Lexi Decker
@lexidecker.bsky.social
Incoming Asst. Prof of Psych & Brain @ WashU starting 1/26 | postdoc @ MIT & PhD @ UofToronto | Attention, Learning, Episodic Memory, Developing Brain
Pinned
Lexi Decker
@lexidecker.bsky.social
· Jul 31
Exploration is associated with socioeconomic disparities in learning and academic achievement in adolescence - Nature Communications
Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds often show lower academic achievement, commonly linked to limited resources. Here, the authors show that reduced exploration–a behavior tuned for learning...
www.nature.com
Thrilled to share our new @NatureComms
paper: "Exploration is associated with socioeconomic disparities in learning and academic achievement in adolescence." www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧵1/7
paper: "Exploration is associated with socioeconomic disparities in learning and academic achievement in adolescence." www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧵1/7
Reposted by Lexi Decker
"The decision in Cycle Toronto v Ontario was a strong rebuke to government overreach when those actions put people’s lives at risk and are unsupported by facts and data. We look forward to defending that victory in court on Jan. 28.”
The CCF will support the Ontario government’s appeal of a ruling that blocked the removal of downtown Toronto bike lanes
#ONpoli #BikeTO
cyclingmagazine.ca/sections/new...
#ONpoli #BikeTO
cyclingmagazine.ca/sections/new...
Canadian Constitution Foundation to intervene in Ontario bike lane court appeal - Canadian Cycling Magazine
The CCF will support the Ontario government’s appeal of a ruling that blocked the removal of downtown Toronto bike lanes
cyclingmagazine.ca
January 5, 2026 at 11:17 PM
"The decision in Cycle Toronto v Ontario was a strong rebuke to government overreach when those actions put people’s lives at risk and are unsupported by facts and data. We look forward to defending that victory in court on Jan. 28.”
Reposted by Lexi Decker
Thanks to @shawnballard.bsky.social for this terrific synopsis of our latest work in @cellpress.bsky.social. The details of how stimulant medications like Ritalin work inside the brain will surprise you! doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
December 24, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Thanks to @shawnballard.bsky.social for this terrific synopsis of our latest work in @cellpress.bsky.social. The details of how stimulant medications like Ritalin work inside the brain will surprise you! doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
Reposted by Lexi Decker
This is your brain on Ritalin. Got your attention? Stimulant medications like Ritalin (methylphenidate) do, but not in the way you might think. They don't act directly on the brain’s attention systems! Find out what's really happening in @cellpress.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
December 24, 2025 at 4:46 PM
This is your brain on Ritalin. Got your attention? Stimulant medications like Ritalin (methylphenidate) do, but not in the way you might think. They don't act directly on the brain’s attention systems! Find out what's really happening in @cellpress.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
Reposted by Lexi Decker
Our paper on the ☀️ "summer slide" 🛝 is out now @pnas.org!
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Summer slide is a replicable phenomenon across diverse datasets that's more than "forgetting" school material in vacation months, but effects of socioeconomic inequality are ➡️ 7x bigger! ⬅️
#PsychSciSky #DevPsy
🧵👇
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Summer slide is a replicable phenomenon across diverse datasets that's more than "forgetting" school material in vacation months, but effects of socioeconomic inequality are ➡️ 7x bigger! ⬅️
#PsychSciSky #DevPsy
🧵👇
December 16, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Our paper on the ☀️ "summer slide" 🛝 is out now @pnas.org!
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Summer slide is a replicable phenomenon across diverse datasets that's more than "forgetting" school material in vacation months, but effects of socioeconomic inequality are ➡️ 7x bigger! ⬅️
#PsychSciSky #DevPsy
🧵👇
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Summer slide is a replicable phenomenon across diverse datasets that's more than "forgetting" school material in vacation months, but effects of socioeconomic inequality are ➡️ 7x bigger! ⬅️
#PsychSciSky #DevPsy
🧵👇
Reposted by Lexi Decker
Very happy to share our paper on the "summer slide" in kid's cognitive test scores is out now in @pnas.org!
We find a replicable dip in performance across multiple domains of cognition in >23,000 kids across 4 datasets!
Check out the 🧵 from @ariellekeller.bsky.social below! 👇
We find a replicable dip in performance across multiple domains of cognition in >23,000 kids across 4 datasets!
Check out the 🧵 from @ariellekeller.bsky.social below! 👇
Our paper on the ☀️ "summer slide" 🛝 is out now @pnas.org!
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Summer slide is a replicable phenomenon across diverse datasets that's more than "forgetting" school material in vacation months, but effects of socioeconomic inequality are ➡️ 7x bigger! ⬅️
#PsychSciSky #DevPsy
🧵👇
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Summer slide is a replicable phenomenon across diverse datasets that's more than "forgetting" school material in vacation months, but effects of socioeconomic inequality are ➡️ 7x bigger! ⬅️
#PsychSciSky #DevPsy
🧵👇
December 18, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Very happy to share our paper on the "summer slide" in kid's cognitive test scores is out now in @pnas.org!
We find a replicable dip in performance across multiple domains of cognition in >23,000 kids across 4 datasets!
Check out the 🧵 from @ariellekeller.bsky.social below! 👇
We find a replicable dip in performance across multiple domains of cognition in >23,000 kids across 4 datasets!
Check out the 🧵 from @ariellekeller.bsky.social below! 👇
Honored that our soon-to-launch lab is included in this Liftoff piece! Grateful to everyone who has helped me get here and excited to keep learning with trainees and collaborators. Thanks to @thetransmitter.bsky.social @franciscorr25.bsky.social for highlighting this early stage of building a lab!
Check out the last edition of “Liftoff” for 2025 featuring @shoenhard-lab.bsky.social and @lexidecker.bsky.social’s new labs! Looking forward to more new neuroscience lab highlights next year!
#neuroskyence
#neuroskyence
In this month’s “Liftoff,” @shoenhard-lab.bsky.social talks about the need for patience in a lab’s “flint and steel” years, and @lexidecker.bsky.social shares that not worrying too much about what she can’t control keeps her focused on learning and doing her best as a new PI. bit.ly/49bcGxH
December 16, 2025 at 3:05 AM
Honored that our soon-to-launch lab is included in this Liftoff piece! Grateful to everyone who has helped me get here and excited to keep learning with trainees and collaborators. Thanks to @thetransmitter.bsky.social @franciscorr25.bsky.social for highlighting this early stage of building a lab!
Reposted by Lexi Decker
📣We have 2 open faculty positions for senior researchers in Neuroscience at Queen's University!
healthsci.queensu.ca/administrati...
1. a new Director for our Centre for Neuroscience Studies
2. a non-human primate NeuroAI researcher
Please share widely and reach out for questions!
healthsci.queensu.ca/administrati...
1. a new Director for our Centre for Neuroscience Studies
2. a non-human primate NeuroAI researcher
Please share widely and reach out for questions!
Administrative Opportunities
healthsci.queensu.ca
December 9, 2025 at 6:55 PM
📣We have 2 open faculty positions for senior researchers in Neuroscience at Queen's University!
healthsci.queensu.ca/administrati...
1. a new Director for our Centre for Neuroscience Studies
2. a non-human primate NeuroAI researcher
Please share widely and reach out for questions!
healthsci.queensu.ca/administrati...
1. a new Director for our Centre for Neuroscience Studies
2. a non-human primate NeuroAI researcher
Please share widely and reach out for questions!
Reposted by Lexi Decker
It’s out! Our article in Nature Human Behavior led by Yin Wang on the conceptual structure of human relationships across cultures and time. This work is breathtaking nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
The conceptual structure of human relationships across modern and historical cultures - Nature Human Behaviour
Cheng et al. explore the universality and cultural variability in how people understand human relationships, revealing a five-dimensional framework for relationship concepts across both modern and anc...
nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
March 13, 2025 at 12:04 PM
It’s out! Our article in Nature Human Behavior led by Yin Wang on the conceptual structure of human relationships across cultures and time. This work is breathtaking nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
Reposted by Lexi Decker
A recent meta-analysis published in @nature.com finds that there is no general effect of economic inequality on well-being or mental health (though there are some effects for specific groups, e.g. low-income samples). Read more details in the full paper here: 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
No meta-analytical effect of economic inequality on well-being or mental health - Nature
A meta-analysis of 168 studies reveals that economic inequality is not significantly associated with subjective well-being or mental health.
www.nature.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:17 PM
A recent meta-analysis published in @nature.com finds that there is no general effect of economic inequality on well-being or mental health (though there are some effects for specific groups, e.g. low-income samples). Read more details in the full paper here: 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lexi Decker
Did you know that chatting with LLMs can shift people's attitudes towards political candidates & policy issues? A recent @nature.com paper show that AI chatbots can persuade voters to change their minds; a related paper in @science.org describes when they work best www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Persuading voters using human–artificial intelligence dialogues - Nature
Human–artificial intelligence (AI) dialogues can meaningfully impact voters’ attitudes towards presidential candidates and policy, demonstrating the potential of conversational AI to influence politic...
www.nature.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Did you know that chatting with LLMs can shift people's attitudes towards political candidates & policy issues? A recent @nature.com paper show that AI chatbots can persuade voters to change their minds; a related paper in @science.org describes when they work best www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lexi Decker
We are hiring an assistant professor in cognitive neural systems in the department of psychology at the university of arizona. please use this link to check out the requirements and apply!
arizona.csod.com/ux/ats/caree...
arizona.csod.com/ux/ats/caree...
Assistant Professor, Psychology (T/TE)
Duties & Responsibilities:Publishing peer-reviewed scholarly works.Maintaining an active research program.Obtaining extramural funding.Teaching un...
arizona.csod.com
December 4, 2025 at 7:24 PM
We are hiring an assistant professor in cognitive neural systems in the department of psychology at the university of arizona. please use this link to check out the requirements and apply!
arizona.csod.com/ux/ats/caree...
arizona.csod.com/ux/ats/caree...
Reposted by Lexi Decker
We should probably be placing incarcerated people in prisons closest to their homes.
Why?
Assigning individuals to prisons closer to their home reduces recidivism.
Really?
Yep. Being placed close to one's home increases social contacts that appear to reduce reoffending.
Why?
Assigning individuals to prisons closer to their home reduces recidivism.
Really?
Yep. Being placed close to one's home increases social contacts that appear to reduce reoffending.
December 4, 2025 at 1:46 PM
We should probably be placing incarcerated people in prisons closest to their homes.
Why?
Assigning individuals to prisons closer to their home reduces recidivism.
Really?
Yep. Being placed close to one's home increases social contacts that appear to reduce reoffending.
Why?
Assigning individuals to prisons closer to their home reduces recidivism.
Really?
Yep. Being placed close to one's home increases social contacts that appear to reduce reoffending.
Reposted by Lexi Decker
Our graduate student @catalinayang.bsky.social shows that prediction errors only destabilize weakly reactivated memories. Strong memories? They are more impervious to surprise. Check out our #preprint with @barense.bsky.social to learn more osf.io/preprints/ps...
#UofT #Psychology
#UofT #Psychology
Super excited to share my first preprint with Katherine Duncan and Morgan Barense (@barense.bsky.social) -- "Memory strength at reactivation, not memory age, governs prediction error driven updating of naturalistic event memory"! 🧠🎉https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/q9rkn_v1
OSF
osf.io
November 19, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Our graduate student @catalinayang.bsky.social shows that prediction errors only destabilize weakly reactivated memories. Strong memories? They are more impervious to surprise. Check out our #preprint with @barense.bsky.social to learn more osf.io/preprints/ps...
#UofT #Psychology
#UofT #Psychology
Reposted by Lexi Decker
We're thrilled to announce the publication of our newest paper in @plosone.org 🎉
"Aging and episodic memory specificity: Evidence challenging a domain-general pattern separation decline"
Read Dr. Youm's full paper here: doi.org/10.1371/jour...
@melaniecohn.bsky.social
#Memory #Psychology #Aging
"Aging and episodic memory specificity: Evidence challenging a domain-general pattern separation decline"
Read Dr. Youm's full paper here: doi.org/10.1371/jour...
@melaniecohn.bsky.social
#Memory #Psychology #Aging
Aging and episodic memory specificity: Evidence challenging a domain-general pattern separation decline
Aging is associated with a decline in episodic memory specificity. This phenomenon has been observed across various memory tasks, such as the Mnemonic Similarity Task (MST), where older adults show a ...
dx.plos.org
November 25, 2025 at 9:50 PM
We're thrilled to announce the publication of our newest paper in @plosone.org 🎉
"Aging and episodic memory specificity: Evidence challenging a domain-general pattern separation decline"
Read Dr. Youm's full paper here: doi.org/10.1371/jour...
@melaniecohn.bsky.social
#Memory #Psychology #Aging
"Aging and episodic memory specificity: Evidence challenging a domain-general pattern separation decline"
Read Dr. Youm's full paper here: doi.org/10.1371/jour...
@melaniecohn.bsky.social
#Memory #Psychology #Aging
Reposted by Lexi Decker
Australia just recorded zero cervical cancer cases in women under 25 for the first time since records began in 1982. The amazing result of HPV vaccination.
November 28, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Australia just recorded zero cervical cancer cases in women under 25 for the first time since records began in 1982. The amazing result of HPV vaccination.
Reposted by Lexi Decker
Boston's Mayor Wu playing with Yo-Yo Ma at Symphony Hall
November 23, 2025 at 5:11 AM
Boston's Mayor Wu playing with Yo-Yo Ma at Symphony Hall
Reposted by Lexi Decker
We need a total and complete shutdown of WSJ data graphics until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on.
h/t @merz.bsky.social @drmikewiser.bsky.social
h/t @merz.bsky.social @drmikewiser.bsky.social
November 20, 2025 at 4:53 AM
We need a total and complete shutdown of WSJ data graphics until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on.
h/t @merz.bsky.social @drmikewiser.bsky.social
h/t @merz.bsky.social @drmikewiser.bsky.social
Reposted by Lexi Decker
How does mindfulness change body awareness? Excited to share our meta-analysis on mindfulness training and #interoception. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 7, 2025 at 1:50 PM
How does mindfulness change body awareness? Excited to share our meta-analysis on mindfulness training and #interoception. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lexi Decker
We put out this preprint a couple months ago, but I really wanted to replicate our findings before we went to publication.
At first, what we found was very confusing!
But when we dug in, it revealed a fascinating neural strategy for how we switch between tasks
doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.29.615736
🧵
At first, what we found was very confusing!
But when we dug in, it revealed a fascinating neural strategy for how we switch between tasks
doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.29.615736
🧵
July 27, 2025 at 9:31 PM
We put out this preprint a couple months ago, but I really wanted to replicate our findings before we went to publication.
At first, what we found was very confusing!
But when we dug in, it revealed a fascinating neural strategy for how we switch between tasks
doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.29.615736
🧵
At first, what we found was very confusing!
But when we dug in, it revealed a fascinating neural strategy for how we switch between tasks
doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.29.615736
🧵
Reposted by Lexi Decker
Please repost! I am looking for a PhD candidate in the area of Computational Cognitive Neuroscience to start in early 2026.
The position is funded as part of the Excellence Cluster "The Adaptive Mind" at @jlugiessen.bsky.social.
Please apply here until Nov 25:
www.uni-giessen.de/de/ueber-uns...
The position is funded as part of the Excellence Cluster "The Adaptive Mind" at @jlugiessen.bsky.social.
Please apply here until Nov 25:
www.uni-giessen.de/de/ueber-uns...
November 4, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Please repost! I am looking for a PhD candidate in the area of Computational Cognitive Neuroscience to start in early 2026.
The position is funded as part of the Excellence Cluster "The Adaptive Mind" at @jlugiessen.bsky.social.
Please apply here until Nov 25:
www.uni-giessen.de/de/ueber-uns...
The position is funded as part of the Excellence Cluster "The Adaptive Mind" at @jlugiessen.bsky.social.
Please apply here until Nov 25:
www.uni-giessen.de/de/ueber-uns...
Reposted by Lexi Decker
New in @pnas.org.
Preschool teachers were less likely to accept participation attempts by children from working-class backgrounds, regardless of their perceived language level.
With a great team: @andreicimpian.bsky.social @sebastiengoudeau.bsky.social & Louise Goupil.
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Preschool teachers were less likely to accept participation attempts by children from working-class backgrounds, regardless of their perceived language level.
With a great team: @andreicimpian.bsky.social @sebastiengoudeau.bsky.social & Louise Goupil.
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
September 5, 2025 at 1:21 PM
New in @pnas.org.
Preschool teachers were less likely to accept participation attempts by children from working-class backgrounds, regardless of their perceived language level.
With a great team: @andreicimpian.bsky.social @sebastiengoudeau.bsky.social & Louise Goupil.
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Preschool teachers were less likely to accept participation attempts by children from working-class backgrounds, regardless of their perceived language level.
With a great team: @andreicimpian.bsky.social @sebastiengoudeau.bsky.social & Louise Goupil.
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Reposted by Lexi Decker
I will be recruiting 🌟PhD students🌟 for my newish lab! If you're interested in learning & memory mechanisms applied to individual, interactive & collective behavior using computational modeling, real-world experiments and fMRI, email me! RTs much appreciated 🙏 rouhanilab.com
Interactive Cognition Lab | USC
Interactive Cognition Lab at USC, led by principal investigator, Dr. Nina Rouhani.
rouhanilab.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:57 PM
I will be recruiting 🌟PhD students🌟 for my newish lab! If you're interested in learning & memory mechanisms applied to individual, interactive & collective behavior using computational modeling, real-world experiments and fMRI, email me! RTs much appreciated 🙏 rouhanilab.com
Reposted by Lexi Decker
So grateful for this collab with rockstar @caitlyncody.bsky.social and our mentors! Excited to share our translational take on the neurodevelopment of anxiety in adolescence (and can’t believe my first publication is live!)
📣New review 📣 Hot off the presses! This paper from a recent special issue in @fluxsociety.bsky.social was a collaborative effort between myself and co-lead author @rebeccahennessy.bsky.social with the support of our PIs Heather Brenhouse and Juliet Davidow. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Understanding adolescent anxiety through a neurodevelopmental lens: A comparative review of rodents and humans
Adolescence is a dynamic time period, marked by significant neural and behavioral maturation. However, much remains unknown about how this maturation …
www.sciencedirect.com
October 10, 2025 at 3:32 PM
So grateful for this collab with rockstar @caitlyncody.bsky.social and our mentors! Excited to share our translational take on the neurodevelopment of anxiety in adolescence (and can’t believe my first publication is live!)
Excited to share that I'm joining WashU in January as an Assistant Prof in Psych & Brain Sciences! 🧠✨!
I'm also recruiting grad students to start next September - come hang out with us! Details about our lab here: www.deckerlab.com
Reposts are very welcome! 🙌 Please help spread the word!
I'm also recruiting grad students to start next September - come hang out with us! Details about our lab here: www.deckerlab.com
Reposts are very welcome! 🙌 Please help spread the word!
DeckerLab
www.deckerlab.com
October 1, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Excited to share that I'm joining WashU in January as an Assistant Prof in Psych & Brain Sciences! 🧠✨!
I'm also recruiting grad students to start next September - come hang out with us! Details about our lab here: www.deckerlab.com
Reposts are very welcome! 🙌 Please help spread the word!
I'm also recruiting grad students to start next September - come hang out with us! Details about our lab here: www.deckerlab.com
Reposts are very welcome! 🙌 Please help spread the word!
Reposted by Lexi Decker
I’m super excited to finally put my recent work with @behrenstimb.bsky.social on bioRxiv, where we develop a new mechanistic theory of how PFC structures adaptive behaviour using attractor dynamics in space and time!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
September 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
I’m super excited to finally put my recent work with @behrenstimb.bsky.social on bioRxiv, where we develop a new mechanistic theory of how PFC structures adaptive behaviour using attractor dynamics in space and time!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...