ca
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
Check out my new article in The Conversation Canada, based on my research in #Neuroscience at @brocku.ca theconversation.com/a-neuroscien...
A neuroscientist explains why it’s impossible for AI to ‘understand’ language
Describing artificial intelligence as having neural networks and understanding language has implications for how we understand both AI and the human brain.
theconversation.com
June 5, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Check out my new article in The Conversation Canada, based on my research in #Neuroscience at @brocku.ca theconversation.com/a-neuroscien...
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
Just had the chance to present on an @infantstudies.bsky.social panel about inexpensive methods for data collection with children - if you're curious about how Children Helping Science works/the kinds of studies you can run, this slide deck is a good place to start!
docs.google.com/presentation...
docs.google.com/presentation...
2025 - CHS (ICIS Webinar)
Conducting developmental studies online with Children Helping Science Melissa Kline Struhl ICIS Webinar 05/29/2025 1 1 Children Helping Science
docs.google.com
May 29, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Just had the chance to present on an @infantstudies.bsky.social panel about inexpensive methods for data collection with children - if you're curious about how Children Helping Science works/the kinds of studies you can run, this slide deck is a good place to start!
docs.google.com/presentation...
docs.google.com/presentation...
My ICIS blog post about some of our lab's recent work:
infantstudies.org/to-try-or-no...
infantstudies.org/to-try-or-no...
To try or not to try: That is the (developmental) question - The International Congress of Infant Studies
infantstudies.org
May 4, 2025 at 8:29 PM
My ICIS blog post about some of our lab's recent work:
infantstudies.org/to-try-or-no...
infantstudies.org/to-try-or-no...
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
#SRCD2025 come check out the Toronto Early Cognition Lab (@jessicas.bsky.social)! @elainewang.bsky.social will also be presenting work with @julia-a-leonard.bsky.social that we got to collaborate on :)
May 1, 2025 at 1:55 PM
#SRCD2025 come check out the Toronto Early Cognition Lab (@jessicas.bsky.social)! @elainewang.bsky.social will also be presenting work with @julia-a-leonard.bsky.social that we got to collaborate on :)
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
Breaking News: Canada’s Liberal Party is projected to win, electing Mark Carney, who ran on an anti-Trump platform, as prime minister. nyti.ms/4308UmS
April 29, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Breaking News: Canada’s Liberal Party is projected to win, electing Mark Carney, who ran on an anti-Trump platform, as prime minister. nyti.ms/4308UmS
Canadian Academics!: I'm seeing that CAUT just issued a travel advisory warning against non-essential travel to the US. I'm curious to know how folks are feeling about this and whether it will affect plans to attend upcoming conferences?
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Canadian academics warned to halt non-essential travel to the U.S. amid Trump’s crackdown, border tensions
The Canadian Association of University Teachers has issued a travel advisory for its members amid Trump’s crackdown and border fears.
www.thestar.com
April 15, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Canadian Academics!: I'm seeing that CAUT just issued a travel advisory warning against non-essential travel to the US. I'm curious to know how folks are feeling about this and whether it will affect plans to attend upcoming conferences?
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
Research led by Psychology PhD candidate @radovanovic.bsky.social & Prof. @jessicas.bsky.social is investigating how people-pleasing socialization influences how children solve problems.
💡 www.psych.utoronto.ca/news/people-...
💡 www.psych.utoronto.ca/news/people-...
People-pleasing linked to gender differences in problem-solving: Study
A new study found that, on average, girls excel at replicating the teacher’s instructions in the classroom — even when those instructions are wrong.
www.psych.utoronto.ca
March 20, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Research led by Psychology PhD candidate @radovanovic.bsky.social & Prof. @jessicas.bsky.social is investigating how people-pleasing socialization influences how children solve problems.
💡 www.psych.utoronto.ca/news/people-...
💡 www.psych.utoronto.ca/news/people-...
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
March 18, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
“There are, as Donald Trump and Don Corleone might put it, two ways of doing this: the easy way and the hard way,” writes @eliotacohen.bsky.social.
When it comes to making Canada the 51st state, neither is advisable: theatln.tc/6oAICykE
When it comes to making Canada the 51st state, neither is advisable: theatln.tc/6oAICykE
Invading Canada Is Not Advisable
We’ve tried before. It didn’t work out.
theatln.tc
March 15, 2025 at 12:01 PM
“There are, as Donald Trump and Don Corleone might put it, two ways of doing this: the easy way and the hard way,” writes @eliotacohen.bsky.social.
When it comes to making Canada the 51st state, neither is advisable: theatln.tc/6oAICykE
When it comes to making Canada the 51st state, neither is advisable: theatln.tc/6oAICykE
Nice write up from U of T, about a study we published in the fall led by the AMAZING @radovanovic.bsky.social . Take a listen to her podcast interview too.
www.artsci.utoronto.ca/news/people-...
www.artsci.utoronto.ca/news/people-...
People-pleasing linked to gender differences in problem-solving: Study
www.artsci.utoronto.ca
March 14, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Nice write up from U of T, about a study we published in the fall led by the AMAZING @radovanovic.bsky.social . Take a listen to her podcast interview too.
www.artsci.utoronto.ca/news/people-...
www.artsci.utoronto.ca/news/people-...
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
Time to re-share this article, which lays out the many similarities in how Trump talks about Canada and how Putin talks about Ukraine. It's getting worse by the day. www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
ANALYSIS | Trump's talk about Canada parrots Putin's claims on Ukraine | CBC News
Donad Trump's threats and claims about Canada may be unprecedented in the history of U.S.-Canada relations. But they have a strong precedent elsewhere in recent history: They closely resemble remarks ...
www.cbc.ca
March 11, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Time to re-share this article, which lays out the many similarities in how Trump talks about Canada and how Putin talks about Ukraine. It's getting worse by the day. www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
Reposted by Jessica Sommerville
THIS IS HUGE! Researchers at Stanford University have developed a dual-antibody treatment that remains effective against ALL SARS-CoV-2 variants by targeting a less-mutable part of the virus. This breakthrough could lead to longer-lasting therapies that OUTPACE viral evolution. 🧪🧵⬇️
March 9, 2025 at 4:00 PM
THIS IS HUGE! Researchers at Stanford University have developed a dual-antibody treatment that remains effective against ALL SARS-CoV-2 variants by targeting a less-mutable part of the virus. This breakthrough could lead to longer-lasting therapies that OUTPACE viral evolution. 🧪🧵⬇️