Jessie Sun
@jessiesun.bsky.social
Assistant prof. at WashU enthusiastically researching personality, well-being, and morality. Vegan effective altruist, Brazilian Zouk addict, opera singer, climber.
Reposted by Jessie Sun
Had a great day yesterday with the first annual Midwestern Personality Meeting held in our own Champaign/Urbana. H/T to @cavanvbonner.bsky.social, Muchen Xi, and Derek Simon for organizing. @chops310.bsky.social @rcfraley.bsky.social @jaime.phd @jessiesun.bsky.social @joshuajackson.bsky.social
November 10, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Had a great day yesterday with the first annual Midwestern Personality Meeting held in our own Champaign/Urbana. H/T to @cavanvbonner.bsky.social, Muchen Xi, and Derek Simon for organizing. @chops310.bsky.social @rcfraley.bsky.social @jaime.phd @jessiesun.bsky.social @joshuajackson.bsky.social
Reposted by Jessie Sun
Finally, our 4-year long project has been published! We have conducted a multi-lab study comparing STM of musicians and nonmusicians, collecting many other cognitive, personality, musical, and demographic variables!
A big thank you to all collaborators!
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
A big thank you to all collaborators!
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Do Musicians Have Better Short-Term Memory Than Nonmusicians? A Multilab Study - Massimo Grassi, Francesca Talamini, Gianmarco Altoè, Elvira Brattico, Anne Caclin, Barbara Carretti, Véronique Drai-Zer...
Musicians are often regarded as a positive example of brain plasticity and associated cognitive benefits. This emerges when experienced musicians (e.g., musicia...
journals.sagepub.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Finally, our 4-year long project has been published! We have conducted a multi-lab study comparing STM of musicians and nonmusicians, collecting many other cognitive, personality, musical, and demographic variables!
A big thank you to all collaborators!
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
A big thank you to all collaborators!
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Jessie Sun
I get this a lot too. I don't use ChatGPT or any LLMs in my work because I want my writing to sound like me, not like the averaged-out voice of the internet. But also, writing is thinking, and thinking is a habit. I don't want to get out of that habit.
A friend recently texted me the same thing. “Do you really not use ChatGPT?!” It was a sign of where we are culturally on this. People are compelled to use it but also starting to question the normalcy?
Recently met someone who was very surprised to hear I didn’t use ChatGPT or any LLM.
I said my job depended on doing distinctive work. That was my selling point. If I started to sound like ChatGPT and turn out what it did, then how on earth could I justify doing it? What would that make me?
I said my job depended on doing distinctive work. That was my selling point. If I started to sound like ChatGPT and turn out what it did, then how on earth could I justify doing it? What would that make me?
November 8, 2025 at 1:43 PM
I get this a lot too. I don't use ChatGPT or any LLMs in my work because I want my writing to sound like me, not like the averaged-out voice of the internet. But also, writing is thinking, and thinking is a habit. I don't want to get out of that habit.
Reposted by Jessie Sun
I'll be starting as an Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science at Stony Brook in Fall '26!
My lab will take a social cognitive approach to studying how we form/update our beliefs and why we disagree about what is true vs false
I'll also be reviewing grad apps! See below for more info
My lab will take a social cognitive approach to studying how we form/update our beliefs and why we disagree about what is true vs false
I'll also be reviewing grad apps! See below for more info
November 6, 2025 at 3:59 PM
I'll be starting as an Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science at Stony Brook in Fall '26!
My lab will take a social cognitive approach to studying how we form/update our beliefs and why we disagree about what is true vs false
I'll also be reviewing grad apps! See below for more info
My lab will take a social cognitive approach to studying how we form/update our beliefs and why we disagree about what is true vs false
I'll also be reviewing grad apps! See below for more info
Reposted by Jessie Sun
There are no words for how evil this is
November 7, 2025 at 1:36 AM
There are no words for how evil this is
Reposted by Jessie Sun
Getting nervous for the talk I'm about to give at a workshop about "using AI to drive impact" which features slides such as these.
November 6, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Getting nervous for the talk I'm about to give at a workshop about "using AI to drive impact" which features slides such as these.
Reposted by Jessie Sun
It’s grad school application season, and I wanted to give some public advice.
Caveats:
-*-*-*-*
> These are my opinions, based on my experiences, they are not secret tricks or guarantees
> They are general guidelines, not meant to cover a host of idiosyncrasies and special cases
Caveats:
-*-*-*-*
> These are my opinions, based on my experiences, they are not secret tricks or guarantees
> They are general guidelines, not meant to cover a host of idiosyncrasies and special cases
November 6, 2025 at 2:55 PM
It’s grad school application season, and I wanted to give some public advice.
Caveats:
-*-*-*-*
> These are my opinions, based on my experiences, they are not secret tricks or guarantees
> They are general guidelines, not meant to cover a host of idiosyncrasies and special cases
Caveats:
-*-*-*-*
> These are my opinions, based on my experiences, they are not secret tricks or guarantees
> They are general guidelines, not meant to cover a host of idiosyncrasies and special cases
Reposted by Jessie Sun
There’s growing evidence that something was going seriously wrong in the classic early work on cognitive dissonance
Latest revelation: The story in When Prophecy Fails seems to have been fabricated in the most egregious way
But this is not the only one…
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Latest revelation: The story in When Prophecy Fails seems to have been fabricated in the most egregious way
But this is not the only one…
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Debunking “When Prophecy Fails”
In 1954, Dorothy Martin predicted an apocalyptic flood and promised her followers rescue by flying saucers. When neither arrived, she recanted, her group dissolved, and efforts to proselytize ceased....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:06 PM
There’s growing evidence that something was going seriously wrong in the classic early work on cognitive dissonance
Latest revelation: The story in When Prophecy Fails seems to have been fabricated in the most egregious way
But this is not the only one…
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Latest revelation: The story in When Prophecy Fails seems to have been fabricated in the most egregious way
But this is not the only one…
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Reposted by Jessie Sun
Canada makes pitch for US researchers to relocate with $1.7bn in new funding. My story for @science.org 🧪
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Canada’s new budget aims to lure U.S. researchers to relocate
Spending plan also calls for smaller research spending cut than feared
www.science.org
November 5, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Canada makes pitch for US researchers to relocate with $1.7bn in new funding. My story for @science.org 🧪
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Jessie Sun
New episode! @minzlicht.bsky.social is back and fired up about citation diversity staments. We discuss the much-criticised Nature Reviews Psychology editorial encouraging authors to include them in their articles, as well as Mickey's very problematic beer tastes. share.fireside.fm/episode/Ah1O...
Two Psychologists Four Beers Episode 125: Citation Diversity Statements? (with Mickey Inzlicht)
Mickey is back and fired up about citation diversity statements. We discuss a recent editorial from Nature Reviews Psychology encouraging authors to include a "citation diversity statement" in their a...
share.fireside.fm
November 4, 2025 at 11:55 PM
New episode! @minzlicht.bsky.social is back and fired up about citation diversity staments. We discuss the much-criticised Nature Reviews Psychology editorial encouraging authors to include them in their articles, as well as Mickey's very problematic beer tastes. share.fireside.fm/episode/Ah1O...
Reposted by Jessie Sun
1/ 🚨New paper in Nature Genetics
Genetic factors are associated with the educational fields people study, from arts to engineering.
Article: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
FAQ: www.thehastingscenter.org/genomic-find...
Genetic factors are associated with the educational fields people study, from arts to engineering.
Article: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
FAQ: www.thehastingscenter.org/genomic-find...
Genetic associations with educational fields - Nature Genetics
Genome-wide analyses of 10 educational fields identify 17 associated loci. Analysis of genetic clustering across specializations identifies two key dimensions that show genetic overlap with personalit...
www.nature.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:23 AM
1/ 🚨New paper in Nature Genetics
Genetic factors are associated with the educational fields people study, from arts to engineering.
Article: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
FAQ: www.thehastingscenter.org/genomic-find...
Genetic factors are associated with the educational fields people study, from arts to engineering.
Article: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
FAQ: www.thehastingscenter.org/genomic-find...
Reposted by Jessie Sun
On election day, I wanna announce that I am recruiting social psych PhD students for my lab at UIC. My lab focuses on racial identities (esp Asian, Latino, MENA Americans) and intra-minority conflict/ coalition. So please tell your students to pick me! All details on my website: www.pbandjlab.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:17 PM
On election day, I wanna announce that I am recruiting social psych PhD students for my lab at UIC. My lab focuses on racial identities (esp Asian, Latino, MENA Americans) and intra-minority conflict/ coalition. So please tell your students to pick me! All details on my website: www.pbandjlab.com
Reposted by Jessie Sun
Do you teach attitudes or persuasion? I'm excited to share that I joined this great team for the 4th edition of The Psychology of Attitudes and Attitude Change, which is now available!
It's thoroughly updated with new research and examples + an effort to make the content even more accessible...
It's thoroughly updated with new research and examples + an effort to make the content even more accessible...
November 4, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Do you teach attitudes or persuasion? I'm excited to share that I joined this great team for the 4th edition of The Psychology of Attitudes and Attitude Change, which is now available!
It's thoroughly updated with new research and examples + an effort to make the content even more accessible...
It's thoroughly updated with new research and examples + an effort to make the content even more accessible...
Reposted by Jessie Sun
Wouldn't it be great to gather top social science journal editors + experts on fraud-prevention to discuss better ways to fraud-proof our field @ the National Academies? This is happening! Step 1 is creating an organizing committee. Submit nominees by 11/7:
www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/enh...
www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/enh...
www.nationalacademies.org
October 24, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Wouldn't it be great to gather top social science journal editors + experts on fraud-prevention to discuss better ways to fraud-proof our field @ the National Academies? This is happening! Step 1 is creating an organizing committee. Submit nominees by 11/7:
www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/enh...
www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/enh...
Reposted by Jessie Sun
Does solitude offer more autonomy than social interaction? A new paper with @elainehoan.bsky.social and @jessiesun.bsky.social says it depends who you're interacting with. Read about it in my most recent substack post (link to paper in comments). unromanticprof.substack.com/p/does-solit...
Does solitude bring freedom?
It depends who you socialize with
unromanticprof.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Does solitude offer more autonomy than social interaction? A new paper with @elainehoan.bsky.social and @jessiesun.bsky.social says it depends who you're interacting with. Read about it in my most recent substack post (link to paper in comments). unromanticprof.substack.com/p/does-solit...
Reposted by Jessie Sun
The package formerly known as papercheck has changed its name to metacheck! We're checking more than just papers, with functions to assess OSF projects, github repos, and AsPredicted pre-registrations, with more being developed all the time.
scienceverse.github.io/metacheck/
scienceverse.github.io/metacheck/
Check Research Outputs for Best Practices
A modular, extendable system for automatically checking research outputs for best practices using text search, R code, and/or (optional) LLM queries.
scienceverse.github.io
November 3, 2025 at 4:20 PM
The package formerly known as papercheck has changed its name to metacheck! We're checking more than just papers, with functions to assess OSF projects, github repos, and AsPredicted pre-registrations, with more being developed all the time.
scienceverse.github.io/metacheck/
scienceverse.github.io/metacheck/
Reposted by Jessie Sun
What's the take home message?
If you're submitting AI slop you're a loser. You're just making these great free services harder to run, and making it more difficult to separate signal (science) from noise (your crappy AI shit.)
If you're submitting AI slop you're a loser. You're just making these great free services harder to run, and making it more difficult to separate signal (science) from noise (your crappy AI shit.)
November 3, 2025 at 2:52 PM
What's the take home message?
If you're submitting AI slop you're a loser. You're just making these great free services harder to run, and making it more difficult to separate signal (science) from noise (your crappy AI shit.)
If you're submitting AI slop you're a loser. You're just making these great free services harder to run, and making it more difficult to separate signal (science) from noise (your crappy AI shit.)
Reposted by Jessie Sun
It's hiring season at @iast.fr!
- 2y research postdoc contract
- Full autonomy, you are your own PI
- Awesome multidisciplinary environment
- All social and behavioral sciences welcome
- Seed funding for projects and workshops
- Gorgeous city in the south of France
www.iast.fr/research-fel...
- 2y research postdoc contract
- Full autonomy, you are your own PI
- Awesome multidisciplinary environment
- All social and behavioral sciences welcome
- Seed funding for projects and workshops
- Gorgeous city in the south of France
www.iast.fr/research-fel...
September 20, 2025 at 9:15 AM
It's hiring season at @iast.fr!
- 2y research postdoc contract
- Full autonomy, you are your own PI
- Awesome multidisciplinary environment
- All social and behavioral sciences welcome
- Seed funding for projects and workshops
- Gorgeous city in the south of France
www.iast.fr/research-fel...
- 2y research postdoc contract
- Full autonomy, you are your own PI
- Awesome multidisciplinary environment
- All social and behavioral sciences welcome
- Seed funding for projects and workshops
- Gorgeous city in the south of France
www.iast.fr/research-fel...
Reposted by Jessie Sun
A reminder that I’m accepting applications for PhD students!
✨✨ I will be reviewing applications for the University of Minnesota psychology PhD program this fall!
Information for potential applicants can be found on my lab website: ringwaldlab.psych.umn.edu/join-lab
Please spread the word!
Information for potential applicants can be found on my lab website: ringwaldlab.psych.umn.edu/join-lab
Please spread the word!
Join the Lab | Ringwald Lab
ringwaldlab.psych.umn.edu
October 30, 2025 at 2:54 PM
A reminder that I’m accepting applications for PhD students!
Reposted by Jessie Sun
AI agents tried to do graphic design, video editing, game development, and administrative chores like scraping data. "Even the best could perform less than 3 percent of the work, earning $1,810 out of a possible $143,991," writes @willknight.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/ai-age...
AI Agents Are Terrible Freelance Workers
A new benchmark measures how well AI agents can automate economically valuable chores. Human-level AI is still some ways off.
www.wired.com
October 29, 2025 at 11:32 PM
AI agents tried to do graphic design, video editing, game development, and administrative chores like scraping data. "Even the best could perform less than 3 percent of the work, earning $1,810 out of a possible $143,991," writes @willknight.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/ai-age...
Has anyone used LLMs (or know of papers where this has been used) for coding the content of abstracts (for a bibliometric analysis)? Wondering what the state of the art is.
October 29, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Has anyone used LLMs (or know of papers where this has been used) for coding the content of abstracts (for a bibliometric analysis)? Wondering what the state of the art is.
Reposted by Jessie Sun
Are you a Norway-based early career researcher who has demonstrated a clear commitment to open science practices?
Apply for the 2025 NORRN open science award! ⬇️
Apply for the 2025 NORRN open science award! ⬇️
We’re excited to share that NORRN is launching its first-ever Open Science Award to recognise outstanding early career researchers in Norway who champion open science 🏆
Award winners will receive a gift card + certificate, see the application form for more details nettskjema.no/a/531568#/pa...
Award winners will receive a gift card + certificate, see the application form for more details nettskjema.no/a/531568#/pa...
October 29, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Are you a Norway-based early career researcher who has demonstrated a clear commitment to open science practices?
Apply for the 2025 NORRN open science award! ⬇️
Apply for the 2025 NORRN open science award! ⬇️
Reposted by Jessie Sun
If you need a little hope this morning - the current tween trend involves decorating clothespins with affirming messages, then clipping them on friends' backpacks when they're not looking.
Here are a few that my 11-year-old decorated this weekend ❤️
Here are a few that my 11-year-old decorated this weekend ❤️
September 15, 2025 at 2:15 PM
If you need a little hope this morning - the current tween trend involves decorating clothespins with affirming messages, then clipping them on friends' backpacks when they're not looking.
Here are a few that my 11-year-old decorated this weekend ❤️
Here are a few that my 11-year-old decorated this weekend ❤️
Reposted by Jessie Sun
This thread makes a point I find myself coming to often these days.
It's hard to make this point in a way that doesn't sound like a threat, but it's just a fact that for centuries the wealthy in America worried that the mob would come get them and did all they could to avoid that fate.
It's hard to make this point in a way that doesn't sound like a threat, but it's just a fact that for centuries the wealthy in America worried that the mob would come get them and did all they could to avoid that fate.
lol what the wealthy today don't seem to understand is part of staying wealthy in society is not pissing off the masses.
There's a reason why Carnegie and the Rockefellers poured money into institutions. Gutting institutions and making it harder for the masses to survive is a...choice.
There's a reason why Carnegie and the Rockefellers poured money into institutions. Gutting institutions and making it harder for the masses to survive is a...choice.
October 27, 2025 at 6:36 PM
This thread makes a point I find myself coming to often these days.
It's hard to make this point in a way that doesn't sound like a threat, but it's just a fact that for centuries the wealthy in America worried that the mob would come get them and did all they could to avoid that fate.
It's hard to make this point in a way that doesn't sound like a threat, but it's just a fact that for centuries the wealthy in America worried that the mob would come get them and did all they could to avoid that fate.
Reposted by Jessie Sun
“The research shows that doctors who primarily rely on generative AI for decision-making face considerable skepticism from fellow clinicians, who correlate their use of AI with a lack of clinical skill and overall competence, resulting in a diminished perceived quality of patient care.”
Doctors who use AI viewed negatively by their peers, study shows
Hopkins researchers find that despite pressure on clinicians to be early adopters of AI, many face skepticism from peers for using it
hub.jhu.edu
October 27, 2025 at 5:37 PM
“The research shows that doctors who primarily rely on generative AI for decision-making face considerable skepticism from fellow clinicians, who correlate their use of AI with a lack of clinical skill and overall competence, resulting in a diminished perceived quality of patient care.”