Nigel Jaffe
@nigeljaffe.bsky.social
Clinical psych PhD student at Penn State. Psychotherapy, personality, emotion. NSF GRFP fellow. Formerly McLean Hospital TEDY Lab
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Although most of my photos right now are of State College autumn, here's Happy Valley from the sky this August. It was awe-inspiring to get this view.
So, come join us here! I'll be recruiting a graduate student to the Empathy & Moral Psychology (EMP) Lab during this cycle, to start in fall 2026.
So, come join us here! I'll be recruiting a graduate student to the Empathy & Moral Psychology (EMP) Lab during this cycle, to start in fall 2026.
October 21, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Although most of my photos right now are of State College autumn, here's Happy Valley from the sky this August. It was awe-inspiring to get this view.
So, come join us here! I'll be recruiting a graduate student to the Empathy & Moral Psychology (EMP) Lab during this cycle, to start in fall 2026.
So, come join us here! I'll be recruiting a graduate student to the Empathy & Moral Psychology (EMP) Lab during this cycle, to start in fall 2026.
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
delighted to see this published 🙌 using EMA, we (with @roryoc.bsky.social) investigated suicidal ideation in daily life. we found that it arises from an interaction of within-person increases in loneliness and an individual’s level of personality functioning psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...
November 3, 2025 at 6:29 PM
delighted to see this published 🙌 using EMA, we (with @roryoc.bsky.social) investigated suicidal ideation in daily life. we found that it arises from an interaction of within-person increases in loneliness and an individual’s level of personality functioning psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Thrilled to share a new paper in @jamapsychiatry.com on path asymmetry in complex dynamic systems of psychopathology! jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
With amazing collaborators @tfblanken.bsky.social, Han van der Maas, & Denny Borsboom 🥳
With amazing collaborators @tfblanken.bsky.social, Han van der Maas, & Denny Borsboom 🥳
Path Asymmetry in Complex Dynamic Systems of Psychopathology
This article illustrates the assumption of path symmetry in current theories of psychopathology and calls for the development of dynamical systems of mental illness that incorporate asymmetry.
jamanetwork.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Thrilled to share a new paper in @jamapsychiatry.com on path asymmetry in complex dynamic systems of psychopathology! jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
With amazing collaborators @tfblanken.bsky.social, Han van der Maas, & Denny Borsboom 🥳
With amazing collaborators @tfblanken.bsky.social, Han van der Maas, & Denny Borsboom 🥳
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
1: In 2023, I wrote this paper arguing that research on active ingredients of CBT, and by extension on their mechanisms, is not close to improving therapy outcomes.
I just read a paper on inhibitory learning improving outcomes of exposure. Egg on my face?
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
I just read a paper on inhibitory learning improving outcomes of exposure. Egg on my face?
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Identifying active ingredients in cognitive-behavioral therapies: What if we didn't?
Identifying active ingredients of psychological interventions is a major goal of psychotherapy researchers that is often justified by the promise that…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 27, 2025 at 10:17 PM
1: In 2023, I wrote this paper arguing that research on active ingredients of CBT, and by extension on their mechanisms, is not close to improving therapy outcomes.
I just read a paper on inhibitory learning improving outcomes of exposure. Egg on my face?
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
I just read a paper on inhibitory learning improving outcomes of exposure. Egg on my face?
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
New paper led by Nele Assmann, in which we used causal forests to test the heterogeneity of treatment effects of Schema Therapy vs. DBT for severe Borderline Personality Disorder.
Differential effectiveness of dialectical behavioral therapy and schema therapy in patients with borderline personality disorder: a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) can be treated successfully with specific psychological treatments, but there is no clear evidence of superiorit…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 24, 2025 at 7:42 AM
New paper led by Nele Assmann, in which we used causal forests to test the heterogeneity of treatment effects of Schema Therapy vs. DBT for severe Borderline Personality Disorder.
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Interesting new special issue in Psychological Assessment.
Edited by Kristin Naragon-Gainey and @kstanton.bsky.social
Here's their overview paper: psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
And here's our contribution, which will win us no friends:
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
Edited by Kristin Naragon-Gainey and @kstanton.bsky.social
Here's their overview paper: psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
And here's our contribution, which will win us no friends:
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
October 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Interesting new special issue in Psychological Assessment.
Edited by Kristin Naragon-Gainey and @kstanton.bsky.social
Here's their overview paper: psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
And here's our contribution, which will win us no friends:
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
Edited by Kristin Naragon-Gainey and @kstanton.bsky.social
Here's their overview paper: psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
And here's our contribution, which will win us no friends:
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Thanks to @bbrfoundation.bsky.social for highlighting our lab's study (led by @hadarfisher.bsky.social & @nigeljaffe.bsky.social) using📱smartphone sensors + LLM-derived text ratings to track behavioral activation and symptom change in teens with anhedonia.
bbrfoundation.org/content/smar...
bbrfoundation.org/content/smar...
Smartphone Sensors + ChatGPT Successfully Tracked & Predicted Symptoms in Adolescents with Anhedonia | Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
The ubiquity of smartphones and the rapid advance and widespread public adoption of “AI” tools like ChatGPT (especially among the young) have raised hopes among some researchers that such technologies...
bbrfoundation.org
October 24, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Thanks to @bbrfoundation.bsky.social for highlighting our lab's study (led by @hadarfisher.bsky.social & @nigeljaffe.bsky.social) using📱smartphone sensors + LLM-derived text ratings to track behavioral activation and symptom change in teens with anhedonia.
bbrfoundation.org/content/smar...
bbrfoundation.org/content/smar...
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
We built the openESM database:
▶️60 openly available experience sampling datasets (16K+ participants, 740K+ obs.) in one place
▶️Harmonized (meta-)data, fully open-source software
▶️Filter & search all data, simply download via R/Python
Find out more:
🌐 openesmdata.org
📝 doi.org/10.31234/osf...
▶️60 openly available experience sampling datasets (16K+ participants, 740K+ obs.) in one place
▶️Harmonized (meta-)data, fully open-source software
▶️Filter & search all data, simply download via R/Python
Find out more:
🌐 openesmdata.org
📝 doi.org/10.31234/osf...
October 22, 2025 at 7:34 PM
We built the openESM database:
▶️60 openly available experience sampling datasets (16K+ participants, 740K+ obs.) in one place
▶️Harmonized (meta-)data, fully open-source software
▶️Filter & search all data, simply download via R/Python
Find out more:
🌐 openesmdata.org
📝 doi.org/10.31234/osf...
▶️60 openly available experience sampling datasets (16K+ participants, 740K+ obs.) in one place
▶️Harmonized (meta-)data, fully open-source software
▶️Filter & search all data, simply download via R/Python
Find out more:
🌐 openesmdata.org
📝 doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Here are two "I can't believe these are free" online stats texts books that cover both underlying principles and practical applications in R that I regularly refer to.
Learning Statistics with R
learningstatisticswithr.com
Doing Meta-Analysis with R bookdown.org/MathiasHarre...
Learning Statistics with R
learningstatisticswithr.com
Doing Meta-Analysis with R bookdown.org/MathiasHarre...
October 17, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Here are two "I can't believe these are free" online stats texts books that cover both underlying principles and practical applications in R that I regularly refer to.
Learning Statistics with R
learningstatisticswithr.com
Doing Meta-Analysis with R bookdown.org/MathiasHarre...
Learning Statistics with R
learningstatisticswithr.com
Doing Meta-Analysis with R bookdown.org/MathiasHarre...
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Now out in NPP – Digital Psychiatry and Neuroscience! 📱🧠
Can LLMs and smartphone sensing help us track therapy progress in real time?
Can LLMs and smartphone sensing help us track therapy progress in real time?
🆕 study by @hadarfisher.bsky.social @nigeljaffe.bsky.social @diegopizzagalli.bsky.social @christianwebb.bsky.social tested whether smartphone mobility sensing & LLM ratings of text can track behavioral activation in teens to boost engagement in rewarding activities
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Client Challenge
www.nature.com
October 17, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Now out in NPP – Digital Psychiatry and Neuroscience! 📱🧠
Can LLMs and smartphone sensing help us track therapy progress in real time?
Can LLMs and smartphone sensing help us track therapy progress in real time?
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
🆕 study by @hadarfisher.bsky.social @nigeljaffe.bsky.social @diegopizzagalli.bsky.social @christianwebb.bsky.social tested whether smartphone mobility sensing & LLM ratings of text can track behavioral activation in teens to boost engagement in rewarding activities
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Client Challenge
www.nature.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:45 PM
🆕 study by @hadarfisher.bsky.social @nigeljaffe.bsky.social @diegopizzagalli.bsky.social @christianwebb.bsky.social tested whether smartphone mobility sensing & LLM ratings of text can track behavioral activation in teens to boost engagement in rewarding activities
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
In 2018, Charles Murray challenged me to a bet: "We will understand IQ genetically—I think most of the picture will have been filled in by 2025—there will still be blanks—but we’ll know basically what’s going on." It's now 2025, and I claim a win. I write about it in The Atlantic.
Your Genes Are Simply Not Enough to Explain How Smart You Are
Seven years ago, I took a bet with Charles Murray about whether we’d basically understand the genetics of intelligence by now.
www.theatlantic.com
October 13, 2025 at 1:33 PM
In 2018, Charles Murray challenged me to a bet: "We will understand IQ genetically—I think most of the picture will have been filled in by 2025—there will still be blanks—but we’ll know basically what’s going on." It's now 2025, and I claim a win. I write about it in The Atlantic.
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Congrats to CHM Core Faculty member Simon Goldberg and Founder/Director Dr. Richard J. Davidson on receiving a $2.8M grant from National Institutes of Mental Health to support their research on digital interventions for mental health interventions!
@sgoldbergphd.bsky.social @d3center.bsky.social
@sgoldbergphd.bsky.social @d3center.bsky.social
October 1, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Congrats to CHM Core Faculty member Simon Goldberg and Founder/Director Dr. Richard J. Davidson on receiving a $2.8M grant from National Institutes of Mental Health to support their research on digital interventions for mental health interventions!
@sgoldbergphd.bsky.social @d3center.bsky.social
@sgoldbergphd.bsky.social @d3center.bsky.social
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Had a great time presenting my poster exploring people's thoughts & feelings about death w/ #BERTopic this evening at the Society for Research in Psychopathology Annual Meeting! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to chat– it was wonderful learning more about others' work and nerding out! 💀🪦
#SRP2025
#SRP2025
September 26, 2025 at 5:56 AM
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Why We're Like This Ep. 1: Shannon Sauer-Zavala on how to be less neurotic
open.substack.com/pub/olgakhaz...
open.substack.com/pub/olgakhaz...
Why We're Like This Ep. 1: Shannon Sauer-Zavala on how to be less neurotic
I'm starting a podcast, duh
open.substack.com
September 26, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Why We're Like This Ep. 1: Shannon Sauer-Zavala on how to be less neurotic
open.substack.com/pub/olgakhaz...
open.substack.com/pub/olgakhaz...
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
The lab has been doing some cool work around basic affect regulation processes and their links to substance use. This paper was just accepted at JSAD.
OSF has the pre-print, pre-reg, codebooks, and analysis files here: osf.io/ha58c/
Paper is here: www.jsad.com/doi/abs/10.1...
OSF has the pre-print, pre-reg, codebooks, and analysis files here: osf.io/ha58c/
Paper is here: www.jsad.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Coping motives for alcohol and cannabis use better reflect negative emotionality than emotion regulation deficits in young adults.: Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs: Vol 0, No ja
Objective. Motivational models argue that people use alcohol and cannabis to regulate emotions (Cooper et al., 2016; Cox & Klinger, 1988). Descriptions of global self-reports of coping motives have em...
www.jsad.com
September 23, 2025 at 5:00 PM
The lab has been doing some cool work around basic affect regulation processes and their links to substance use. This paper was just accepted at JSAD.
OSF has the pre-print, pre-reg, codebooks, and analysis files here: osf.io/ha58c/
Paper is here: www.jsad.com/doi/abs/10.1...
OSF has the pre-print, pre-reg, codebooks, and analysis files here: osf.io/ha58c/
Paper is here: www.jsad.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Two new preprints on multilevel HMMs! Time series data is now pervasive in psychology and new methods are needed to model the dynamics in such data. Hidden Markov Models (HHMs) are powerful models for dynamics in which a system is switching between a number of discrete states.
September 22, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Two new preprints on multilevel HMMs! Time series data is now pervasive in psychology and new methods are needed to model the dynamics in such data. Hidden Markov Models (HHMs) are powerful models for dynamics in which a system is switching between a number of discrete states.
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Postdoc with us in Columbus! 🌰
I'm pumped to recruit a 1-2 year postdoc working on:
- mechanisms of change in treatment
- treatment personalization
- emotion reg
With a breakdown of:
50% research
30% treatment
20% mentorship/collaboration/conferences
osu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/OSUCareers/j...
I'm pumped to recruit a 1-2 year postdoc working on:
- mechanisms of change in treatment
- treatment personalization
- emotion reg
With a breakdown of:
50% research
30% treatment
20% mentorship/collaboration/conferences
osu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/OSUCareers/j...
Post Doctoral Scholar
Screen reader users may encounter difficulty with this site. For assistance with applying, please contact hr-accessibleapplication@osu.edu. If you have questions while submitting an application, pleas...
osu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
September 18, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Postdoc with us in Columbus! 🌰
I'm pumped to recruit a 1-2 year postdoc working on:
- mechanisms of change in treatment
- treatment personalization
- emotion reg
With a breakdown of:
50% research
30% treatment
20% mentorship/collaboration/conferences
osu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/OSUCareers/j...
I'm pumped to recruit a 1-2 year postdoc working on:
- mechanisms of change in treatment
- treatment personalization
- emotion reg
With a breakdown of:
50% research
30% treatment
20% mentorship/collaboration/conferences
osu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/OSUCareers/j...
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Year 2 of Temple's Demystifying Graduate Applications Event!
September 18, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Year 2 of Temple's Demystifying Graduate Applications Event!
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
📱EMA is increasingly used in intervention studies to acquire a more fine-grained and ecologically valid assessment of change. But EMA is relatively burdensome. What's the added value? We tried to address this question in our new paper now out @jmirpub.bsky.social www.jmir.org/2025/1/e69297 1/n
Ecological Momentary Assessment as a Measure of Intervention Change: Evaluation in 4 Digital Mental Health Trials
Background: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is increasingly being incorporated into intervention studies to acquire a more fine-grained and ecologically valid assessment of change. The added uti...
www.jmir.org
September 12, 2025 at 8:26 PM
📱EMA is increasingly used in intervention studies to acquire a more fine-grained and ecologically valid assessment of change. But EMA is relatively burdensome. What's the added value? We tried to address this question in our new paper now out @jmirpub.bsky.social www.jmir.org/2025/1/e69297 1/n
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Now on CRAN, the apa7 package extends @davidgohel.bsky.social's flextable to get the finicky details of APA style right with minimal fuss, even in tables, even in .docx.
#rstats
wjschne.github.io/apa7/
#rstats
wjschne.github.io/apa7/
September 11, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Now on CRAN, the apa7 package extends @davidgohel.bsky.social's flextable to get the finicky details of APA style right with minimal fuss, even in tables, even in .docx.
#rstats
wjschne.github.io/apa7/
#rstats
wjschne.github.io/apa7/
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
In a new paper, my colleagues and I set out to demonstrate how method biases can create spurious findings in relationship science, by using a seemingly meaningless scale (e.g., "My relationship has very good Saturn") to predict relationship outcomes. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Pseudo Effects: How Method Biases Can Produce Spurious Findings About Close Relationships - Samantha Joel, John K. Sakaluk, James J. Kim, Devinder Khera, Helena Yuchen Qin, Sarah C. E. Stanton, 2025
Research on interpersonal relationships frequently relies on accurate self-reporting across various relationship facets (e.g., conflict, trust, appreciation). Y...
journals.sagepub.com
September 10, 2025 at 6:18 PM
In a new paper, my colleagues and I set out to demonstrate how method biases can create spurious findings in relationship science, by using a seemingly meaningless scale (e.g., "My relationship has very good Saturn") to predict relationship outcomes. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Machine learning can identify which adolescents are more likely to benefit from SBMT vs. TAU.
This may point to a path toward precision prevention in schools. Next step: prospective trials testing whether algorithm-guided intervention assignment improves outcomes. 4/n
This may point to a path toward precision prevention in schools. Next step: prospective trials testing whether algorithm-guided intervention assignment improves outcomes. 4/n
August 22, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Machine learning can identify which adolescents are more likely to benefit from SBMT vs. TAU.
This may point to a path toward precision prevention in schools. Next step: prospective trials testing whether algorithm-guided intervention assignment improves outcomes. 4/n
This may point to a path toward precision prevention in schools. Next step: prospective trials testing whether algorithm-guided intervention assignment improves outcomes. 4/n
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
🚨 New research alert
We applied machine learning to the large MYRIAD trial (84 schools and 8,376 UK teens) to ask:
👉 Which adolescents benefit most from mindfulness delivered in schools?
Bottom line: One-size-fits-all doesn’t work.
Paper link: tinyurl.com/vvpvfunh
1/n
We applied machine learning to the large MYRIAD trial (84 schools and 8,376 UK teens) to ask:
👉 Which adolescents benefit most from mindfulness delivered in schools?
Bottom line: One-size-fits-all doesn’t work.
Paper link: tinyurl.com/vvpvfunh
1/n
tinyurl.com
August 22, 2025 at 8:11 PM
🚨 New research alert
We applied machine learning to the large MYRIAD trial (84 schools and 8,376 UK teens) to ask:
👉 Which adolescents benefit most from mindfulness delivered in schools?
Bottom line: One-size-fits-all doesn’t work.
Paper link: tinyurl.com/vvpvfunh
1/n
We applied machine learning to the large MYRIAD trial (84 schools and 8,376 UK teens) to ask:
👉 Which adolescents benefit most from mindfulness delivered in schools?
Bottom line: One-size-fits-all doesn’t work.
Paper link: tinyurl.com/vvpvfunh
1/n
Reposted by Nigel Jaffe
Deep diving the newest from @jamesmcmurtry.bsky.social The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy. It is really, really good. A true wordsmith. Builds great characters. Tells bold truths. Writes about getting old. I'll put him up against Prine, Clark, Van Zant, Earle.... Give a listen. Catch him live.
August 12, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Deep diving the newest from @jamesmcmurtry.bsky.social The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy. It is really, really good. A true wordsmith. Builds great characters. Tells bold truths. Writes about getting old. I'll put him up against Prine, Clark, Van Zant, Earle.... Give a listen. Catch him live.